Having booked a 4.5hr Bay of Islands cruise over the phone the day before, we knew we had to be at Russell Harbour by 9:10am, where they’d come and pick us up after first scooping up passengers from Paihia. We left the campsite in good time, but needed to buy some snacks from the bakery or supermarket in Russell, both of which had limited lunch options. We also both wanted another coffee before setting sail…
After a slight hold-up waiting for coffees and trying to find somewhere to park in Russell, which was busy due to a swimming event, we scooted down the jetty to the boat, which was patiently waiting for us. We were only 1 minute late, if that, but they’d still called us to see if we were still coming… oops!
The captain and two crew members were very friendly and welcomed us aboard.
Twin Lagoons
Our first stop was set to be the Twin Lagoons, where two bodies of water almost meet in the middle of an island. We came ashore and were given 30 minutes to either mill about or climb the hill to the lookout point. Now that we’d had a few coffees, we figured we’d follow the crowd and climb the hill!
Mammal interruptions
Our next stop was set to be the famous Hole in the Rock, bar any mammalian interruptions. Mammalian interruptions in the sea, you say?
We were joined by a pod of dolphins, who jumped and swam next to us as we sailed across the bay. This group were possibly part of a larger group known locally as the Bay Squad, of which there are a few hundred.
But nature is brutal and sadly our attention was swiftly brought to a dead young dolphin calf, which was floating with its mother nudging it from beneath.
While we cried inside, we left the two dolphins alone and moved on towards the Hole in the Rock. Fortunately, this was a rare occurrence, and the captain duly reported it to the mainland.
Hole in the Rock
On the approach to the Hole in the Rock was Cathedral Cave, which was a menacing-looking rock formation with a huge fissure in the middle… and resembled a cathedral entrance.
Water laps up to it and travels through underneath it and apparently comes out of the other side. They believe that in a thousand years or so it will fully crack… but we don’t have enough time to wait around for that…
As we got to the other side of the hole, the cruise guide joked that it was the first time the captain had sailed through it. Yeah, right!
She also mentioned that her Māori/Iwi ancestors believed that if you passed through the hole and a drop of water fell on you as you went through, then it was good luck. That said… if it didn’t happen on the first crossing, they would sail back and forth again until they felt that blessed drop.
On the other side of the whole was a rock facing the ocean that looks like a female profile. She is locally known as Moana and is thought to protect the islands.
Cape Brett Lighthouse
As we headed back through the hole and into the Bay of Islands again, we passed Cape Brett Lighthouse, which was built and operational in 1910 and manned until 1978. When operational, there used to be three houses, with three families looking after the lighthouse and a schoolhouse and teacher for all the kids, of which there were many for lack of a television.
New Zealand DOC (Department of Conservetion) look after the lighthouse cottage now and you can stay in it overnight for a fee.
Urupukapuka Island
Our next stop was Urupukapuka Island, where we were given an hour to explore the island before we had to be back on the jetty, where they’d be feeding the fish at 12:30. I was keen to snorkel and had brought my stuff, but there was a boat festival called Sip & Sound where local boats could moor up by the beach and listen to the DJ. There was a busy cafe facing the bay, where many people were sat and anticipating the festival.
We could’ve walked 20 minutes to another beach and then tried to squeeze in a quick swim or snorkel before trekking back, but the atmosphere was quite nice in the bay, so we decided to have a mini picnic with the things we’d bought from the supermarket instead.
We walked back onto the jetty, which was busy with another boatful of people piling onto the island. We squeezed past them and managed to make it back to our crew who were about to feed the fish.
One of the crew members held out a pole above the fish to stop the seagulls intervening and stealing the food. Some of the fish were snapper (bright blue fins).
Once the feeding was over, it was time to head back to Russell.
Russell
As we sailed back towards Russell, we passed a small island covered in bird poo as well as a group of Australiasian gannets, which breed there and can travel at 120 km/h dive bombing into the sea to fish, thanks to their reinforced heads and air pockets.
The Māori name for Russell, Kororāreka, means sweet little blue bird, after the little penguins found in the area.
But it its English name Russell was chosen by the queen’s rep and named after Lord John Russell, chief of the colonies.
It was the first sea port in New Zealand and was soon home to whalers, traders and 36 brothels – earning it the nickname ‘The hellhole of the Pacific’.
It is still home to the oldest continuously licenced hotel in New Zealand, which has been burnt down and rebuilt several times, yet the original licence is still framed and intact.
In 1835 the first church was built, thanks in part to a generous donation from Charles Darwin.
Once back in Russell, we walked around some of the shops and admired some of the local crafts and artwork. We also stopped at Hell Hole cafe, where we each got a coffee and Anneke got the world’s biggest toastie, which we took to the waterfront.
As we sat down, we were soon joined by curious seagulls and various other birds who were only too happy to help Anneke with her generous toastie portion.
Omata Estate
It was just after 2pm at this point, and we felt it was about time to sample the local produce up the road. I’d heard that Omata Estate was a good place to do a wine tasting and we’d practically passed it on our way into town, so it seemed rude not to…
We felt a little underdressed as we pulled up, but that didn’t stop us, and in fact the staff were very friendly and showed us to a picnic table in their lovely outdoor covered area.
We each got a tasting of four wines – a Pinot gris, a rose, a Chardonnay and a Syrah. After we’d drunk the first one, the bean bags we’d been eyeing up in front of us became free and we pounced at the opportunity to sit on them.
I very much enjoyed the first two wines, and it was overall a very relaxing experience. You can walk through the vines if you so choose, or just hang out at the restaurant area. It did drizzle a bit, but not enough to dilute our wines or scare us off the precious bean bags.
Hōne’s Garden
Once we’d finished our tastings, we decided to head back to Russell to have a few beers and play cards, and just continue having a relaxed afternoon, safe in the knowledge that we didn’t have a campsite to find or a tent to put up, since that was all taken care of.
We had a few beers and played cards for a while. I taught Anneke how to play sh*thead and we played several rounds, the last few of which she began to beat me! We ordered a pizza and a cheesy garlic bread as the place got busier, and eventually made our exit by about 7:15pm.
We headed back to the campsite, where we stumbled upon an injured sparrow hatchling. It looked like something had had a go at it’s head and it still couldn’t fly at all, so we decided to keep it warm overnight in the tent with us.
We just couldn’t help ourselves…
It also rained quite heavily, so we felt reassured that we’d done the right thing, even if the bird didn’t make it overnight…
Blonde on a Road Trip 
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