Bay Of Islands

Ok, So now that you made it through those...you can imagine my dilemma for what to post and what not to post. I took about 700 photos of this particular tour. Even with my damaged lens, I was able to salvage perhaps 300 presentable pictures. Of those, their is a high proportion of island houses, other boats and a number of other annoying photographic inconveniences. So...all that being said.....this is the region known as the Bay of Islands. The most notable and rather touristy town on the bay is Paihia.

This was New Years in Paradise. We spent New Year’s Eve and New Years day in Paihia. At this point I was pretty much over the travel trauma and shell shock of New Zealand. We spent the full day on the water, on a tour boat that also acted as the twice a week mail boat for many of the island residences. All in all we visited probably 20 islands, witnessed a variety of types of island living and partook in some of the most amazing scenery I have ever seen. Its definitely a trip worth taking. In addition to this, we explored the town of Russel, New Zealand’s first European settlement previously known as the hell hole of the Pacific.

We also visited a few of the older settlements, took a historical tour and received first hand enlightenment from native guides on the indigenous Maori people. The Maori are perhaps one of the most beautiful, fiercest and perhaps the most adept indigenous peoples that I have been exposed to. Of all of the subjugated peoples under European settlement, the Maori I think have done the most to preserve their heritage, adapt to European ways and still maintain their traditional land rights, freedoms and language. I have yet to meet a Maori that wasn’t 100% fluent in their language, heritage or pride for their country and culture. I will try to post a couple of interesting photos of what little I was able to see regarding the Maori.

By staying an extra day in Paihia, we lost opportunity to explore much else on the North Island. Pictures do not do this area justice.