Sunday, January 28, 2018, Bay of Islands (Russell), New Zealand

Once the capital of New Zealand, the charming port town of Russell was the first European settlement in the country.  Today, this former whaling port boasts a scenic waterfront and quaint colonial-era buildings.  On the shores of this seemingly remote corner of the North Island, the foundations of modern-day New Zealand were laid as the indigenous Maori and the British first agreed to documents here that would become the Treaty of Waitangi,which made the local tribes subjects of Queen Victoria.  

A Stroll thru Russell

Walk amid the tidy streets and colonial buildings of New Zealand’s first European settlement as you hear its story. You will be surprised to learn Russell was once a raucous place. The Māori who lived here in the 1800s (and called it Kororāreka) took advantage of trade with the whalers and English ships that made their way into the Bay of Islands, exchanging timber and food for European goods, alcohol and firearms. The port soon became known as a rowdy area. Respectability was gradually restored—partly by missionaries, partly by treaties, and partly by prosperous new mining operations. You will hear all these stories as you explore Christ Church, New Zealand’s oldest Anglican church; Pompallier Mission and Printery, the tannery and printshop of missionaries; and the National Shrine of St. Peter Chanel. Your walk ends at the Russell Museum, which contains Māori and European artifacts including a scale model of Endeavour, Captain Cook's ship.

 Maori wood carvings.

A Catholic priest in the mid 1800s saw the need to bring Christianity to New Zealand.  His first step was to obtain property, a building, and bibles in the Maori language.

Step 1:  Property

Step 2:  Building

Made their own forms to manufacture semi-concrete walls of the new building.

Step 3:  Printing press; printed 38,000 copies in months.

Processed cowhide into bible book covers.

Oldest church in New Zealand.

Huge fig tree over 125 years old. 

 

 This afternoon we took a 2-hour boat ride to see several islands in the Bay of Islands chain.

The boat we rode in was almost 40 feet long with three 3.8 liter V-8 outboard motors, capable of pushing the boat at 40+ knots.  We needed the speed in order to see five or six of the islands up close and personal.

This island is called Black Island as the rocks are 1.2 million years old formed from extinct volcanoes.  The black rocks are a stunning and extremely rare basalt rock formation.

 We made a short stop at a sandy beach on one of the islands where some of us waded onto shore and climbed a hill top or two.

 This little eight-level shack is on a privately owned island.

Our boat driver pulled right up into this cave opening, even with strong wave pounding.