Thursday morning found us at anchor in the amazing Bay of Islands, an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. This beautiful region boasts no less then 144 islands within the confines of the bay.
Because we were anchored in the bay, passengers make their way to shore via way of the ship’s tender boats. From ship to the dock on shore is about a 20-minute ride, It was a long process to get everyone to shore that wanted to go to shore. Since we were just here in November 2023, Sue decided to stay aboard and enjoy the quiet ship. Dan made his way to shore at around noon and landed at the Waitangi Pier.
Dan decided to skip the long line for the shuttle bus and make the 1.5 mile walk to the town of Paihia via the coastline trail.
After wandering around the town, Dan made his way back to the tender dock only to find a very long line of passengers waiting to return to the ship. Instead of joining the queue, Dan decided to use his remaining time to continue his exploration of the area immediately around the pier. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds were just a short walk away as was the trail to the Haruru Falls. The Treaty Grounds required a NZ$70 admission and would take more time then he had to fully explore the site, so off to the trail.
The trail to the falls is 6km long each way, so there was not enough time to hike all the way to the falls, but it was a pleasant walk 2km in and 2km back before catching the tender back to the ship.
Our travel companions David and Gerne had arranged for a formal dinner on their balcony during sail away, we crashed it đŸ™‚ The sunset was amazing.
Hi guys, it’s fun to hear about your travels and see the pics of far-flung places. Glad you are smiling and enjoying life!