Russell

Russell is an historic village in the Bay of Islands. We haven’t been up there for 3 years, although it is one of our favourite places for a few days away. It’s a quiet town with a great view and the best restaurants north of Auckland.

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It’s one of the few places left with weka and kiwi (although the former is much more common than the latter).

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Oysters are raised nearby, and are second only to Bluff oysters.

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There are two beaches – a pebble beach in front of Russell itself, and 1km over the hill is Oneroa Bay Beach a sandy beach with some waves (although it was very calm for our stay).

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There are two great restaurants at Russel – the Gables – the oldest restaurant in the country, and the Duke of Marlborough – the oldest pub. To be honest I think the Duke is the better of the two. Both are popular, though you’re more likely to run into the rich and famous at the Duke – a previous Speaker of the House was dining at the table next to us.

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Across the bay is Paihia, another small town but much more touristy. There’s a small ferry that runs between them every 20 minutes or so.

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Each night there we had a great sunset.

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Not too far from Russell is Kerikeri. There the oldest shop and oldest building in New Zealand at the Kerikeri Mission Station.

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On the way home we stopped to stretch our legs at Uretiti Beach. It was like most New Zealand beaches – not particularly crowded.

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We had a bite to eat at the Puhoi Pub before hitting the Auckland motorway.

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