Tuesday - Paihia and Bay of Islands

Cruising

When we woke up this morning and looked out the window, we could see two gigantic cruise ships at anchor far out in the bay. By the time we had eaten breakfast and walked to the wharf, cruise passengers had started to invade Paihia. The local artisans were ready for them, having set up booths of handcrafted jewelry, leather work, paintings, and other wares on the village green. DeEtte had been looking for a jade pendant for some time, but although we saw some very nice ones, she decided that none of them was "calling to her."



DeEtte and Nancy would have liked to spend a little more time perusing the displays, but today's adventure was calling to us. We had scheduled an all-day excursion around the Bay of Islands on the "Cream Trip Cruise," though our cruise ship was built to host 100 rather than 4,000 like the behemoths across the harbor. We wondered why ours had been named the "Cream Trip"--were we to see the "cream" of what the area had to offer? Eventually we learned that the route we were to take around the bay followed that of the supply boat that once took dairy products and groceries to residents of otherwise unreachable islands. Visitors could hitch a ride on the weekly "cream trip"--hence the name.

After boarding in Paihia, we headed across the bay to pick up additional passengers in Russell, one of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand. The seaport had had an unsavory reputation in centuries past, but now that its bars and brothels have been shut down, it just seems pleasantly quaint.

Hannah, our captain, had given each of us a map of the Bay of Islands as we boarded the ship. Each of our potential stops was numbered, but Hannah let us know that the purpose of the map was to orient us to the bay rather than provide a rigid order of events. She reserved the right to be flexible, and immediately showed us that she meant it by heading straight for a pod of dolphins that had just been sighted by another ship. (Good communication among the various cruisers, fishing vessels, and private boats that ply the bay helps assure that everyone on the water is made aware of anything particularly interesting.)

This pod of dolphins was large and playful, and we were able to cruise right into the midst of them as they jumped, pushing fish high above the water with their bottle-noses and then snatching them out of the air. It was better than a Sea World show! Unfortunately, the presence of mothers with juveniles meant that we had to forego swimming with the pod as we had hoped. (New Zealand law stipulates that boat passengers may swim with adult dolphins, but not with young ones.) However, it was still early in the day, so perhaps we would have another chance later.

During the morning, we visited Moturoa Island and the bird rookeries on the Black Rocks, saw the Marsden Cross marking site of the first Christian sermon preached in New Zealand, in 1814, and then headed out to Nine Pin, a triangular hunk of rock that cuts sharply through the surface of the water. We learned that its name has less to do with bowling than with the fact that it is located nine nautical miles from Paihia, and is the northern-most bit of land in the Bay of Islands.

Next, we came back across the bay to Motuarohia, where Captain James Cook had anchored his ship in the 1700s, then to Moturua, a nature reserve, and finally to Urupukapuka, where we made our only stop on land. We took the sack lunches provided by the cruise company (healthy green salads with either chicken or falafel) and had a picnic on a grassy hilltop overlooking the bay on one side and a sheep pasture on the other.

Picnic on Urupukapuka

Sheep graze on Urupukapuka's hills

After exploring a little more of Urupukapuka, we reboarded the boat and headed toward Motukokako, the southern-most island in the bay. Its most prominent feature is the Hole in the Rock. After circumnavigating the island to provide us with some stunning views, Captain Hannah stunned us even more by taking the ship through the narrow opening--a feat not unlike pulling an RV into a one-car garage during an earthquake.

The way back to Paihia, she pointed out another interesting formation in the side of the cliffs that looks like a woman's face looking down on those who enter the bay, appropriately named the Guardian.

Can you spot the "Guardian"?

We then headed to Deep Water Cove, where those who wanted to could put on a snorkel and get in the water--and Michael wanted to. Since he had not tried snorkeling since the summer after high school graduation, it took him a few minutes to get used to the aparatus and "trust" that he would be able to breathe even though his face was in the water. Through the clear water, he could see some small reefs with undistinguished vegetation and several species of fish, including a bright blue one, and some interesting jellyfish. Nancy and DeEtte--who had decided that the prospect of swimming in water that was 20 degrees Celsius (about 70 degrees Fahrenheit) wasn't appealing--watched Michael's progress from the deck. Of the dozen or so snorkelers, he was the one who ventured farthest from the boat.

After the snorkeling, those who wanted to
could try their hand(s) at an activity called "boom netting"--and again, Michael wanted to. The idea was to hold onto the boom net while the boat accelerated--something like waterskiing. Michael and his Swiss counterpart tried a variation where they held onto both sides of the net while being dragged forward. An Indian man in the net kept saying that this was the most fun he had ever had in his life. Michael would definitely call it fun--but not the most fun ever.

DeEtte and Nancy had planned to get in the water to swim with the dolphins, but alas, we never had an opportunity because the only pod in the bay today was the one with juveniles. Michael was glad he could use all three of the towels we had borrowed form the motel to wrap himself up after he got out of the cold (and unusually salty) water.

On the way back to Paihia, Hannah stopped the boat again to let us watch a flock of Australian gannets barrel-diving for their dinner. It was late afternoon by the time we began heading back to Auckland, but not too late for a detour to the Makana Chocolate Factory in Kerikeri, where we were offered samples of macadamia toffee crunch and strawberry truffles. Michael and Nancy decided to buy each other a box of truffles--after all, Valentine's Day is coming up--and DeEtte selected a package of chocolate-dipped macadamia shortbread cookies.


Notwithstanding the candy samples and the cookies we had consumed in the car, it was dinnertime and we were hungry. As we drove through the industrial port town of Whangarei, it appeared that we weren't going to find anything more interesting than McDonalds or KFC until we happened to pass Suq Jai Thai, a restaurant with lots of people inside--which is always a good sign. And we were not disappointed. We shared beef mossamum, pineapple chicken curry, and pad thai, all of which were delicious. An unusual feature of the restaurant: one of the servers (who, like all the others, was elegantly clad in a colorful long silk skirt) walked around with a large silver bowl from which she dispensed jasmine rice to any diner who requested another serving. We returned to DeEtte's apartment, satisfied by full tummies and memorable experiences on the Bay of Islands.