Sea Spray Suites Paihia

... the sun to come back out. When it does we grab the ferry back to Paihia quickly. However, not before nearly taking a little 3-legged dog with us. He was very keen to join the boat, but as he had no fare the skipper was having none of it and left him looking forlorn on the jetty.<br><br>From there we made a mad dash just down the road to Waitangi, to see the treaty grounds where the original treaty between the Maori and the settlers was signed - widely regarded as the birth of NZ as a ...

... divers were shouting "over here, over here!" I went under the water and was able to see 3 dolphins!! With one of them actually speaking to the others. When we swam back (after a hard swim) we got dried , both Karen and me were buzzing, it was a surreal, amazing and unforgettable experience. <br><br>After the excitement, we went through the hole in the Rock, a small cove in one of the mountains, it was quite good and we got some nice pics. To round off a ...

... driver introduced himself. After another while of talking he announced' "Now, you're probably all thinking, oh no!, we've got one of those over-enthusiastic bus drivers..." Yep, we really had. It was still early in the morning, the pick up was at 7am. Our first stop was a little random. A walk through a little forrest, we were told we could hug the trees if we wanted a truly Maori experience. The driver then decided to take us straight to the sand-boarding to wake us all up a bit. We ...

... und picknickten dort so gegen 15h. Die Haruru Faelle waren Neuseelands erste Flussstrasse fuer die Maori Staemme. So gegen 17h nahmen wir dann die Autofaehre nach Russell, wo wir die Nacht verbrachten. Russel war, lange bevor Kapitaen Cook's Besuch im Jahre 1769, eine hergestellte Regelung der verschiedenen Maori Staemmen. Sein Name zu dieser Zeit, Kororareka, reflektierte eine Legende, bei der ein verwundeter Kapitaen nach Pinguinen fragte und die Worte "Ka reka to korora" von sich ...

... into the dorm, where there are basically just three sets of bunk beds, and fortunately only three of us in here tonight, so we all get the bottom bunk! It was empty when I came in, but about a minute after I'd put my bags down, a girl walked in and started unpacking her stuff. I introduced myself, and we quickly discovered that she and I were apparently pretty much the only two English girls here. She had come back to the room to get ...

... in Paihia zie je de party hostel in rijen naast elkaar. Het heeft toch ook zijn voordelen om in de winter te reizen. Paihia ligt in de Bay of Islands en is enorm populair in de zomer. Dat straalt het plaatsje ook uit. Sommige eetgelegenheden zijn gesloten voor de winter en het aantal toeristische winkeltjes overstijgt de gewone winkels. Na aankomst loop ik door het ...

... we have come to the conclusion that the speed New Zealanders drive is affected by the colour of car they have and believe it our not but white car drivers are the dictionary definition of 'Sunday drivers' and actually hold Jake up - except on hills when let's face it a 3 year old on a skateboard would probably pass us ! We got as far as Thames which is the main town of this region and neither Lonely Planet or the view ...

... wonderful views of the bay. We are off to see Russell which the locals have assured us we will enjoy. Russell was the first whaling port in NZ and at that time had a reputation as a lawless, rowdy spot and earned its title as the Hell Hole of the Pacific. Now it is a sleepy seaside village with a quaint charm. The ferry ride is only about 10 minutes and they are pretty laid back here. We are instructed ...