Bay of Islands

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A bus from Auckland brought me to the town of Pahia, in the Bay of Islands. This is very much a tourist location, but I found it to be quite lovely - far more relaxed than Queenstown. It was a hot, hot day (high twenties) when I arrived, and that didn't change for the four days I spent in the area.

The first major activity for me in the Bay of Islands was a day cruise. There are lots of cruise options - catamarans, power boats, dolphin cruises, swim with the dolphins, tall ships, and kayaking (I've probably missed one or two). I choose a tall ship; the R. Tucker Thompson.

After a short ferry ride from Pahia to Russell, I found myself watching the ship sail in and dock. About twenty of us boarded and off we went, motoring out into the bay (not a lot of wind that day). But there was brilliant sunshine with hardly any clouds, so not sailing didn't really matter. Finally, once we were farther out in the bay, the crew of two started to raise the sails (assisted by volunteers), and voila!, we were powered soley by the wind. Some brave souls took the opportunity to climb the rigging (after being equipped with a safety harness and getting a safety briefing). I thought it was much nicer on the deck - although I did wear a harness with a safety line for a short climb out to the bow sprit.

As the noon hour approached we sailded into the bay of Motuarohia Island. A small island, but quite beautiful, we spent maybe an hour there, swimming and enjoying the scenery. Then it was back aboard the Thompson for lunch (really good food). A few people took the opportunity to get back in the water via the rope swing. Eventually, we left the island and headed back to Russell.

A really, really good and relaxing day.

Oh, when I got back to the hostel, I talked to a guy from Switzerland who went out on a power boat cruise. They covered a lot more area, stopping in at more islands, and saw dolphins. I think either option is good, it just depends on what you want out of the day.

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