2008 New Zealand Trip

Bay of Islands and north

The Bay of Islands ended up being the longest stop on our trip. If you like the water, this is the place to be. From here you can go deep sea fishing, kayaking, sailing, diving, sightsee cruises, swim with dolphins etc. We went on several boat trips to see more of the islands and the picture from the Hole in the Rock is from one of these. We also went for a drive up to Cape Reinga which was a long all-day drive to get to the most northern point of New Zealand. At Cape Reinga, the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet in a big clash.

The Hole in the Rock.
Russell, Bay of Islands.		Ferry boat between Paihia and Russell.
We were hoping to go swimming with these dolphins, but they had babies so not this time.		The Kiwis don't sugar coat anything...
The country side is really pretty and some roads are basic, like this gravel road up to Cape Reinga.		Lighthouse at Cape Reinga, the most northern point of New Zealand. Long drive for us to get there and the weather was rough.
Emma in a gum digger hole.		Beautiful sea coast everywhere..
I wanted to rent a large sailboat for a couple of days, but my crew didn't trust my skills. Neither did the boat company.. I used to sail competitively, but a long, long time ago.
When you take the time to relax, sailing is a peaceful activity. Big sailboats like this one I have no clue how to operate, but I had a lot of fun growing up sailing small boats and windsurfing.