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Sahnetour - Boat trip through the Bay of Islands (New Zealand part 10)

Pubblicato: 27.12.2018

We explored the Bay of Islands from Paihia with the boat trip called 'Cream Trip', which was named after an old route that collected milk and cream from the islands.



Today, the boat still delivers mail and other essentials to and from the islands.

In addition to various islands, we also saw rock formations like the 'Black Rocks', whose volcanic rocks bizarrely protrude from the water and are inhabited by water birds.


Black Rocks
Black Rocks

On our way, we saw a family of orcas that were approached by all the boats in the vicinity. As only three boats are allowed to come near the animals at a time, we had to wait a bit until it was our turn.


Then we reached the 'Hole in the Rock', an opening in the water in a rock formation. We even sailed through it with the ship, although it didn't seem like it would fit at first glance...


On Urupukapuka Island, we took a break and could go ashore. It is the largest island in the bay, with a restaurant and camping allowed on three beaches.


We hiked up a mountain to enjoy the view of the water and the surrounding islands. During this, we had to avoid the droppings of sheep that were lying everywhere on the paths, although we only saw a few of them.


At the beach, we took a short break under a 'New Zealand Christmas tree'. The locals call it that because it only blooms red at Christmas.


There was a Pacific oystercatcher sitting calmly on its nest nearby, undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of the bathing tourists. A barricade had been set up around it to ensure that no one gets too close.


On the way back, we saw some dolphins that even elegantly jumped out of the water - unfortunately, never when I was taking a photo.



Since there was a young one among them, those who had booked the dolphin swimming tour were not allowed to get into the water.

Instead, a net was put in the water, which you could be pulled along in from the ship. Although we didn't go in, judging by the reactions of the swimmers, it was still quite cold - even though they later claimed otherwise...



Shortly before Russell, we saw a sailing ship, which our captain introduced as the largest schooner in private ownership.



We got off in Russell to explore this historic place before taking the ferry back to Paihia.



Nearby is the namesake first capital of New Zealand and in the 19th century, it was a location for the whaling industry.

During our walk through the town, we could see the oldest surviving church in New Zealand.



In Russell, the first war between the English and Maori began. On Flagstaff Hill, the British flagpole was cut down four times by Chief Hone Heke in 1844. The rebellion against British sovereignty eventually resulted in a war, the last battlefield of which we visited the day before.



While descending Flagstaff Hill, we saw a bird that we later identified as a Weka, a flightless rail. Unfortunately, it didn't stay still for a photo...



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