New Zealand Blog March 24th, 2016
March 25, 2016 at 10:30 PM
March 24th Bay of Islands
Today we departed Auckland for a drive up the coast to visit the Bay of Islands. This beautiful region of New Zealand is made up of many small volcanic formed islands. Very much a resort area, but a beautiful location for a short ocean cruise and a visit to the other surrounding islands.
Enroute to Bay of Islands today we made several stops for photographs including one stop in a small marina port town called Whangarei. As we were walking around the marina we met a couple form Kingston, Ontario who set sail from Canada in 2009 and have been sailing the glob ever since. I've included a photo of them in the blog. What an adventure.
Once we arrived on the Bay we took an afternoon ocean cruise. The weather was a little rough and we could not go out as far as planned but still a great experience. On our way back along the coast we came upon a pod of dolphins which were entertaining and great to photograph.
We are in Bay of Islands for two nights. Enjoy the photographs from todays journey.
St. Peters & Paul Church in Puhoi
Interior shot of this country church which was established in 1881.
Puhoi Public Library.
Puhoi Hotel and Stables.
The view down the river, town of Puhoi.
This couple are from Kingston, Ontario they set out on their sailing adventure in 2009 to sail around the world. They told us they love the sailing lifestyle and are in no rush to complete their journey. Congratulations Wade and Diane safe sailing on the SV JOANA. They have a blog at www.joana.ca.
Here's a B&W HDR view of the marina.
Arriving at Bay of Islands one option is a helicopter ride out over the islands and ocean.
We opted to take a cruise. A group of Thailand exchange students on the bow of our ship.
Beautiful coast line, the ocean was a little rough as a storm had blown through the night before.
Many beautiful homes along the coast as we sailed in and out of small inlets on the bay.
This man and his dog were paddling in the harbour at Russel.
Don has his GoPro mounted and ready to photograph the dolphins.
Ethel and Sanford enjoying our afternoon on the water.
Another shot of the coast line as we sailed back out into open waters.
For about 20 minutes we enjoyed a pod of dolphins playing alongside our ship.
The more waves the more they played.
More dolphins.
One more dolphin shot.
Last shot of the day, more fun in the water.
That's it for today, check back tomorrow as we continue our New Zealand Trek. Good night from Bay of Islands.