Bay of Islands

We snuck away to one of the water recreation capitals of New Zealand, the Bay of Islands, for a two day trip. It’s north of Auckland and about a three hour drive. As you can tell by the name, it’s a ‘bay’ and it’s full ‘islands’. The Kiwis are very good in their descriptions.

It’s a popular destination during the summer for all sorts of water activities…..fishing, boating, jet skiing, sailing, and swimming with dolphins. We got on the water as well and went on a sailing trip to one of the uninhabited islands.

We sailed on the R. Tucker Thompson, which is a classic looking schooner. The namesake started construction in the 1970’s, however died before the boat was complete. His family finished the boat as a tribute and the sailing crew now operates the boat as a non-profit with proceeds going towards a youth leadership program where the crew brings along teenagers on week long voyages. They allowed you to climb up the mast, or onto the bow of the ship. I gave it a shot:

The island had a short hike with a fantastic view of the surrounding area:

We also visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, an important historical site for New Zealand. This is where in 1940 the local Maori tribes and the British signed a treaty putting the sovereignty of New Zealand under the British Empire. The treaty is viewed as having made New Zealand a British colony and is considered the founding document of New Zealand. However there continues to be disagreement over Maori translation of the document regarding land ownership.

A couple of photos from the traditional Maori wharenui (meeting place) at the treaty grounds:

We also fit in a hike across some mangroves to a waterfall. Found a bunch of these birds nesting in the trees above the track. I’m going to test the Olmsteads (college friends who are bird enthusiasts) to see if they can identify the bird.