Today we took a break. Stormy weather and rain were predicted, so we relaxed and enjoyed our morning which was sunny and warm. By 3pm it was windy and raining so we caught up on correspondence and did research for future adventures. I looked up information on the plants and birds we have encountered and found information on the raucous, bold bird we heard and saw on our first walk on the Waitangi Track. It is the Tui bird, a native bird that has actually thrived with the coming of the colonists. And it is truly bold! Yesterday at the Pompallier Mission, we toured the garden and hiked to the top of the trail where a Tui bird was observing us, jumping from branch to branch to keep an eye on us. I tried to video it  or get pictures, but it stayed just far enough away! And it wasn’t singing so I couldn’t even tape the beautiful eclectic song. So here’s what I found online.

It is larger than a robin and it looks almost all black except for the very distinct throat tufts that look like cotton balls stuck to it’s throat!

When it sings, and we have observed it singing, it really puts all its energy into it, fluffing up and belting out the loud whistles, croaks and clatter!

More about the bird and a short clip of it’s song can be seen (and heard) if you click HERE.

We rose early, actually about the same time because Robert loves to see the sun rise over the bay! But we had a quick breakfast and packed our daypacks for an early ferry ride to Russell, once known as the “Hellhole of the Pacific”! The water was calm and blue, the breeze light, under partly cloudy skies.

Leaving Paihia on Blue Belle II ferry.

We arrived with the few other early risers and got coffees at the Hellhole Coffee Shop. Then walked through the small waterfront village and started the climb to Flagstaff Hill.

One of the older, colonial style houses on our walk towards Flagstaff Hill. 

Robert was the first to spot 2 chicken sized birds crossing the road and disappearing into the brush, kiwis we think? We spotted another as we climbed the steep walkway, and Robert spotted a fourth when he stopped to see our view back down the trail! The views from Flagstaff Hill are fantastic!

This view was to the north west, towards Purerua Peninsula.

Turning slightly to the east we looked out to the Pacific. With binoculars we could spot a line of fishing boats strung out to sea!

We headed down the stairway to the trail through the forest back to Russell to delve into the human history of the area.

The Russell Museum answered many questions relating to the “Hellhole” description of the town in the 1830’s. Lots of American and French whalers, out to sea for 2-3 years would reprovision and ‘recreate’ here! 

A quick visual of the evolution of human presence in Bay of Islands; the original Maori sailing canoes that arrived about 800 years ago, the whaling ships that plied the waters in the 1800’s and the sport fishing and recreation that occurs today!

Also, the stuffed birds proved we were right, we did see real kiwis!

Usually nocturnal, we saw the birds at around 9am, maybe because it’s spring? Apparently on the north island the kiwi can breed in any month.

More human history, and a great portrait showing the tattoo designs reminiscent of the character QueegQueeg in the novel Moby Dick!

A portrait of Tamati Waka Nene, one of the first Maori to sign the Waitangi Treaty, and an ally of the British through many conflicts.

His headstone in the cemetery of the oldest church in Aotearoa New Zealand, Christ Church of the Anglican denomination.

We enjoyed a wonderful fish & chips lunch, local beers and continued our walk around Russell. We visited the Pompallier Mission and Printery, the Catholic mission and the first ‘factory’, tanning hides for bookbinding, and printing books in te reo or Maori language. Our return ferry trip was breezier and we were tired from our hike up the hill!

Happy Birthday to Pat! Enjoying her Birthday on an idyllic Greek island!

We decided to stay closer to our current home in Haruru, Northland, New Zealand. We drove the short 5km to Paihia Beach to stroll the beachfront and take in the sights. But first we had our leisurely breakfast and coffee and watched the tide come up the river estuary.

Our view of the bay, filled at high tide.

Down at the beach we walked and saw families enjoying the waterfront and kids playing in the sand and in the water.

The water was calm, but cool.

The sights in town included a reference to Zane Grey who visited the area in the 1920’s to do some sport fishing. He memorialized his fishing exploits in several books, putting Paihia on the map for international sport fishing!

Unbeknownst to us at the time is that our hosts at the Airbnb are decendants of the family that in 1887 started a sailing ship delivery service that eventually morphed into the sightseeing cruises on the Bay of Islands and the ferry between Paihia and Russell. The couple took on the task of commissioning this Marlin sculpture that is at the entrance to the ferry dock.

We walked the opposite direction over the bridge past the ship we can see in the distance from our Airbnb.

We can see with binoculars from the garden seat at the Airbnb that this is a permanently grounded boat.

On our walk back we can see why it is permanently grounded!

We had a picnic lunch and decided to head for a hike on the Paihia School Road Track in the Opua Forest, a cooler alternative than being in the sun on the beach! Up, up, up we hiked until we reached the outlook and enjoyed a semi-obstructed view of the Bay of Islands.Everywhere we walked today I saw patterns;

Our first morning at our Airbnb. Sunrise over the Bay of Islands!

Shining into our apartment. We have the lower level, a one bedroom with kitchen and bathroom. Great patio with a grill. After a leisurely breakfast, cleaning up, consulting maps and talking with our host, we headed to the closest hiking trail!

A short drive to Haruru Falls and the beginning of the hike to Waitangi Treaty Grounds through a forest and a mangrove swamp, a well protected habitat of the national bird, the Kiwi. Along the trail there are traps for stoats (weasels) that were introduced in the late 1800’s to control introduced rabbits. Instead they became another threat to the native birds, many of which are flightless, kiwi included. As we hiked into the forest we came to huge leafless trees, with huge bright red blooms (it is spring here). Amongst the branches were very raucous birds, chasing each other through the branches and feeding on the nectar of the flowers. The calls were loud, whistling, cawing, croaking sounds. Unlike anything I’ve heard! We were walking along the Waitangi river, which is the river estuary we see from our Airbnb. Huge trees lean over the river, festooned with bromeliads ( I assume).

Interspersed along the walk are large tree ferns, think of the Oregon ferns on large palm tree like trunks! These I learned are the Silver Fern, the symbol of New Zealand, worn on military uniforms and the jerseys of the All Blacks, the national rugby team!The new fronds are uncurling from the center. This tree fern was below us on the trail, so we are looking at its ‘crown’.An up-close of the fern frond. Seeing all the curled fronds I thought how similar they are to the tattoo patterns in Maori art.The underside of the fern fronds belie it’s name the ‘silver’ fern! “The undersides reflect moonlight, making them useful aids to navigating bush pathways at night.” “To Māori, the elegant shape of the fronds stood for strength, stubborn resistance, and enduring power. To Pākehā (New Zealanders of non-Māori descent), the fern symbolised their sense of attachment to their homeland.” (According to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa).

Our walk took us through a mangrove swamp on a boardwalk and we emerged eventually at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. We will explore that site at a later date, what we needed now was a cappuccino for energy to walk back to Haruru Falls, 7 miles total (11km)!

Travel Day! Today we moved to a new area, Bay of Islands! We packed up the Toyota Aqua and headed out. Our first stop was Costco NZ! We needed to stock up on inexpensive necessities like tomato soup and granola! They serve southern fried chicken burgers and fries here! Great for lunch. Further along the road we stopped at “Sheep World”, only for coffee at their cafe! The road became more narrow and curvy past this point.

Are Robert’s knuckles white? Mine were! Note the sign “Keep Left…” that’s our mantra now!

We encountered log trucks, very similar to the Pacific Northwest. Don’t know what kind of wood it is though. We thought Hwy 101 on the Oregon coast was curvy, try that, but driving on the left, and more narrow!

The views of the countryside are spectacular! We saw some sheep, but more cows.

We finally arrived at our destination “Linger Longer” Airbnb. What a view!

The eclectic, whimsical garden is enchanting, and we were immediately at ease and ready to relax!