Bay of Islands and the Far North

It has been a busy week on the road. There was so much to do in and around the Bay of Islands that we ended up staying a couple of nights in Paihia. On the morning after the rugby match we went on a walk that took us around a small part of the bay. We journeyed along the beaches and cliffs from Paihia to Opua, took a ferry from Opua to Okiato and then followed a trail through the bush, mangrove swamps and paddocks from Okiato to Russell. There is a lot of European history in this part of New Zealand because it was where the Europeans first landed. Okiato was the first capital of New Zealand and Russell was the first European settlement.

Russell is a town of contradictions and so much character that it sucks you in. In its heyday Russell was a fishing and whaling town with drinking establishments and houses of ill repute to match. At one time the town was referred to as the “Hell Hole of the Pacific.” It was so bad that Charles Darwin made a contribution to help establish the local church, now the oldest in New Zealand. We had a drink at the local fishing club and then meandered around town before catching the ferry back to Paihia.

The next morning we went on a boat tour of the Bay of Islands. The tours include dolphin viewing, a trip out to the Hole in the Rock and a stop on the largest of the islands in the bay, Urupukapuka Island. Our tour was one of the luckier ones because we got to see dolphins and orcas and our boat went through the Hole in the Rock.

After lunch we went to the Waitangi treaty grounds where the treaty between the Maoris and European settlers was signed. We saw a cultural show and took a tour of the grounds. It is one of those places that you can feel history in the air.

The next stop on our trip was Pukenui. The family we worked for had some friends who live there and they were nice enough to let us crash at their house. From Pukenui we were able to do a tour of the Far North in one day. We stopped at Cape Reinga, Tapotupotu Bay, Te Paki Dunes, Spirits Bay and Te Hapua before returning to Pukenui. There is so much to say about each place that we stopped, but I will try to cram the important bits into one long sentence. Cape Reinga is where the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean come together and the Maori believe spirits depart the land, Tapotupotu bay is a nice campground in a sheltered bay, Te Paki Dunes are the larges dunes that we have ever climbed, Spirits Bay is a beautiful spot with an incredible stretch of protected beach covered in small pieces of shell and Te Hapua is the northernmost settlement in New Zealand.

The incredible hospitality of Kiwis continues to amaze us as what was supposed to be a one night stay in Pukenui ended up turning into a four night guided tour of the area. The couple we were staying with took us to their local fishing club, over to 90 mile beach, south to shipwreck bay and into the gum fields around Ahipara. It is a remote area, but with such incredible hosts we were busy every day. We also learned a lot about their travels throughout New Zealand and got some local tips that we can use on the rest of our trip.

After saying goodbye, we headed south to the Karikari Peninsula and set up camp at the Maitai Bay campground. It was the most gorgeous backyard that we have ever had. We only stayed one relaxing night on Maita Bay before heading to Kerikeri. We picked a local hostel to stay in and went out with the hostel owners to the local pub for the Japan vs. Tonga match (Tonga won). Today we hope to do a little exploring in Kerikeri before heading south again.