Bay of Islands, Russell, New Zealand

Bay of Islands, Russell,  New Zealand                                    Saturday, February 24, 2018

               The Bay of Islands has 144 islands with secluded bays and superb marine life.

Larry and I boarded the tender boat into the dock of Paihia.

From there we caught the town shuttle  passing by the Maori Waitangi Treaty Grounds before dropping us off in the village of Paihia.

The last time we were here, we took a 25 minute walk up this beach into the village and then wandered around the shops and craft market with a very misty overcast sky. Today was the exact opposite. There were blue skies with a sparkling sun making the area more enjoyable.

The scenery today was oh so nice.

From the Paihia dock, we took a local 20 minute ferry boat to Russell, the first capitol of New Zealand in 1840. Russell was once nicknamed “the hell hole of the Pacific” due to being a lawless and bawdy port for whalers and rowdy sailors to get provisions after a long voyage.

Today it is a quiet little town that attracts vacationers with pleasure boats for sailing and big game fishing.

The antique colonial homes that line the picket fenced streets are well maintained and add to the charm of older days in Russell.

                           Larry and I enjoyed visiting the old Duke of Marlborough Hotel.

Original furniture and pictures on the walls made this a unique historical part of Russell’s past. 

                                                                  Maori Art                                                                             

We enjoyed a walk along the scenic waterfront before catching the ferry back to the bus that took us to the tender boat back to the ship.