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Published: November 13th 2006
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So I caught the Intercity bus at lunchtime because I didn't get sorted to catch the early one. However this allowed me to watch England get done over by the All Blacks. It was great to see the Haka after seeing it at the cultural performance the previous day.
The ride north was really scenic and I arrived at the small seaside town of Paihia in the evening. I checked into the Pickled Parrot hostel that had been recommended to me. This is a great little place with a central patio and very sociable seating arrangements suitable for chatting and meeting new people.
I went on the "Cream Trip" cruise around the bay on my first full day in the area. This is the route that the boat has always taken around the bay since the days when it delivered the milk. So we toured around the islands, all the time with a stiff breeze blowing but with great views. We stopped for lunch on one of the beaches for lunch but saw sights like Mardens Cross (the site of the first Christian service in New Zealand) prior to that. The Bay of Islands has a lot of history
because it was the first area to be settled by Europeans. After lunch we sailed up to Cape Brett to see the "Hole in the Rock". This hole had been much talked about and very hyped-up. In reality it is a relatively impressive hole through a rock, formed by erosion. Unfortunately the sea was too choppy to go through the hole so we admired from afar.
I tried fishing in the evening, and indeed on a subsequent occassion. The target was snapper that grow to quite a size. I don't think I got so much as a bite, but it was fun all the same. Both trips came to the end when the knots broke; I suppose it would have helped if I knew how to tie the knots!
The next day was a bike ride through Waitangi and the surrounding area. Waitangi is the site of the signing of the treaty between the British settlers and the Maoris in 1840. On the site is the original British residency and a Maori meeting house that represents there part inthe treaty. Also on the site is a waka (war canoe) that was produced as part of the treaty centenary
celebrations. Also went up Mount Bledisloe (named after the British Lord who bought the Waitangi estate for the nation of New Zealand) from where there was a great view of the bay.
I also visited Russel while I was in the area which is on the other side of the mainland from Paihia. This is the oldest town in New Zealand (I think) and was once a port full of pubs and brothels. It's not like that now, its full of art galleries and cafes. Again there is a great view from the nearby hill which was attacked over and over again by the local Maori tribe. The weather was really bad and the ferry back was cancelled. This was the outside of the storm that really hit Auckland hard. We had to get a coach back to Paihia via the car ferry, but we got back eventually. A few of us went "downtown" in Paihia for a few drinks, which included a talent contest and karaoke.
For my last full day in I went on the coach trip to Cape Rienga that everyone had been recommending I do. It was an early start but the weather was
considerably better that the previous day. The coach went up to the Cape via 90 mile beach, which is in fact 64 miles long. At the top of the beach we did sand boarding which is like boggie boarding but down a sand dune. This was a lot of fun but the sand got everywhere. We got to the Cape before lunch and spent a little time where the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea meet, and where Maori spirits go to before they leave New Zealand on their way to the ancestral home land.
We stopped at Ancient Kauri Kingdom on the way back, which is a wood carving factory using kauri wood that has been preserved in swamps. Kauri trees are very heavily protected in law so the swamp wood is the kauri that can be used. We also stopped in an area where the ancient forest still persists which contains some kauri trees.
The Bay of Isands is a beautiful area and I could have spent more time in. Perhaps I'll get back there some time or another.
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