Blogs from Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania

Tour Day 54, Bay of Islands, Russell, New Zealand Day 7, Saturday, December 2, 2023 – Ninety Mile Beach and Cape Reinga Tour Ninety Mile Beach is on the western coast of the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. The beach is actually 88 kilometres long. Its southern end is close to the headland of Tauroa Point, to the west of Ahipara Bay, near Kaitaia. This 88-mile stretch of coastline features sand dunes & cruising tours via 4-wheel drive vehicles. Somewhere in the translation, 90 (almost) kilometers beach became 90–mile beach. Eighty–eight kilometers actually is 54.68 miles. Paul and I took the passenger ferry to Paihia to catch the tour “bus.” Right off the bat, the driver/tour guide emphasized that the “bus” was not at all a bus, but rather a TRUCK. Indeed, ... read more

Tour Day 52, Bay of Islands, Russell, New Zealand Day 5, Thursday, November 30, 2023 – The Hole in the Rock Cruise actually begins in Paihia, New Zealand but makes a stop in Russell to maximize the number of paying customers on board. It was quite windy, making it a little cool for an Arizonan standing on the bow, so I moved back and forth between the protected cabin and the open bow. A young lady from Switzerland stationed herself on the bow and never faltered. Disgusting! She deserves to sleep on the ground and luxuriate in a hostel so she can shower periodically! There’s not much to say so I’ll let the photos do the talking.... read more

We were delivered to our Motor Home by an amazing Maori gentleman who was very informative about the travel plans we communicated to him. He has worked for the Pacific Horizon Travel Home company for 15 years and was able to instruct us in detail of all of the workings of the Mercedes Benz van we had hired for the upcoming 22 days. Expertly guided by navigator Jane, we negotiated our way through early morning Auckland traffic and finally left the big city behind and certainly relaxed a lot more. Our plans changed, as we wanted to see what we had planned before the forecast heavy rain hit the areas in the far north of the North Island so instead of Piha (slightly south of Auckland), it was onto the Bay of Islands to stay the ... read more

14/10/22 Packed up the Arapohue BnB promptly and were on the road to Paihia in steady, at times, heavy rain. First stop Whangarei and the Hundertwasser Gallery, which was spectacular. We were wrapped up in the beauty and quirkiness of his imagination. It's a magnificent facility for the city. We've spent many happy times on holiday in Tutukaka so we had to make a side trip out to the coast and remember the great times we shared with Heather and the late Gavin. The wind was howling so we didn't linger after standing on the deck of the house with such happy memories. It's a beautiful spot. Took the Hikurangi road north and then we were in Paihia. The weather still not great - rain and wind. Our accommodation at Club Paihia turned out to be ... read more

Na dnešek dobře spím a to značí, že budu mít dost energie na nabitý program. Kousek od našeho ubytování se nachází místo podpisu smlouvy z Waitangi, a tak se jdeme nechat poučit o tom, jak to vlastně bylo mezi Brity a Maory. Dnes již víme, že Maoři Britům v podstatě ustoupili. Nechali je zemi vládnout, přitom tu zůstali, aby obývali a uctívali svou posvátnou půdu. Měli jsme tu čest seznámit se s maorskou kulturou a tradicemi při tradičních tancích včetně bojového tance mužů "haka", viděli jsme největší vyřezanou válečnou kánoi měřící 37,5 metrů i blahočet ztepilý ("norfolk pine") z roku 1836. Nadšení odcházíme za dalším neméně zajímavým poznáním, a to do jeskyní Waiomio. A nebyly to jen tak nějaké jeskyně. Nacházeli se zde červíci se svítícími zadečky. Focení bylo přísně zakázáno, ale kdybych to měla k ... read more