Monday 11th May 2026
Ruapekapeka:
Heading further north today, we first visited the Ruapekapeka Reserve, the site of one of the last battles between the Maori and The British Empire. The battle positions remain and there is a memorial to those 12 British men who lost their lives there.
The whole site is interesting as the information boards give detailed context. Interestingly, a tribunal in 2014 found that the Ngapuhi had never ceded sovereignty to the crown, yet in the 20 years following this battle, they lost more than 72,000 acres of land.
The Maori fortress, or “pa”, was at the top of a nearby hill. The defences were sophisticated and in a superb position. You can still see the trenches which would be behind wooden defence walls with openings to fire through.
Russell:
The small coastal town of Russell is very attractive. It sits right across the Tapeka Peninsula in the Bay of Islands area of Northlands.
It was quiet when we visited, but it is so attractive and many of the businesses are focused on tourism, so it must get very busy in the season.
That is it for today. TTFN and see-u-later.
"See-u-Later" 