Bay of Islands, NZ

thalassophile: n. a person who loves the sea

My adventures in Northland New Zealand continued to the spectacular Bay of Islands; a region that consists of over 140 subtropical islands, known for its striking beauty and history. It’s a paradise of charming towns, undeveloped beaches, sailing, and all the water activities you can imagine. Since my trip has so far consisted of chasing after moving bodies of water, in particular waterfalls, I had to pay a visit. 

In my last few days in Auckland, Marie’s friend, Terri, stopped by to visit on her way back north. She lives in Paihia, a beach town that is known as a gateway to the Bay of Islands. After I mentioned that I was heading up there, she insisted I stay with her. Upon arrival to her home, I could see why; her home was amazing! It is a one story house, perched on columns so the house is on the side of a hill, above the tree tops. A large deck surrounds one entire wall of the house, where you have views of the surrounding forest and the water. The house is almost entirely surrounded by large glass walls, so you feel like you are living in the trees. I couldn’t believe I got to stay in this fabulous home, by such a welcoming host! The best part is waking up in the morning and the only sounds are birds chirping; her home was far enough from the road that you cannot hear any cars or sounds from the town. It was a fairytale.

Soaring in the Bay

My first “water” activity was parasailing over the Bay of Islands. The company advertises as the highest parasail in New Zealand, reaching heights of 1,300 feet or 396 meters. I bought a reservation online for a single flight, but when I arrived I was told that the winds were too strong and I would need to be joined by a second person. Here I met a sweet couple from Oregon, who were both pilots for skydiving planes and were used to heights; I went up with one of them. It is so rare that I see Americans in New Zealand, so it was nice to chat with someone from home. 

I was thankful once we took off that I did not parasail by myself. As soon as our parachute reached the tallest point, I tensed up; it was so high in the air! It was an interesting sensation of being tensed up from fear, yet in awe of the sights below me. Overall, it was a phenomenal experience, I only wished it lasted longer. I finally eased up towards the end of the flight, which was about 12 minutes in length, and we even briefly got dipped into the water! When you are gliding at that altitude, everything around is calm and peaceful. I imagine this is what birds feel like.

That evening, I met Terri’s friend who joined us for dinner. I loved listening to their stories and afterwards, they took me for a drive to see some sights around the town. We visited a waterfall, Haruru Falls, and attempted to befriend some roaming chickens. 

Marine Life

A must do activity in the Bay of Islands is go boating, so the next day I went on a cruise of the islands which was also meant to be a dolphin-sighting trip. 

I think often times these kind of trips are advertised that you will see marine wildlife, but you never actually see anything. That was not the case here. Shortly after taking off, the crew spotted a family of Orca whales so we cruised to that direction to take a closer look. We indeed saw them come up for air several times and there were four of them! We were told that it is very rare that you see Orcas and all of the surrounding boats stopped to watch them. They are magnificent creatures. 

We took off away from the land, and about 20 minutes later, we saw more marine life; dolphins! When the dolphins sensed they had an audience, they started playing around the boat, jumping out, doing flips in the water, and swimming all around us. It was an outstanding show indeed. In fact, some of them were so close to the boat, that I was unable to capture an image with my larger camera lens! It was amazing. 

The destination we were heading to was the edge of the Bay of Islands, a place called Cape Brett, that housed a lighthouse. There is a hike to reach the lighthouse, and it is a strenuous 16 km (10 mile) walk each way, and you can stay in the former lighthouse keeper’s cottage during the night. I originally considered taking on this hike but ended up changing my mind. A bit past the lighthouse is a large rock on the water, which has a massive hole through which you can navigate a boat; the famous Hole in the Rock. The waves were quite strong, but our captain determined it was safe enough to go through the hole and that was awesome indeed.

Unfortunately, due to the strong waves this morning, I was nauseated on the boat. I did not end up actually being sick, which I cannot say for the woman in the seat next to me, but it did deter me from enjoying about 45 minutes of the ride. I sat in my seat looking straight ahead, taking deep breaths, for what seemed like forever, until we got to an area where the water calmed down and my nausea faded a little bit. 

I got off the boat in the port of a quaint town called Russell. It was the first permanent seaport and European settlement of New Zealand. It even used to be the capital of the country. In the early 1800s, life in Russell was rowdy and full of debauchery, which earned the town the nickname “Hellhole of the Pacific.” Today, many people describe this town as romantic. I made my way to Long Beach, where I rested for several hours. The water was cool and refreshing, and I enjoyed napping on the beach. I stopped by the grocery store, picked up some local wine, and cooked Terri and I dinner that night. We watched a movie together and I fell into a blissful sleep.

Māori History

The next day, I felt the aftereffects of my attempted tanning on Long Beach. I had lobster legs, and decided I would try to avoid the sun that day. I decided to learn about some of the history of this beautiful country.

I paid a visit to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, a historical place where an accord was signed between the British crown and the indigenous Māori people, in February of 1840. I arrived just in time for a tour of the grounds and watched a cultural Māori singing and dancing performance. It made me happy to learn that the Māori culture and language have been well preserved over the last couple of decades, with Māori making up about 15% of New Zealand’s population.  

Afterwards, I drove up North of Paihia to visit Rainbow Falls, a beautiful waterfall that looked pretty similar to Whangarei Falls. I proceeded on a short hike in the area, and as you enter or exit the forest, there is a washing station for your shoes. This is because of Kauri dieback, a fatal disease killing the great Kauri trees of New Zealand. Every local I’ve talked with has brought up this sad incurable disease, and advised me to be wary of tracking dirt around the country and to always clean my shoes of dirt after walking in forests. 

That night I watched Lord of the Rings, the first in the series, for the first time in my life. Don’t hate me. Now I am prepared to visit Hobbiton.

Biking

Not far from the Waitangi Treaty Grounds is Waitangi Mountain Bike Park. At home I ride my road bike frequently, but it had been at least a decade since I rode a mountain bike (in the mountains). I decided to give it a shot and rented one for several hours to explore this park.

It was serene riding through a forest by myself, but I can’t say mountain biking is my favorite sport. The hills were gruesome, both pedaling upwards and slamming on the breaks going downhill. I’m glad I gave it a shot, and I felt accomplished admiring the views at the top of the mountain. Similarly to driving on the left side of the road, I quickly learned that the left handle is what breaks the back tire, which is the other way around for American bikes. Luckily I did not mix these up, and avoided biking injuries. 

That night, I enjoyed dinner with Terri. She told me stories of her family and her travels around the world. It was a lovely evening, and spending time with her reminded me why I travel. I love hearing new and differing perspectives on life, and bonding with others. I was immensely grateful for Terri’s kindness and hospitality. Once again, I am solemn to leave and will miss spending my evenings with her. 

-Anastasia