The house Richard rented for us all was fabulous. From the kitchen to the artwork. And Russell is a wonderful little town. The main street (a very short one) runs beside the Bay of Islands and is filled with restaurants and gift/souvenir stores. The population is under 1,000 although the number of tourists makes it seem larger than that. The town is built on the side of a steep incline rising from the water, and the views looking up to the town or down on the Bay are spectacular.
Russell main street
Russell harbour
Our rental house in Russell
Russell was New Zealand's first capital, for a brief time in 1840, until it moved to Auckland. The first church in NZ (Christ Church, 1836) is still located there. So our first day (the 20th) we spent at the town's historic sites: the museum and the Pompallier Mission. The latter was NZ's oldest Roman Catholic mission and was also used as a printery and tannery to produce the first Catholic prayer books, in Maori.
Oldest church in NZ
There are many walking trails around Russell, and we spent the afternoon of the 20th exploring some of them. Supper was at a new Indian restaurant in town.
View from one of our walks
On the 21st we took the ferry to Paihia, and then and on to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the Waitangi Treaty was signed in 1840 between the Mauri and the British Crown. In the treaty a promise was made to protect Mauri rights, a promise that was quickly broken. Also on the grounds is the house lived in by James Busby from 1833, the first British Resident, an official position of the British government.
On the way back to Russell we stopped in Paihia, which is much bigger than Russell. It appears to be a town that has developed to attract and house tourists. So glad Richard chose Russell for our time in that area. Supper that night was at the Duke of Marlborough Restaurant in Russell. Delicious food at a table overlooking the Bay. How perfect.
Our last day in Russell (the 22nd) we took a day trip on a boat through the Bay of Islands. The water, the islands/rocks, it was all extraordinary. I am still in awe of the colour of the water. And then, for supper, Richard BBQ'd lamb sausages, at our Russell home! Great meal!
View from a stop on the boat cruise
Today (the 23rd) we sadly left Russell for the west coast, where we saw first the most amazing sand dunes, and then the Kauri forests, with the oldest Kauri trees in NZ (and the world?). You have to see these trees to believe them. A 45 ft. (more or less) girth. Just imagine. It would probably take at least 8 people with their arms outstretched to circle the oldest trees! And they have even been given names. The oldest is called Tane Mahuta. They estimate it is about 2,000 years old!
Sand dunes on west coast
Oldest kauri tree,
much bigger than it looks
The west coast north of Dargaville has fewer tourists than the east coast, possibly because swimming there is much riskier. And did I menon that along the roadsides NZ has the equivalent of our lupin, the agapanthus, which has a strikingly beautiful blue blossom. Apparently it has become a bit of a nuisance. And then there are the hydrangas, and the hibiscus, all in bloom now. So much colour.
Richard and Jo left me at the Grand Hotel (perhaps once!) in Whangarei, after an excellent meal at a recommended restaurant called Split. The owners are from Croatia, where Jo has roots. Didn't have much time to explore Whangarei, but it does have a lovely waterfront, and a very nice downtown pedestrian shopping area. Just as well I have no time there.
