"Dinosaur land," he said mischievously, explaining how his son's imaginary world comes ALIVE in that swampy rainforest searching for scary creatures among dripping moss, giant ferns and gnarly trees. It was his favorite place to go.

Immediately intrigued, I got directions, grabbed my husband, and left. Dale had assured us we'd have enough time to do the easy 20 minute loop and still have time to bike and hike around Lake Matheson before sunset. We walked down the hill to the highway and turned left. The trail head was obvious within minutes, clearly marked.

We stepped onto the gravel path and entered a magical world of green. A profusion of green ferns and tiny intricate lichens were the backdrop for strange twisted trees cloaked in a tapestry of velvety mosses. Bubbling brooks, singing birds and pools of clear water were heard but not easily seen in the thick foliage. Fern trees and massive palms fanned out above us like over-sized umbrellas, letting slivers of sunshine shine through between fronds.

Gigantic Kahikatea trees stood proudly in the forest, arms dripping with feathery mosses and intertwining vines, looking as if giants -— grabbing a snack as they lumbered through -— had pulled with such force that their roots were exposed four feet above ground. Such intriguing shapes and spaces begged exploration. We crawled around and sat under these roots, marveling at the strangeness.

Not ready to leave this enchanted forest 15 minutes into our walk, we veered left from the main trail, choosing directions at random whenever the path diverted.

The vegetation became dense, thick and jungly. Gnarly trees with reddish bark were contorted into strange positions resembling scary faces and snakes. How I understood that child's imagination! Bizarre massive trunks appeared to have had difficulty swallowing their young -— partially digested lichen -- covered forms stuck out of the bark in fantastical lumps creating haunting images of crouching animals and monstrous creatures watching us through narrowed eyes, their outstretched arms waiting to grab us as we naively wandered past.

In the middle of this spooky rainforest we came across a beautiful waterfall cascading onto moss-covered rocks framed by lush ferns. Stopping here we realized that we'd wandered deep into this wonderland for over an hour. We attempted to retrace our steps -— disagreeing on the route as we stumbled over twisted branches and thick roots in the darkening forest. Nothing looked familiar.

Huge mounds of earth covered in fine tiny ferns, ripped apart in a previous life, left sinister gaps of dark shadows leading to intimidating spaces better left unexplored. With hushed voices we crept past, not wanting to wake the creatures that surely lurked inside.

Suddenly we heard rustling in the foliage immediately ahead. I don't know who scared who more. But we were both relieved to see another couple! Admittedly lost, we joined together and found our way back, eluding those monsters with loud conversations.