Copthorne Bay of Islands

... stayed at the Copthorne, which was a really nice hotel. That afternoon, we headed off for the cruise of the bay of islands, which lasted 3.5 hours, and viewed some fabulous bays, beaches and islands, some of which are privately owned. We travelled ...

... however on the back nine the vista was absolutely spectacular, with every hole, tee and green having magnificent views over the Bay of Islands.  Joan returned from her lunch cruise which evidently had also been a great success.  We rested for a ...

... to the people of New Zealand to enjoy by Lord and Lady Bledisloe who purchased the estate in 1932. Before 1840 the Bay of Islands attracted early Polynesian settlers and was occupied for centuries by competing Maori tribes.  In the late 18th century ...

... thought we might be wearing shorts and flip flops in NZ but it isn't looking that way at the moment. 16 degrees tomorrow I think and some more rain forecast. Bay of Islands looks great though and I am looking forward to seeing more of the place tomorrow. ...

... of Russell. We saw the old church and I took pics of some grave stones. Everyone says you should take a boat ride to see the islands. The most popular ride is to Hole in the Rock which is a rock formation with a bridge-like opening. After being in Fiji ...

... as our appetizer and I think our dinner companions were appalled. For the record, it tastes like chicken. Auckland & The Bay of Islands, New Zealand These were the last stops of the First World Cruise Segment. As often happens when cruising, ...

... hotel room, with large windows looking out to sea from our bed. We motored around for a couple of hours around the Bay of the Islands before anchoring off Urupukapuka island. We decided to opt for the more 'adventurous'  Kayak tour and paddled around ...

Copthorne Hotel Waitangi was the first stop heading to check out our historic treaty signing venue. We couldn't resist a walk along the grassy frontage and admire the understated elegance of the the place. Happy to have our campervan though. We arrived at ...

So after a night in a cosy room with tv, which I have not watched for ages, I was up with the birds to take a trip. The bus was packed, our guide a kiwi who was very funny and who said 'sweet as' a lot, which is quite common around here.First stop was ...

... und sind weiter nach Waitangi, dem Geburtsort von Neuseeland, und haben den Waitangi Treaty Grounds (ein großes Areal mit dem Treaty House, einem Maori-Versammlungshaus und einem 35 m langen Maori-Kriegskanu) einen Besuch für 25 NZD pro Person ...

Weiter ging es nach Kawakawa zu einem ganz besonderen Örtchen, dem Hundertwasser-Klo. Wie der Name bereits verrät, wurde das stille Örtchen vom Künstler Friedensreich Hundertwasser entworfen. Auf der ganzen Reise sonst immer ganz dringend auf der ...

In Paihia angekommen, haben wir uns schnell im Hotel ...

We have been away for just over 2 weeks now and this morning was the first day that we had breakfast included. It was pretty good too, crumpets and English muffins, melon and yoghurt, yum yum. They have something out here called 'Marmite' and as I love ...

FUN and FABULOUS drive up to Paihia! We had tons of fun on the drive up, with a few stops along the way to enjoy the scenery! Including a beautiful walk along the beach at Waipaipai. There are so many interesting things to see and do here, it's hard to ...

... the dodgy fake NZ marmite again!) and then on to the next place. As Doubtless Bay is only about 80k away from the Bay of Islands we took a leisurely drive up and decided to stop off wherever took our fancy. It is becoming really annoying that you start ...

... we had spectacular views of the harbour and city skyline which grew smaller the further we travelled. We passed several islands - including Rangitoto Island (a large volcanic island that formed in the bay) - before reaching the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park ...