21st February Paihia

After breakfast, we went to Russell to visit Long Beach. Wonderful beach, some waves, but not too strong, so you can swim perfectly. Ahh, what a morning. Amazing!!!!!

After that, we went to the town of Russell, which became known as 'Kororāreka'. During the time of whale and seal hunting, the small village grew to become the largest settlement in the country. The Māori and some Englishmen designed a joint flag and hoisted it on Flagstaff Hill. For various reasons, this flag was replaced by the Union Jack in 1844. This led to a bloody confrontation. Kororāreka was quite destroyed and lost its privileged position. In 1845, Auckland was declared the capital of New Zealand.

In Russell, there is a small museum that showcases various totems of Hōne Heke, a Māori leader during the 'Flagstaff War'