Bay of Islands, New Zealand 8:00 AM -5:00 PM

Bay of Islands, New Zealand 8:00 AM -5:00 PM

What sights and/or shore excursions do you recommend?

If you enjoy NZ mussels, there's a restaurant on the waterfront (near the tender wharf) I would recommend. From memory it was called Latitude 35.

Difficult to see all of the land highlights in a day unless you have a personal driver. As they are quite a distance apart

How about another boat trip? Fullers "Great Sights" have a cruise around the Bay of Islands in a modern catamaran. The chances of seeing Dolphins are very high.

From the historical viewpoint a visit to Waitangi (pronounced why tang ee) will fill you in on the modern history of the Brits and the Maoris including the Treaty between the two. Lots to learn.

The tenders come ashore at either Paihia (pronounced pie here) which is a tourist town and the largest tourist centre in the Bay of Islands, or The Bay of Islands Sailing Club jetty which is situated very close to the Waitangi Treaty grounds. (Shuttle buses run in to Paihia if you land here.)

Another place worth a visit is Russell (pronounced as it looks) which is an older town, with a chequered past!! Used to be called "the hell hole of the South Pacific" in the whaling days. All the buildings along the waterfront were either pubs or brothels!!! Was the first capital of New Zealand. Worth a visit by catching a small ferry across the water from Paihia..

Hope this helps