Bay of Islands, NZ, Russell?? Tips, Ideas??

From the NZ Herald in Auckland today, they have this headline: "Russell: It's a top town" with these highlights: "One of New Zealand's most enchanting holiday destinations, Russell is famous for its plethora of sweet bays, pretty little cottages and a bullet-riddled church. Explore NZ's Dolphin Discovery cruise is a wonderful jaunt. While on it we learned that the Bay of Islands comprises approximately 144 islands. Barely 30 minutes out of Russell we found dolphins, a huge pod of them frolicking and turning it on for the tourists. We entered an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, briefly, admiring two magical properties on the privately owned Moturua Island. Talk about paradise - tan sand, verdant bush, even a flagpole. We took a turn around the Russell Museum. We were particularly taken with the one-fifth scale replica of Captain Cook's ship Endeavour. It's staggering how tiny the real thing must have been, when you think of the voyages it undertook. Christ Church, over the road from the museum, is not only New Zealand's oldest church it's also the country's only house of worship to boast bullet holes in the woodwork. It's funny to think that Russell used to be known as the Hellhole of the Pacific, because today it's nothing but a slice of heaven."

Looking forward to being in this area on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014. Not all cruise ships go here. Glad our Solstice sailing will be stopping here before finishing in Auckland the next day. Any special, added tips, insights for Russell and/or the Bay of Islands?

Full story at:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=11127708

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Celebrity Solstice Visual Highlights? From our June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in France, Italy, Kotor and Dubrovnik, I have pull together a number of wonderful visuals of the Solstice, its features, food, entertainment, options, etc. We are now at 10,445 views for this shorter version of my larger full review of that cruise and all of the port pictures/details. Check these postings and added info at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1803477

Hey Terry, I was bought up in the Bay of Islands, it is a very beautiful area and the reviewer described it pretty well. I usually recommend people seriously consider doing the Hole in the Rock cruise, and also walk around Russell its a very quant town. On the other side of the Bay is Paihia, where I lived as a kid, its touristy but has the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where NZ european history began. The treaty grounds are well worth a visit. Have a great day there...easily doable on your own without a ship excursion. If you are interested I can lead you towards the best company to do the hole in the rock trip and happy to help out with any questions you have. roscoe

mr walker: We visited Bay if Islands on our Radiance OTS cruise in Feb. We actually did the tall ships tour' date=' booked thru the ship[/b']. It was a great day, with the crew acting as pirates and keeping us prisoners for the day - they did feed and water us and later returned us to the dock . We enjoyed it, even though the weather let us down. Advice on board was that the hole in the rock needs to be done in the morning, before the winds pick up

bazzaw: Terry. I am an Aussie- and frankly I didn't really know too much about western history in NZ' date=' much less the Maori history. We recently had a few days in the Russel/Bay of Islands/Keri Keri area and were fascinated by what we learned there. Frankly you will really only get the slightest taste of NZ history in a day there -- you can only hope for a couple of hours at the Waitiangi Treaty grounds and maybe a few hours looking around the small waterfront village of Russell. Alternatively, you could just spend all day in the oldest hotel in NZ (in Russell), the Duke of Marlborough.. Sorry -- but a cruiseship day visit in this area is just not going to cut the mustard!!![b'] For such a small country -- NZ is surprisingly BIG!!!!! Barry

LibbyLee: There is a tour at Waitangi Treaty Grounds that is called the Ultimate package and it includes admission' date=' a guided tour and a cultural performance all for the price of $45 an adult. It would take up about 2-3 hours and is meant to be very worthwhile. Alternatively you can just go with the general admission for $25 an adult. [/quote']

 

Appreciate so much these great, added ideas and suggestions from those on the other Aussie-NZ board of CC. Am sharing these tips and insights here and with those on our cruise's roll call. Keep these nice thoughts and tips rolling along.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 142,549 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Terry

Thanks for posting this. I was not sure what to do during my one day stop during my cruise but after reading this and the link, I booked the ships tour that includes Cape Brent and the hole in the rock.

You have now given me info for two of my NZ stops during my cruise.

Again, thanks

Don

when we did our cruise to new zealand, our bay of islands stop was at paihia. there was a local art and craft market at the wharf which was one of the better markets we found on our whole trip.

If you like the idea of sailing the Bay of Islands then I can highly recommend Phantom Yacht Charters.

This is the private tour we did when on the Solstice in October. It was an absolutely fantastic day. The dolphins played with our boat as we headed for Roberton Island - such a pretty bay where we anchored for lunch.

Then after lunch more sailing around this beautiful part of the world before we headed back to Waitangi for our tender back to the ship.

http://www.yachtphantom.com/Sailing_on_Phantom.html

It gets great reviews on Trip Advisor

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g255679-d1596059-Reviews-Phantom_Sailing-Russell_Bay_of_Islands_Northland_Region_North_Island.html