Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th May 2026
Tuesday:
A slight change of plan. Originally we planned to stay overnight in Russell, then explore the area before returning across the ferry. We therefore left the site and headed across the peninsula to Rawhiti, which is not far from the “Hole in the Rock”, a famous landmark of the Bay of Islands. At the small beach there, we spotted some Caspian Terns:
Sadly, the route there did not provide any views or stopping points where we were able to enjoy the beautiful landscape, so we returned to Russell where we had lunch on Long Beach before heading over towards the end of the headland, to Tapeka Point Beach, where we explored the area and “enjoyed” a swim! (Brrrr. It was cold. …and definitely no pictures).
As we had not really seen what we had come to see (the islands), we decided to book a boat trip. As they only run daily, in the morning, at this time of year, we stayed over another night in Russell and booked on for a third night on the site and had another wander around the town:
The churchyard here has a memorial to Tamati Waka Nene, the Chief of the Ngāpuhi iwi, who died in 1971. According to the memorial, he was the first Chief to recognise the sovereignty of Queen Victoria. There is also a memorial to six men, of HMS Hazard, who lost their lives in 1845.
The site has quite a range of bird life, many of which are new to me since arriving in New Zealand…
…and some that are not new to me:
Wednesday:
With the promise of an included lunch at a cafe on one of the islands, we headed to the Russell Jetty and caught our boat for the trip. Waiting there with us, was a lovely couple, Evan and Melanie from Utah, who we spent some time with and shared some stories during the excursion. We wish them well on their future travels.
The weather had definitely changed since yesterday and we experienced some rain and strong winds. The sea was also quite choppy at times. The 4.5 hour trip was enjoyable despite the weather conditions and the occasional spray which caught us out.
Sadly, we did not see any dolphins, but we did see some Fur Seals on the rocks near to Hole in the Rock.
If the water is calm, boats will sail through the hole, but not today, there was a heck of a wind blowing through it towards us and a high swell.
The weather conditions also helped give some drama to the photos …every cloud has a silver lining.
As we left the boat for lunch, we had a welcoming committee:
Tomorrow, we head back on the ferry and then head over to the west coast. No set plan though! That is all for today. TTFN and see-u-later.
"See-u-Later" 