EC-Rider Travels

After another amusing breakfast, discussing the outfit the nice breakfast lady was going to wear later that day (we were not sure for what occasion), we left the Great Ponsonby Art Hotel. With map in hand, we headed to our first destination, Russell in Northland. We have discovered, that rather amazingly, Waze works in NZ, however it was not so spot on as to where the police are lurking and, no more than twenty minutes out of Aukland, I saw flashing lights in my mirror. Knowing it was obviously nothing to do with me, I pulled over to let him pass and blow me down if he did not stop behind me. I have NEVER been stopped by the police before so this was another ‘first’! He was not quite the happy, smiley New Zealander I had been used to, but somehow I managed to get away with a warning for my apparent speeding through the town. I cannot tell you how slowly you have to drive here – top speed 100k (62mph!) and about 20mph though any towns. I am being very careful now!

Russell is about 150 miles north of Auckland however, we chose to take the scenic route and indeed had a stunning journey, through the most amazing sounding Māori named towns and villages, mostly beginning with W! Including lovely Waipu and Whangarei. The landscape changes all the time, from soft rolling hills to steep jagged mountains. The distances you can see are incredible as indeed are the wild flowers growing along the roadside. Many, familiar as we pay a fortune for them in our gardens and here they were growing wild – blue and white agapanthus growing everywhere, interspersed by red hot pokers (not my favourite) and all sorts of lilies and roses, just stunning. The trees too are extraordinary and particularly the New Zealand Christmas Tree which is like a giant bottle brush trees, and is growing everywhere, to an enormous height and just coming out. There are an incredible number of birds and endless signs warning you to be careful of crossing kiwis. I would so love to see one, but sadly they are now rare and also nocturnal.

We eventually arrived in Russell at about 4pm – passing many oyster farms and stalls on the side of the road selling them. In the super-market there was a tank of muscles (next to the milk!) where you could just help yourself.

Russell is a charming seaside town on the Bay of Islands. Very pretty and full of small, almost identical, American style, mainly single storied, clapboard houses. This seems to have been the style of almost every home we have seen since we left Auckland. Our home for the next three nights, again slightly to our surprise, is in a small housing estate of identical clapboard, kit-houses with a communal swimming pool (next to us!). Very comfortable but not quite what we were expecting. No breakfast is included so we had to make a quick dash to the supermarket (rather fun!) and then went to find somewhere for supper. Everyone eats incredibly early here and again it was a bit of a struggle to find somewhere. But eventually we found a lovely restaurant called Hone’s Garden (named after a Māori chieftain, who we are to learn about tomorrow) where we were served by Iona from Streatham and took the table from a young family from Newquay so felt very at home! Delicious supper and bed!