Around Kerikeri

Kerikeri Basin

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Photo By:

Te Ara

If you rented an auto or RV in New Zealand and have the time to wander, spend some of that time in the Bay of Islands and dig into early New Zealand history. The Waitangi Treaty Grounds where the treaty between Queen Victoria’s government and some Maori tribal chiefs was signed in 1840, is a popular tourist destination. Close to Pahia, it’s easy to visit if you’re short on time. But New Zealand history began before 1840, and a good deal of it happened around the Bay of Islands not only in Waitangi and Russell, but Kerikeri just north of Pahia.

After Captain Cook named the Bay of Islands in 1769, other European ships began poking around these sub-tropical waters. They soon learned to avoid campouts and Maori dinner invitations after French Captain Marion du Fresne and two dozen of his crew camped in the Bay of Islands. They were killed and eaten.

After the American Revolution, the British needed another place to dump their criminals. They started the penal colony in Australia. Trade began between Australia and New Zealand and sealers and whalers began working along the New Zealand coast. During this time, two Maori chiefs were captured by the British and taken to Sydney– not to teach convicts how to make stew, but how to make flax into fiber. An art practiced by Maori women, the Chiefs either didn’t know how to make fiber or wouldn’t admit they knew anything about women’s work, so they were brought back to New Zealand– no doubt a little angry with the British.

Mission House

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Photo By:

imagesnzimages

In 1809, after dropping off convicts in Sydney, the Boyd stopped in New Zealand for lumber. A Maori crew member had been whipped. When they reached Whangaroa, he wanted utu– revenge. The crew and most of the passengers were killed and eaten and the ship burned. And as things often go in history, white whalers wanted revenge. They attacked the Maoris and killed more than sixty of them. And here’s where Kerikeri and its mission station– Kemp House, New Zealand’s oldest European building and nearby Stone Store come into the picture.

Hongi Hika

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Photo By:

nzhistory

Reverend Samuel Marsden, an Englishman who came to Australia to save the souls of convicts, occasionally saw Maoris on the streets of Sydney. These Maoris from Godless New Zealand also needed their souls saved. The Maoris welcomed the missionaries and Marsden sponsored an Anglican Mission in the Bay of Islands. Three missions were established– at Rangihoua, Pahia, and Kerikeri, near a terraced pa site above the Kerikeri basin. With language problems and cultural differences, soul saving did not go well. Hongi Hika, the Maori chief at the time, threatened to send them back to Australia unless the soul savers gave them muskets. In exchange for protection of Marsden’s mission stations, the missionaries came up with muskets, hatchets and axes. Hongi Hika also visited Sydney and London. In London, he received many gifts which were very much appreciated. He traded them in on his return trip to Sydney for more muskets– to use in wars against other Maori tribes. It costs time and money to wage a war against your neighbors. The Maori didn’t have time to plant food. They were too busy cultivating flax and processing it to trade for more muskets. As they weren’t vegetarians, war prisoners helped supplement the food shortage.

During these praise the Lord and pass the ammunition days of the Musket Wars, Marsden asked the British to step in and bring some law and order to the region south of Australia so they could get back to the business of soul saving. The British had its hands full keeping a penal colony running smoothly in Australia and weren’t interested in New Zealand. Finally, under pressure from the missionaries tired of paying muskets for souls, they agreed to extend Australia’s New South Wales colony to include as much of New Zealand as could be negotiated with the Maoris. In 1840, European settlers began arriving and the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.

Stone Store

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Photo By:

iainmorrison2

Originally intended as a mission storehouse, the Stone Store, designed by missionary John Hobbs, was built at the head of the Kerikeri inlet rather than on the Bay at Pahia. The oldest Pakeha stone and timber building in New Zealand, it was later used as a theological library, a Kauri gum store, a native boy’s school and a general store. Both the Mission Station (Kemp House) and the Stone Store are open to the public. Above the Keri Keri basin, you can also visit a terraced pa site where Hongi Hika’s people lived.

Stone Store

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Photo By:

Nicki-G

Kerikeri has much to offer besides a glimpse at history and year-round beautiful weather. The small town atmosphere attracts artists who sell from their studios. Clothing, pottery, food, and wood carvings are all available at a reasonable price. Pick up a brochure of the Kerikeri

Art and Craft Trail from the Visitor Centre, then either find your own way around or take a tour– they’ll even pick you up in Pahia or Waitangi if you don’t have your own auto or RV.

One of the best things about Kerikeri if you’re camping or RVing– you’re close to the Bay of Islands, but in the low rent district. There’s a DOC campsite with water and toilets at the Puketi Recreational Area. Follow the signs off SH10 near Kerikeri. And don’t worry about unfriendly Maoris in your campground, even if you’re French. Everyone in New Zealand is polite and friendly even when you’re not. If you have a campervan, try the Aroha Ecological Centre just north of Kerikeri. You can stay the night for a reasonable price, hire a boat or wander the beach, then enjoy a guided kiwi night walk– kiwi birds are nocturnal. If you’re really traveling on the cheap and have a self-contained campervan, stay free at Waipapa Landing. Two km past the Stone Store, go through the roundabout and past Riverview Rd then turn right before the one-way bridge.

Whether you’re digging into New Zealand history, shopping for quality arts and crafts at an economical price or just looking for a cheap place to spend the night while exploring the Bay of Islands, stop in for a day or two at Kerikeri.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Lost in the Diaper Aisle (2)

West Coast Whitefish

$6. Open Sandwich

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Photo By:

geoftheref

New Zealand is the land of plenty– plenty of food. The food supply is clean and safe. In New Zealand, you’re not told, "Just eat, don’ task," as you dig through your rice wondering if that strange little fellow you’re munching is the same one that scurried across your floor last night when you flipped on the light. At times, New Zealand food is boring, but boring is good if you don’t want the trots on your next day’s adventure. We talked about red meat and sea food last post. Chook– chicken-- is often for company dinner. Not long ago, it was the most expensive meat in Godzone. New Zealand is dairy country and heavy on milk and cream. Breakfast cream for cereal has the texture of unwhipped whipping cream. There’s Cream #1 and Cream #2. We finally settled on plain milk for our cereal– American cereal. If you buy New Zealand cereal, eat the box and throw away the cereal. Kiwis dump milk or cream in their coffee and tea. If you want black tea or coffee, ask before it’s served. Milk coffee is made with hot milk.

Emergency Chocolate

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Photo By:

listorama

Olivani makes a good olive oil-based margarine. American brand margarine, produced in Australia, is available. You’ll find Paul Newman Dressings, produced in Australia, and that’s one the Australians improved on. Better than you can buy in the states and at a cheaper price. If you want American cranberry juice, it’s dear.

Lemon and Paeroa, a lemon flavored mineral water, Coca Cola, Pepsi, and various sodas, and Ch’i Water, New Zealand herbal mineral water in the green bottle, is available. I go through a bottle of Ch-i water a day. Dave can’t stand it.

Beer and wine are easy to buy and reasonably priced. Cheep Liquor and Liquorland have the best price for hard liquor. Many Kiwis make their own moonshine. Home manufacture is allowed in small quantities. Moonshine kits are available in stores. The main government concern seems to be "do it right." Though the Kiwi government looks kindly on moonshiners, they turn the evil eye on pot growers. We’ve shared moonshine– some excellent, some passable, but we’ve never been offered pot. We hang around with an older crowd. If they smoke, they don’t brag.

Venison Burger
Photo By:

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bittermelon

Pikelets are small pancakes, usually served cold with butter, jam or whipped cream. Sometimes you can find them in a pie-cart– those traveling kitchens in a caravan that serve anything fattening or fried. Bubble and squeak is vegetable hash. If you order pea, pie and pud from the menu, you’ll get a meat pie with a side order of peas and mashed potatoes– I warned about getting fat in New Zealand. Another local delicacy is marmite. Marmite and vegemite, fortified yeast extracts, are spread on bread. I was told marmite is beef flavored and vegemite vegetable flavored. Marmite is an acquired taste, but then I gave up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at an early age.

Dirty Punk House Kitchen

Photo By:

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roadiegirl

Unique best describes New Zealand sandwiches. They can be skinny little slices of bread with a dab of marmite spread in the middle, a slice of bread rolled around an asparagus slice, a hot dog bun filled with canned meat and a beet slice, or a hamburger with a sloppy fried egg flopped in the middle. Eat one of those with some chippies– potatochips, or chips– french fries, and you’ll be chocka in no time.


Eat, drink and get fat on your way through Godzone while enjoying that spectacular scenery and those friendly people. Worry about those extra inches around your middle when you’re home sorting through your photos. Consider them another souvenir you brought home with that sheepskin rug.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Lost in the Diaper Aisle

Venison on the Menu

at

Waitomo Hotel

The first time I traveled five months in New Zealand, I stopped at a supermarket on my way out of Auckland and got lost in the diaper aisle. I needed napkins. I was sent to the diaper aisle for baby diapers. I soon learned nappies are for a baby’s bottom. Surviettes are to wipe your top when you’re a sloppy eater.

Larger towns have supermarkets with bakeries and delis. You’ll need your trolley or trundler. Smaller towns have butcheries, bakeries, dairies and milk bars. Fruits and vegges are cheap and abundant in the summer. Blackberries, raspberries, strawbs, capsicans, cougarettes, butternut, silverbeet and marrow are in season. Avocados can be found as low as five for 1$NZ at the greengrocer or on a table in someone’s yard. Just pick the ones you want and drop your money in the honesty box. Swedes are 2$NZ per bag. Dave’s a Swede in good nick, too. He won’t let me stuff him in a bag, though. Fruits and vegges are more expensive in the South Island. Hawks Bay and Northland near Kiri Kiri are good produce areas. In March, the first crop of apples from the South Island hits the markets as low as 2$NZ per bag.

Capsicum

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Photo By

Yun-Shan

Meat is fresh and cheap. Most cuts are the same as US cuts, but watch the T-bones– the butcher steals the fillet. Hungry for a hamburger on that new barbe? Better ask for steak mince or you might end up with beetroot in that patty. Or try a banger– good with onions. Of course not as good as Wisconsin bangers my traveling Wisconsin food expert tells me. Watch the hogget, too. It’s one-year-old lamb, not pork. The beef seems a little gamier– possibly fresher. Deer and elk raised for export is available in some areas– as well as on the menu in upscale restaurants. When camping in elk farm country, never spend the night across the river from a lonely bull elk. And never share a campground with a hippie and his bongo drum.

If you like sea food, try tuna, snapper mahi mahi or salmon. Dig your own tua tua or pipi or find some paua– a little smaller than California abalone. Supermarkets carry good supplies of sea food if you don’t want to get your toes sandy. To catch your own fish– salmon, trout or a bill fish, you’d probably have better luck with a guide or charter company. And, that’s a topic for another post.

Hangi to Go

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Photo By:

Testpatern

New Zealand is very careful about agricultural disease. When clearing customs, you are asked if you’ve been on a farm or golf course in the last thirty days. Golf shoes need to be disinfected. New Zealand’s economy would be devastated if any of the European or Asian diseases got into the country. New Zealand is very clean. You don’t have to worry about the safety of the food supply. You do have to worry about the safety of your pants– remember to bring those elastic pants.

(To be continued)

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Eat, Drink and Get Fat

American Pie

&

Kiwi Coffee

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Photo By:

Tirau Dan

When traveling on the cheap in New Zealand by RV or auto, you’ll probably prepare most of your own meals. If you want to travel through New Zealand fast and fancy, find a tour guide or rent a vehicle then graze your way through New Zealand at any restaurant that suits your fancy. You can find Indian, Thai and Chinese restaurants– just about any type of restaurant you find at home. New Zealand is short on Mexican restaurants, but they can be found. There’s a Mexican restaurant in Rotorua and another in central Auckland opposite the Sky Tower. KFC, McDonalds and Burger King taste pretty much like home, but pizza has lost something in the translation. Every try canned spaghetti on pizza? Me neither. There’s a Denny’s behind the large cinema in Manukau City– near the Auckland airport. In Auckland 1 I talked about finding a place to settle in for your first day.

There are delis, bakeries and espresso cafes in any town. A Kiwi favorite is meat pie, a flaky, high calorie meatpie. Beware unless you brought elastic pants. A pie-cart is a traveling kitchen in a caravan with a flip down side. Enjoy fish and chips, anything fattening and fried, or a raspberry bun– a hotdog bun covered with raspberry frosting. If you’re looking for a snack, try a milkbar– a mom and pop store that sells ice cream, milkshakes, magazines and newspapers. Supper is a late night snack– not dinner. Tea can be a tea or coffee break or the evening meal. The first time we were invited to tea, we ate a sandwich since we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Big mistake. It was a full course meal ending with fruit and cream. English buffets are often loaded with mutton, cream, and fancy pastries. You’ll find venison– very tasty venison– on the menu in upscale restaurants. Pav or Pavlova is the national dessert. Aussies claim they, not the Kiwis, invented this concoction of meringue, whipped cream, strawberries and passion fruit. I can’t see what all the fuss is about.

Wedding Pavlova

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Photo By:

Distopian

Dream Girl

A private hotel usually has a more homelike atmosphere and serves food but not alcohol. Some private hotels will let you bring your own wine and charge a corkage fee. Just ask ahead. Beer and wine are sold in supermarkets. Try Cheep Liquor or Liquorland for hard liquor. A licensed hotel is a hotel with a liquor license. In rural areas, if you’re looking to relax, meet the locals, and enjoy a few beers, find the hotel. A booze barn is a large open room for drinking– not a friendly neighborhood tavern. A boozer is just another name for a bar that’s usually part of a hotel. Most licensed hotels have not only a bar, but a liquor store.

Hangi

in

The Bay of Islands

You’ll want to try a traditional New Zealand hangi at least once during your visit. Stones are placed in a lighted fire pit. Then lamb, pork or chicken, and kamara and vegges wrapped in muslin are wedged into wire frames and lowered over the hot stones. The meal gets more than a dash of water– they use buckets. This steaming pile is covered with fresh dirt. Your hangi takes a while to cook, so there’s time for a long happy hour. Enjoy hangi along with Maori singing and dancing at Rotorua (NI). During an RV rally in the Bay of Plenty, we had hangi with chicken and wild pig. East Cape is known for its wild pig hunting. (If you’re a REAL pig hunter, you don’t use a gun– you chase them down with a knife.)

It’s said Kiwis love rugby, racing and beer. Beer is often served in jugs– pitchers. Kiwis don’t like foamy beer– if you pay for a full glass of beer, you should get a full glass of beer. There’s several regional brands available. Move on to the next town down the road and try a new one. You probably can’t keep up with a Kiwi beer drinker. If you give it a good try, you might get pissed– not the same as pissed off, which means the same as it does in the states.

And yes, Alcoholics Anonymous is in New Zealand. But, AA refers to their Automobile Association. If you’re a member of AAA in the US, bring your card. All privileges are reciprocal. You’ll get discounts on motels and entertainment and best of all free maps not available to the public that show the back roads. You’ll need these if you skip the tour guide and fancy food and head into the wop-wops for the New Zealand beyond the tourist trail.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Around Waitangi

Maori

Meeting House

Waitangi

New Zealand

If you travel Northland, New Zealand by RV or auto in early February, and happen to be in the Bay of Islands, you’ll find free concerts, political speeches, the New Zealand Navy firing a 21-gun salute, Maori wakas (war canoes) and 40,000 other party people squeezed into and around the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

Waitangi Day is a national holiday to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between Queen Victoria’s government and some Maori tribal chiefs. It has never been ratified and they’re still trying to figure out what it means. The treaty was signed on the grounds of James Busby’s house at Waitangi February 6, 1840. A draft had been presented to the local Maori chiefs the previous day. Governor Hobson had returned to his ship anchored in the bay and expected the Maori to discuss the treaty and maybe sign it the following day. The chiefs had talked it over the previous night, didn’t have enough food to wait another day, and wanted it signed ASAP so they could get home to dinner. Hobson was rowed back to shore again, didn’t have time to dress for the occasion, and signed it in his civilian clothes just after noon.

In 1932, the run-down house of James Busby was gifted to the nation. In 1934 the first celebration was held in honor of its restoration. Kiwis always like a party and the tradition continued through the 1950's. Reluctant to add another public holiday to the calendar, they finally decided to substitute Waitangi Day for Auckland Anniversary Day.

Treaty House

Waitangi

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Photo By:

Sandy Austin

The treaty was between the Crown and Maori. Queen Elizabeth II is officially New Zealand’s Queen. She is represented by a Governor General who ratifies laws by the parliament of New Zealand. Usually, the Prime Minister is the official representing the Crown on Waitangi Day.

Fun and games often start a few days earlier. On the 5th, the dignitaries are welcomed and speeches are given by both sides. At dawn on Waitangi Day, the Royal New Zealand Navy raises the New Zealand Flag, Union Jack, and White Ensign on the flagstaff on the Treaty Grounds. During the day, there’s a church service, games, Maori cultural entertainment, concerts, wakas charging around the bay and a navy ship re-enactment of the calling ashore of Governor Hobson to sign the Treaty– not all that traditional since the officer has a little more time to dress this time. The day ends with the Royal Guard of Honour and a Beat Retreat at Ceremonial Sunset on the Treaty Grounds lawn.

Meeting House

Waitangi

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Photo By:

Sandy Austin

Even a holiday won’t please everybody. There’s often controversy. Protesters don’t seem to like this flagpole on the Treaty Grounds any better than the one near Russell. In 2004, protesters managed to hike the Maori Sovereignty Flag above the others on the flagstaff by flying it over a nearby tree. One year, a cruise ship cancelled their scheduled stop in the Bay of Islands– afraid a passenger might end up in the middle of what they believed was a re-enactment of the Musket War. Prime Minister Helen Clark also decided to visit elsewhere that year. As Waitangi day is celebrated throughout New Zealand, it wasn’t hard for her to find a more peaceful celebration. Considering the crowds, protestors, and four days of free flowing liquor, there seems to be few serious problems– don’t mess with the flags and you won’t be a guest of Her Majesty.

The best time to wander and enjoy that small spectacular park, Waitangi Treaty Grounds, is not during Waitangi Day surrounded by 40,000 booze appreciating party goers– moonshine is legal in New Zealand. Home manufacturing of hard alcohol is allowed in small quantities. Kits are available in stores. The government seems concerned you distill your alcohol safely and don’t kill yourself.

Maori

War Canoes

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Photo By

nickvine

Until recently, entrance to the Treaty Grounds was free. Now, admission is $20 for two days if you’re not a Kiwi– the Maori version of sock it to the tourist. Tourist won’t complain and don’t hang around long. The tourist tax is suspended for Waitangi Day. There’s only two roads in– over the bridge from Pahia or the Puketona Road from Haruru. If you want to enter the grounds, just smile and remember your own town usually has a bed tax– just another way to squeeze dollars from travelers who must have more than you since they’re traveling and you’re not.

During the regular season-- not the silly season, those 3 or 4 days around Waitangi Day– you can find individual Maori guides to give you a tour of the grounds. You can also enjoy a musical performance in the carved Maori Meeting House. If you pay the $20 tourist tax, you can wander around the Treaty Grounds and nature trail on your own.

As War Canoes

Come In

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Photo By:

archmage01

On leased land from the trust, the Waitangi Golf Club hangs out over the Bay of Islands. If you’re a golfer, stop in at the club house, enjoy a drink, and swap tee tales. Green fees are reasonably priced and visitors are welcome. Clubs, riding carts, and hand carts can be rented, You can buy most anything else in the pro shop. Even if you take the scenic course when golfing and zigzag your way along, try the Waitangi Golf Club. The price is reasonable, but you can pretend you’re a millionaire. just carry spare balls to donate to the Goddess of the Sea. This is one course you won’t forget.

There is no overnight camping on the Waitangi National Reserve. Haruru Falls Motor Inn on Puketona Rd and Haruru Falls Resort on Old Wharf Rd are reasonably priced if you’re traveling by car of RV and trying to save your Kiwi dollars for that golf course. Free overnight parking is available at Waipapa Landing a little north– and we’re heading in that direction.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Auckland on the Cheap

Auckland

City Centre

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Photo By:

Hanni

The first time I traveled New Zealand, I didn’t worry about traveling on the cheap. I flew into Auckland, rented a car and spent three weeks zigzagging from Auckland to Christchurch. I stayed at quality hotels, wandered into any restaurant that took my fancy, checked out the Waitomo Caves, watched the well mannered sheep at the Agrodome, and even managed to squeeze in a two day farm stay. Then, I flew home and went back to work to pay off the credit card bills that trickled in over the next couple of months. Those were the days when I was young, dumb, and richer.

That’s still a good way to travel if you have the big bickies. There’s nothing quite like hanging out at a top quality hotel or resort and wallowing around in all that pampering to make you feel special. It will probably strain the budget if you want to spend four or five months in New Zealand. If that’s your plan, you might need to consider at least some of that "On the Cheap."

Auckland Sunset

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Photo By:

Kenny Muir

Melanie McMinn has a new blog Auckland on the Cheap. She lists inexpensive activities and cheap places to eat in Auckland. Melanie is not a travel agent or promoting a business so you get information about a little of this and a little of that– whatever happens to be cheap in Auckland. If you’re traveling to New Zealand and have a question about saving money in Auckland, send Melanie an email. If you’re a Kiwi and have a tip to share, she’d like to hear from you, too.

Enjoy your time in Auckland even if it is "On the Cheap." As Melanie says, "After all, fun doesn’t have to be expensive!"

Lyn

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Russell

Russell

Bay of Islands

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Photo By:

Sandy Austin Whanau

While traveling New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, you can always find a place to stay in Pahia, that small tourist town where the bus stops. Because Pahia has a good-sized wharf, cruise ships anchored in the bay shuttle their people to shore to check out the nearby Treaty House, try a fresh seafood meal, book a sightseeing trip, or buy that souvenir for mom. If you’re traveling by auto or RV, why not stay in Russell? This small village, once the capitol of New Zealand is tucked away and harder to reach, but it’s quaint, packed with history and you can easily get yourself back to Pahia on the small passenger ferry. When you explore the bay, those sight seeing trips can be booked just as easily from Russell.

Captain Cook anchored around Kororareka headland in 1769 and gave the Bay of Islands its English name. Abel Tasman poked around those waters over a hundred years earlier. In 1642, he said some unfriendly words about the local inhabitants, traveled south and spotted the Southern Alps, then headed north up the Tasman Sea to check out those Tasmanian Devils.

According to Maori legend, those unfriendly Polynesians arrived in New Zealand in the 10th century. As they had no written language, it’s hard to prove one way or the other. Eager to escape food shortages and war, they found plenty of food, though not much good red meat. They were not vegetarians. Tough Old Lady Cove reminds us what can happen to a nagging mother-in-law. The Maori brought kumara– a sweet potato-like vegetable that grows best in a warm climate. Although Maori settled throughout New Zealand, the majority of them kept their kumara happy and settled in this semi-tropical section of New Zealand.

Russell

Police Station

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Photo By:

murtuza707

In the early 1800's, Russell, originally named Kororareka or sweet penguin by the Maori, was known as the "hell-hole of the Pacific." With its rowdy night life, it became a popular port with Pacific whalers. When British convicts were brought to New South Wales in Australia, those now empty ships needed cargo for the return trip and the British government needed to train seamen for the Royal Navy. So, they offered money to encourage Americans to join the whaling fleet. An American captain on the British boat William and Ann first hunted whales in New Zealand waters in 1791. By 1838, Kororareka was an international port with more or less 100 ships anchored at any time. Whalers picked up supplies, repaired their ships, and gave their men a chance to get rough and rowdy in this best little "hell hole of the Pacific."

During the early 1800's, whaling was a major part of the European economy. Whale oil was used to light city streets and lubricate machines. Sperm whale oil was odorless and could be used indoors. Spermaceti, a liquid wax from the sperm whale’s head, was used to lubricate precision instruments and to make smokeless candles. Sperm whales were hunted in open water. Black or right whales were hunted in bays or near the shore not only for their oil, but for the baleen which hangs inside their mouth to filter food. Baleen, the same material as human fingernails, was used for lady’s corsets. Ambergris (grey amber) found in the sperm whale’s bowel was used as a base for perfume and also an aphrodisiac for those European males excited by all that plump perfumed flesh squashed into those lady’s corsets.

Russell Harbour

from

Flagstaff Hill

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Photo By:

pompeyduchess

On Maiki Hill, above this sheltered village stacked up the hillside overlooking the bay, you can still find a flagpole where the Union Jack was raised by the British and occasionally lowered by the Maori. In 1845, after New Zealand’s capitol was moved from Russell to Auckland, the rowdy sailors slipped away and a financial recession hit the Bay of Islands. When the government didn’t offer a stimulus bailout, the local Maori protested and took over Russell. The Union Jack was lowered rather roughly for the fourth time. In 1857, the flagpole was replaced by the son of Kawiti, one of the Maori Chiefs in this Battle of Kororareka. A piece of this original flagpole is in the Russell museum. The United Tribes flag of 1834 is still flown 12 days a year.

The only way to get to Russell for many years was by a coastal steamer that brought supplies and passengers twice a week. During the depression years of the 1930's, a coastal road from Whakapara was built by government public works crews. "The Back Road" as it’s still called is windy and scary. "Best driven at night so you can see the headlights coming and get out of the way," we were told. We drove it once. Once was enough. If you have a rental vehicle, your insurance might not cover you if you’re on this road. Don’t miss that last vehicle ferry from Opua.

Tourist guides would call Russell unique and charming. Those are hokey but accurate words. The Duke of Marlboro Hotel on the waterfront has been up and down almost as many times at that flagpole. The (5th) Duke, built in the 1870's, burned in 1931. You can’t keep a good Duke down, so if you’re pub hopping, stay a night or two at the Duke. If you’re RVing or booked some where else, at least stop in for a drink and a meal. We’ve had Christmas dinner there– an elegant English meal worth every penny. The Duke of Marlboro is one of many New Zealand historic hotels.

Pompallier House

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Photo By:

Andrew&Suzanne

Built in 1841, Pompallier, New Zealand’s oldest surviving Roman Catholic buildings, is now a museum. You can easily spend a day in the Russell Museum digging through photos and remnants of history, so don’t cut your time short in Russell.

If you’re RVing or on a budget, stay at the Holiday Park. It’s one of the nicest RV parks in New Zealand. Surrounded by flowers and perched on a hill, it overlooks the bay. You can walk the short distance to town, book one of the scenic cruises near the wharf, or catch the passenger ferry to Pahia and check out the other tourists. The Holiday Park has rooms as well as RV spaces. Bring your own bedding and towel for a cheaper rate. If you have a tent, a large grassy area– usually fully booked during the holiday season– is available. Russell and this RV park are popular with Kiwis, so book ahead in January.

Slip back into history in this sheltered little town of Russell. Roam around the beach, sip a brew in The Duke, or climb the hill for a panoramic view of the Bay of Islands and Motuarohia just around the Kororareka headland where James Cook anchored. Just don’t mess with that flagpole. It’s caused enough commotion in this once rowdy, now sleepy little town.



Lyn Harris


RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand