Bay of Islands.... Waitangi New Zealand

Harbor of Waitangi

We finally made it to the land of the Kiwis…New Zealand, and the Bay of Islands with calm waters and blue skies and more than 150 islands.

Tendering to the Waitangi Pier

New Zealand is home to the Maori who arrived in huge wakas/canoes in about 1280 from around the Society Islands and Tahiti. Their fierce chant, the Haka, once used before going into battle is done before games by New Zealand’s beloved rugby team, the All Blacks.

Rugby is huge in New Zealand, so big that the movie Invictus, where their team loses to South Africa, is nearly banned from being shown. It was not on our list of in-room movies.

All Blacks Haka Warm-up

Because of the shallow water, we tendered almost a mile to the pier at Waitangi. The area had a lazy feel to it...

Paihia, a slightly bigger town just over the hill from the harbor and the impressive treaty grounds just across the bridge.

 Each Maori Tribe has a Marae... 
green space and a sacred meeting house

It was here in 1840 that 500 Maori chiefs signed a treaty with England, (after Cook arrived settlers began coming from England) bestowing sovereignty over the nation to Queen Victoria and ending the skirmishes between tribes and the new settlers. This treaty led to the New Zealand 30 year wars between the Maori and England... more on that later. We had seen and learned much about the Maori culture at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu, and in Hilo, New Zealand’s grand champions danced daily during the Merrie Monarch festival. So, we skipped the museum and instead went to see Glow Worms.

Cattle Around the Bay of Islands

After the more humble, relaxed, towns of South America, the New Zealand we were visiting seemed strangely upscale with neat homes, manicured yards, cows and sheep dotting the beautiful countryside. We stopped in Kawakawa to see the Hundertwasser public bathrooms, a very useful tourist attraction that has a living tree growing up through the center of its stalls.

Artsy Town of Kawakaka

Hundertwasser 
designed Bathrooms

Opening to Waimo Cave...No Photographs  Allowed

At Waimio Caves, we took a boardwalk into 

the limestone cave, and when our eyes adjusted could see thousands of bright blue dots on the cave ceiling. These were the glowworm larvae, each makes a tube which is attached to the ceiling of the cave. When complete, they spit out sticky strings of goo that dangle from the tube. Unsuspecting bugs fly toward what looks like the night sky and get stuck on the string. The larvae eagerly pull them up and devour them.  When the larvae mature to adult flies, they do not eat and have only three days to find a mate, lay eggs on the ceiling, and afterward die. At times these flies themselves will get stuck on the goo and suffer the same fate. If the eggs get too thick on the ceiling, the stronger larvae will claim territory, eating any competitors so they appear to be spaced evenly. Once a larva eats, its light will momentarily turn off as digestion proceeds, then the light shines again and becomes stronger over the next two weeks, hopefully, to attract another unsuspecting bug as it searches for the stars.  All this thanks to bioluminescence.  

Ferry Ride from Waitangi to Russell

That afternoon we walked along the coast to the neighboring town of Paihia and took a small open-air ferry across the Bay of Waitangi to Russell, passing small volcanic islands along the way.  Its charming homes, white picket fences, and oceanside hotels reminded us of quaint New England towns.

Typical House with
Mystery Fruit Tree

Beautiful Gardens of Houses in Russell

Enjoying the Peace of Russell Beach

                            Really Big Fig Tree on the Beach Walk 

Oldest Church on New Zealand,
Christ Anglican Church

Needle Point Seat Cushion
of a Maori Waka/Canoe

Succulent Wall to Restaurant

We admired the beautiful needlepoint pew cushions at Christ Anglican Church, the oldest church in New Zealand, and walked up and down most of its bayside streets before catching the return ferry and then walking the beautiful shell-strewn beach back to Waitangi.

Carol's Favorite...Walking the Beaches

Bay of Islands Known for
 Excellent fishing
Two of the Sun's Crew,
 Gede with the Bag

Carol's Birthday Surprise

It was March 6^th, and Carol found a beautiful cake in our cabin that evening…ALMOST too pretty to eat. It was the icing on the cake of another lovely day.