Goat Island Marine Reserve & Drive to Russell


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Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Goat Island
June 1st 2011
Published: June 4th 2011
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Glass Bottom boat tourGlass Bottom boat tourGlass Bottom boat tour

Here is Suzy and Theo on the glass bottom boat tour around Goat Island
Dawn broke just before 7AM along the Port in Auckland. The hustle of the streets below was muted from our 12th floor room. Life slowly crept out of the bedrooms of the apartment. We formulated a plan to head up to our next destination of Russell, a small island town in the Northland region.

We fired up our newly acquired GPS, christened "Gertrude" by Ivy. With the aid of our Australian-accented electronic dame, we would be able to navigate New Zealand with ease. We set our sites on the Goat Island Marine Reserve, about an hour north along the Hibiscus Coastal Scenic Drive. The Reserve was the first of its kind, established in 1975 to protect and preserve a region of coastline and about 1500 hectares of the Pacific Ocean.

We arrived without incident and surveyed the beach area. A glass-bottomed boat bobbed a few meters off the shore with a scheduled departure time within 10 minutes. Since it sat empty save the captain, it probably wasn't going to departing on time but I told him we were game for a go around the inlet. The water below the boat was a bit murky and didn't offer the explosion
Exploring the shorelineExploring the shorelineExploring the shoreline

Geddy showing Theo how to explre the shoreline.
of color that is seen in tropical waters. The seaweeds were a mix of tan, brown and grey. The fish (primarily snapper, red moki, and blue maomao) were a mix of earth tones with the exception of the Blue Maomao. One section of the bay had quite a few eagle rays. The highlight of the trip was the back side of Goat Island facing the open Pacific. Here a combination of erosion and tectonic activity had created a series of caves some of which protruded 60 meters into the island. On calm days, kayaks and even swimmers will explore the caves. Some the caves connect under the island and on low tides offer some nifty exploration opportunities. Our captain obviously knew how to handle the larges cave as he backed right into it to the point at which we only had about ten feet of ocean between the boat and either side of the cave.

The ride also offered glimpses of a Northern Blue Penguin and a Grey Heron (aka Ghost Heron), the latter of which we were told was a rare find...eat your heart out Jim!

We left Goat Island with our travelling fate in the seemingly
Ivy with view of Goat IslandIvy with view of Goat IslandIvy with view of Goat Island

Goat Island is actually one of 20 with the same name around New Zealand. They were named by sailors who used to drop goats off on the islands off the shoreline. Since the goats had no where to go, when the sailors returned they would be able to round them up for fresh meat.
capable hands of Gertrude. As previously mentioned, the signage that we have encountered has not been ample nor consistent. After about a half an our in the car, we were doubting the abilities of our electronic navigator. She seemed to be taking us slightly south prior to heading north. She also didn't seem to want her directions to include a ferry ride from Paihia to our destination of Russell. This may or may not have been a preferred route, but we will never know as we put our trust in a 3 by 3 inch piece of electronics made without pride in the People's Republic of China. The drive ended up taking about an hour longer than we anticipated, including about 10 kilometers on a gravel road through a lush and beautiful forest. This would usually be a welcome diversion, but with dusk setting in and Theo complaining every few minutes about the soreness of his backside, not so much.

We arrived in Russell at our rented house "Zemmery Fidd" in the quaint town of Russell. We walked down into town under a blanket of stars to the market to pick up food for dinner. On the way, we
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The beautiful NZ coastline.
passed the oldest church in New Zealand, Christ Church (no relation, I assume). The house is an older model with no central heat and captures rain water for household use as do the rest of the homes in town. Bottled water is required for drinking and we get to take our trash to a "transfer station".

We have three days to explore the region. The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow and then spotty through the Queen's birthday weekend holiday. We'll make the best of it, the weather is one thing you just can't be certain about while planning a vacation. The other thing is, of course, Gertrude.


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7th June 2011

Gertrude
I have just started reading your awesome stories. It sounds like a great adventure! Have fun! :)

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