On This Day . . .

Our first stop in New Zealand was in the Bay of Islands at Waitangi on February 1, 2016. We anchored in the bay which is surrounded by 144 islands. We tendered into the Waitangi pier outside of the town of Paihia, and took a short shuttle ride into the town. Once there, we decide to take the ferry to the neighboring town of Russel, that was on the other side of the bay. Russell is a small quaint town with some of New Zealand’s oldest buildings. One building, The Duke of Marlbourgh Hotel, was New Zealand’s first licensed hotel and is where we ate lunch over looking Te Ti Bay. After returning to Paihia, we took a tender back to the ship. Our sail away from Waitangi passed by The Hole in the Rock landmark as the sun set over the islands.