After our time in Auckland, Jenny and David flew back to Christchurch to Josh and Silvina and we drove north to spend four nights in Russell on the Bay of Islands.
We stayed in a terrific B&B. This is the beautiful view from the balcony of our room looking over the charming town of Russell.
Looking up to the B&B, with the red roof.
Russell's pebbly beach. The town holds an important place in New Zealand's history. It was the country's first sea port and its first European settlement. There are still many historic buildings.
The jetty. Regular ferries go over to the other side of the bay.
There are also some very fancy new homes.
The historic Anglican Christ Church, built in 1836, is the oldest existing church in NZ today, and possibly the oldest building still used for its original purpose.
The Pompallier Mission and Printery is a nineteenth century rammed earth building which was the headquarters for the French Catholic mission for the Western Pacific.
The Catholic brothers translated religious texts into Maori. We went on an excellent tour which took us through the whole process of tanning leather.
Then we learnt about the printing process.
Our tour guide is showing the end product, a beautiful printed bible covered in leather.
We took a ferry like this to Pahia on the other side. It's only about 15 minutes or so.
A little island on the way.
Arriving in Pahia.
On shore at Pahia.
A Gaudi try hard!
From Pahia we walked along the beach (sand for a change) to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Here the Waitangi Treaty was first signed in 1840 between representatives of the British Crown and more than 40 Maori Chiefs.
Inside it is beautifully carved and painted.
A traditional carved statue.
The flagstaff marks the spot were the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.
The Treaty House, which was the offical Royal Residency.
Looking over the bay from Waitangi to Russell, we could see the red roof and veranda of our B&B.
Inside the Treaty House.
A waka, or War canoe. This canoe needs a minimum of 76 paddlers.
When we arrived back to the pier in Russell, we saw this massive blue marlin, weighing in at 160.2 kilograms.
The Flagstaff Hill Historic Reserve sundial.
The view from here over Russell was beautiful.
The Honey House Cafe, another building on the mission.
These pears are from a tree planted by Samuel Marsden in 1819, which is the oldest specimen of its kind in New Zealand.
Such a peaceful spot. It is hard to believe it was once the setting for wars and cannibals.
Rainbow Falls, just outside Kerikeri.
On the way back to Auckland for the flight home, our last stop was at The Hundertwasser Public Toilets at Kawakawa. It is one of few toilet blocks seen as an international work of art and a tourist attraction in its own right. It was designed by the expatriate Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser who lived in Kawakawa from 1975 until his death in 2000 and features the use of recycled materials from the local community.
Inside.
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