Today we had an earlier start as we needed to be at the ferry terminal to get out on the water. The first stop was Otehei Bay. This is on an island called Urupukapuka which in recent years has been cleared of all the introduced mammal pests to enable the return of lots of rare birds to the island.
The water is very clear and there were lots of people kayaking and swimming. From there we changed boats and went right out th the eastern most point of the Bay of Islands – Cape Brett, and went around, and through ‘The Hole in the Rock’. It is a magnificent example of natural forces.
From circumnavigating the rock the boat headed back to Otehei Bay where we stopped for a spot of lunch. The food was good, but did take quite a while to arrive, but that did give us lots of time to critique the fashion choices of those around us. Here’s the view from lunch…
After lunch we headed back to Paihia and organised a scenic helicopter flight over the bay, and although we covered a lot of the same territory, it really is a stunning part of the world viewed from above.
We flew on out to view ‘The hole in the Rock’ from the air, which again was very cool to get a different perspective.
After returning to Paihia, we took the ferry to Russell, which was a rough old whaling town in the 1840s and was seen as a sinful place as opposed to the more honourable (and religious) Waitangi side of the bay. Nowadays Russell is a quiet seaside town that attracts lots of tourists to some very nice bars and cafes. We had a drink at ‘The Duke of Marlborough’, a wonderfully kept Victorian style bar and restaurant.
We then settled in for a nice relaxing dinner at ‘The Gables’ with views of the jetty and a steady stream of passing people traffic. It was a relaxing way to close out a busy day and the meal was very good.
From our room I just took some last photos from the Bay of Islands. Although its been a really quick visit, the scenery is stunning and the weather has been good to us. A very special place that I will now have some great memories of… to match Deb’s good memories of 20 plus years ago!
Until tomorrow!
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