Bay of Islands, Thursday Feb.9th

Maybe Wednesday???

 Today we had an excursion. This is our first of this cruise. I made the decision to not do excursions in the places which we had visited before.

So we were up early and had breakfast using room service. It was ordered for 6:30 and it arrived at 6:31. Those of us with excursion tickets were told to meet in the Provence dining room at 8:15. By 8:45 we were on our way to the tender. There was the usual rush to get there but we just went with the flow. So when we arrived at the tender we were required to sit at the bottom. 

The trip on the tender took 19 minutes and the water was calm and beautiful.

 The catamaran was called the Dolphin Seeker and it was docked right next to our tender.  We were able to get amazing seats topside with an amazing view of everything.The day was amazing. It was not too hot nor was it too cool. The sea was wonderfully calm and the sun was shining. 

Our guide and captain was amazing. She knew the history of the area and she could pronounce all of the Mauri words . Her method was to approach and area, tell us the history of it and then circle the ship so that everyone got a good view and opportunity to take pictures..

This area was where Cooke first began to explore the area . We learned the history as well as the customs. She also pointed out the flora of the area. She was a wealth of information. She said that Cooke reported 144 islands but scientists found only 80 to 90. They use the definition that an island must be a land mass completely surrounded by water and supporting plant life all year round. This bay is filled with wonderful islands of all shapes and sizes, some occupied and many not occupied.

The highlight of the day was the trip through the hole in the rock. This is a geological formation where the sea has drilled a hole in a stone wall. The opening is not large and the waves roar in through the opening which is more narrow at one side. Our captain gave us a good look and she explained the currents as she lined up to take aim at the opening. All of this involved precision, and extreme skill to not damage the ship. It was so exciting to experience this passage. It was amazing.

 

After almost 3 hours we returned to land. This time we docked in the village of Paihia, a delightful place. It is bright and clean and friendly. I just loved the time spent here. We shopped a little and I did find an ornament for the Christmas tree... a wonderful Santa Kiwi.

We roamed around and treated ourselves to an ice cream. We found that just looking at the price tag you felt the prices were high but you have to consider 2 things....the exchange rate and the fact that there is no VAT and tipping is not promoted. So it is not as bad as it looks.

The village caters to the travelers and they supply free shuttles back to the tender. The busses run continually. As soon as one is full another pulls up. The driver even sang a native song of greeting to us.

The tender ride back was smooth again. 

Back on the ship we had a snack and relaxed before dinner.

After dinner I check and still no one had found the duck. I moved it so it is a bit more obvious. Perhaps someone will find it now.

The day was amazing... I just loved Bay of Islands. On first glance I think I could move here. It is beautiful and peaceful. We loved our excursion and really enjoyed our day.

Tomorrow we are in Auckland. If the weather is good we may see if we can ride the Hop On Hop Off bus.