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Bay of Islands
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I travelled up from Auckland up the west coast of the Northland to Opononi and then across to the east coast to Paihia. The journey was lovely but the roads were so winding which didn't help my motion sickness... Northland and the Bay of Islands are known as "the birthplace of a nation", because of the historic sites and memorable events that took place in the region. James Cook landed in New Zealand in 1769 and soon after that whalers, missionaries and traders began arriving. This region was the first permanent settlement for European pioneers and the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in the Bay of Islands in 1840, officially making New Zealand part of the British Commonwealth.
I stayed in a really nice hostel and there I met Krystal from Canada and Nele from Belgium.
The next day we got the ferry across to Russell which was the first capital of New Zealand and one of the first European settlements. We visited Christ Church - the oldest exsisting church in New Zealand, which was built in the mid 1800s. It was quite interesting having a wander around the headstones and seeing the names of the first settlers - lots of Scottish and a few Irish too. It was nice to have a few days out of the city after which I headed back to Auckland to prepare for my upcoming South America adventure! More thumbnails ...
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