Bay of Islands

My first impression of Bay of Islands (BOI) came in the form of a multimillion dollar mega yacht gliding by our ship. It must have had a crew of ten to maintain and polish it. BOI seems like a quiet place for millionaires to lurk unobtrusively. There are dozens of uninhabited volcanic islands offering secluded coves cropping up out of the turquoise Pacific. The Treaty of Waitangi (1840) was signed here, between the Māori King and the British Queen. We anchored among the islands and tendered to the dock at Paihia. Then we ferried across the bay to the town of Russell. The climate and vegetation seemed tropical like Hawaii. From the jolly Customs official in Paihia we learned that one side of the Bay, Paihia, was colonized by missionaries and the other side, Russell, by rough seamen, escaped convicts, and pirates: heaven and hell. Russell was once called the “Hell Hole of the Pacific.” Now it appears to be a laid-back boating Mecca. There’s nothing to do here except drink. We walked 2 km to Long Beach.  I heard but did not see a dolphin. I saw but did not hear a sooty shearwater. I swam off the beach and enjoyed the quiet vibe. The public toilets at the beach were clean and had changing tables. A poster informed us that NZ marine mammals get 300 meters of distance from human passersby, whereas in our Monterey Bay the marine mammals only get 100 yards. We admired a cute Labradoodle, who didn’t want any distance from passersby. We chatted with Australian golfers on holiday, looking for something to do. And then we’d had enough of Bay of Islands.