Monday cont'

This afternoon we went for our first swim in the Pacific Ocean. The beach was recommended by our hosts and only a short drive and it was beautifully sandy and the water was clear and warm. Steve went snorkeling and saw some angel fish and a shoal of other fish he didn't recognise.

In the evening we went for a meal at a restaurant that is run by a chef who is on NZ's equivalent of Hells Kitchen, the food was great and so were the views across the bay as the sun went down.

Tuesday 8 February

We took the passenger ferry this morning to Pahia and walked to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Waitiangi is famous as it is the place were in 1840 a treaty was signed between the British and Maori peoples and it is considered to be the birthplace of the current New Zealand nation.

Later we went on a sunset cruise on a local yacht called Kingfisher. Because of a mistake with the booking the owner put out a second boat and so we had the yacht to ourselves + the skipper (also called Steve). About 30 minutes into the sail there was a “dinghy drama” and we spent about half an hour desperately trying to retrieve the dinghy which had become detached. Recapturing it very scary because the sea was quite rough and both Steve's were hanging over the side with the boathook! . Steve took the helm which he enjoyed and Jane just watched and enjoyed that too! All in all it was a great experience.

We will be very sorry to leave Russell (Kororareka).