Our first stop today...Te Ngaere

Whangaroa....marlin fishing is a big attraction to this area...

Mangonui....a pretty little harbour town with many historic buildings, like the above....they had a wonderful heritage trail to walk.

Coopers Beach .. we are now in Doubtless Bay

Matai Bay... a rather remote area just past Doubtless Bay....there was camping here but no power...very few people around...the water was crystal clear.

We stayed at a little camper park in Tokerau Beach, the photo above shows our little path to the sand.

These two photos I hope will show what the NZ weather can be like...both were taken within seconds of each other, of Tokerau ...there was a storm coming, and it did arrive a few minutes later.  But then as usual, the sun came out shortly afterwards.

Paihia on a gorgeous morning....we were on our way to catch the ferry to Russell, on the other side of the bay.

On the ferry...

Russell...pretty little town with lots of historic buildings....

Stunning view of the bay from Flagstaff Hill in Russell...

Back in Paihia, coffee and biscuits on the foreshore....

Trip out to Waitangi Treaty Grounds...fabulous place....spend a while soaking up the history.

Haruru Falls...

Pete and I were thrilled when we arrived at our planned overnight stop. We knew nothing about Matauri Bay except Trip Advisor had given it an excellent rap. It is beautiful and we scored a beachside location for the van.

This hill was at one end of the beach and we climbed to the top...

...to see the memorial sculpture to the Rainbow Warrior...isn't it magnificent?!...

View from on top of the hill...our van on the right under the pine trees...

View of our van from the beach, I just loved the reflections in the sand.

Our van has a BBQ! We have never had that before. How nice to cook fresh salmon on the barbie with that view!

It was windy and rainy again in Auckland this morning when we left to pick up our camper van. We decided that since the weather wasn't that flash we would do a big drive north. After several hours of really heavy rain and winds, the clouds lifted and there was blue sky...just as we arrived at Paihia in the Bay of Islands. Unbelievable change...but we were very happy as it is such a pretty part of the world, especially when the sun is out.  

Another photo of the foreshore at Paihia...the tide is out.

This was the view from our camper van at the holiday park in Paihia.

Not too far away there was a walking track...with some beautiful views...

Our van...parked right next to the water...

Dusk ...our view as we ate our dinner....

Well, despite it being an absolutely awful day, rainy and windy, Pete and I thought we should go out and at least see a little of Auckland. The dominating feature of Auckland's landscape is the Sky Tower. 

From the Sky Tower we walked to Ponsonby Road, trendy street full of delightful shops, bars and cafes. I just loved all the houses in this inner city suburban area.

This isn't the first church we have seen that has been made of wood...they reminded us of those we'd seen in New Hampshire.

The Auckland War Memorial Museum ...

Auckland Domain...the oldest park in Auckland,  the park contains all the explosion crater and most of the surrounding tuff ring of the Pukekawa volcano. 

A couple more pretty wooden buildings...on Parnell Road...

The Anglican cathedral in Nelson, at the top of their main street.

Looking down the main street of Nelson from the cathedral, such a pretty street.

Some of the delightful looking buildings in the heart of Nelson...it is the cleanest, neatest town I think I have ever visited, just lovely.

And finally, the river running through the town, which we walked along on our first visit here. Today however it looked more beautiful with the sun shining.

From Nelson , we flew to Auckland, then caught the shuttle to our B and B accomodation in the CBD. As the sun was shining Pete and I went for a stroll around the area. We are staying near the harbour and the building so remind me of Fremantle.

Albert Park near the CBD ...wonderful place to take your lunch...

The University of Auckland clock tower, very unusual building...

Old Government House...now being used by the University of Auckland ...

Isn't this tree amazing? It is oak!! Pete tried to tell me it was and I thought he was totally wrong until I saw all the leaves on the ground...yep an oak!

After a delicious breakfast at Ratanui Lodge, Pete and I went for a stroll around Pohara Beach before we caught the shuttle bus back to Nelson.

Not the golden sand like the beaches in the national park, more a grey colour due to the iron content. Pete is wearing an outfit to match!

A common site in this part of the world.