We’re parked up in the Bay of Islands. This is an important place in history as the Treaty Grounds overlook this beautiful area.
Next week will mark the 180th anniversary of the signing of the Maori and British treaty that has made New Zealand the country it is today. Not the usual “Brits abroad” land-grab scenario, since the Maori are also not indigenous, although they were here long before us.
Anyway the region is significant because of the treaty, that the first governor has his residence here, and that it’s a glorious place to not have a war!!
We stayed here last time, and gosh how it’s changed. Before we just wandered from our hotel, yards from where the tenders disgorge, up to the open grounds. Now it’s all fenced in and we pay $100 to get in. It’s clear that this is all new and a lady tells us it’s just three years since the visitor’s centre and museum were built.
It’s all very good and well done so we don’t mind contributing, the museum is excellent but we could have stayed all day not just a couple of hours. However walkies have to be done so we head back past the tender quay (local yatch club) and head across the single track bridge towards town.
That’s the town of Paihia where a string of hotels and a handful of shops serve the bay, alongside ferries to the outlying areas, such as Russell adjacent to where we park our ship. There’s a familial connection here, almost anyway, my God Parents surname was Russell and my God Mother’s sister, who’s name wasn’t Russell, married a Kiwi and emigrated to ... Russell!!
Last time here, we took the ferry and looked at her house, although she was no longer on this earth, just as an exercise.
Today we walk past the ferries and stick to the roadside instead, following the roadside route as far as possible before we turn around and head back to the tender stop. It’s about a 15km round trip. We get very wet as a passing weather dumps on us, but minutes later it dries up and the humidity goes sky-high.
It’s only a short day as sadly we have to say goodbye to NZ at 15:00 and head back to Aus, and that’s going to take around 68 hours of sailing. We’re back onboard for lunch and foolishly I’d decided I need pizza, so brave the self-serve lido area to get some slices, whilst hubby sets our balcony for lunch. The experience is rather disappointing and Pizza Express it certainly isn’t, but we’re cheered when he looks in Neptune and finds a trio of desserts - should have just had them instead!!
Then it’s an afternoon on deck, daiquiri for sailaway, some rain and sunshine, a swim and jacuzzi before we have to take a very early shower and dress for tonight’s second Cellar Master dinner.
Next week will mark the 180th anniversary of the signing of the Maori and British treaty that has made New Zealand the country it is today. Not the usual “Brits abroad” land-grab scenario, since the Maori are also not indigenous, although they were here long before us.
Anyway the region is significant because of the treaty, that the first governor has his residence here, and that it’s a glorious place to not have a war!!
We stayed here last time, and gosh how it’s changed. Before we just wandered from our hotel, yards from where the tenders disgorge, up to the open grounds. Now it’s all fenced in and we pay $100 to get in. It’s clear that this is all new and a lady tells us it’s just three years since the visitor’s centre and museum were built.
It’s all very good and well done so we don’t mind contributing, the museum is excellent but we could have stayed all day not just a couple of hours. However walkies have to be done so we head back past the tender quay (local yatch club) and head across the single track bridge towards town.
That’s the town of Paihia where a string of hotels and a handful of shops serve the bay, alongside ferries to the outlying areas, such as Russell adjacent to where we park our ship. There’s a familial connection here, almost anyway, my God Parents surname was Russell and my God Mother’s sister, who’s name wasn’t Russell, married a Kiwi and emigrated to ... Russell!!
Last time here, we took the ferry and looked at her house, although she was no longer on this earth, just as an exercise.
Today we walk past the ferries and stick to the roadside instead, following the roadside route as far as possible before we turn around and head back to the tender stop. It’s about a 15km round trip. We get very wet as a passing weather dumps on us, but minutes later it dries up and the humidity goes sky-high.
It’s only a short day as sadly we have to say goodbye to NZ at 15:00 and head back to Aus, and that’s going to take around 68 hours of sailing. We’re back onboard for lunch and foolishly I’d decided I need pizza, so brave the self-serve lido area to get some slices, whilst hubby sets our balcony for lunch. The experience is rather disappointing and Pizza Express it certainly isn’t, but we’re cheered when he looks in Neptune and finds a trio of desserts - should have just had them instead!!
Then it’s an afternoon on deck, daiquiri for sailaway, some rain and sunshine, a swim and jacuzzi before we have to take a very early shower and dress for tonight’s second Cellar Master dinner.
The dinner starts in the swimming pool, well not quite, in the swimming pool bar which is nearby the Canaletto restaurant we're eating at tonight. We start with prawns, scallop and crayfish, then parmigiana melanzane. Next it's branzino which we know as sea bass, and the main is fillet de manzo with truffle. Pudding really is the main event, grilled figs, mascarpone with honey and a wonderful polenta cake.
Each course is matched by carefully chosen wines by Fernando the cellar master onboard and he gives us intricate detail for each course!
Later we catch up with the train gang for a while, then head on to see the sandman, an artist using sand and other drawings beautifully created in front of our eyes and projected onto the big screen.
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