We left the Fantail Inn and the lovely town of Russell behind us and sailed back over the Opua Ferry to the holiday resort of Pahia. We visited 12 years ago and it seemed little changed. This time we didn't stop though and pushed on North, taking a detour through Kerikeri for a look-see. It’s the go-to shopping destination if you live in Russell and seemed quite busy. The area is famous for its fruit and we saw loads of orchards as we passed through. We had a lunch stop at Jesse's on the Waterfront in Mangonui. A nice busy Kiwi Cafe. It was just a short distance to Coopers Beach and our new home The San Marino. It was a bit tired but the location, right on the fabulous beach, was perfect. We settled on the second room we were shown and headed out on a walk, the first of many over the next five days on this beautiful stretch of sand. I think the Motel was subsiding as the as nothing was square and the water in the shower tray collected on one end.
Coopers Beach
It was backed byPohutukawa trees that gave excellent shade. They looked like giant Broccoli, our name for them. It was super in the water although not quite as warm as we expected. We found the Beach Box, just back from the beach on our first walk, it served excellent coffee and good cakes. TW discovered Ginger and Karakara tea there, and she’s hooked on it! There are lots of options locally for outings and very few overseas tourists so we were easily able to fill our five days.
Chilling at Taupo Bay
Whangeroa was beautiful, they serve a nice coffee at the Sport Fishing Club. We walked up to Saint Paul's Rock for a great panoramic view of the harbour. We mentioned to a local Lady about the beautiful scenery. She agreed but commented, 'you can't eat scenery'. Made us think. The most fun beach we visited in that area was at Taupo Bay with lovely rollers. It’s supposed to suffer rip tides, but they had day off in honour of our visit. Well, we survived anyway.
Playing in the waves at Taupo Bay
The Beach Box - our favourite coffee stop
The Manganui Fish Shop
Fush and Chups - Manganui Fish Shop
The Fish Shop at Manganui Wharf proved to be another favourite. I had green lip mussels, TW had lovely fish and chips. It was so good we went there twice!
After 5 great days in Coopers Beach we dragged ourselves away and headed up the Karikari Peninsula This was as far north as we planned to go.
St Pauls
Rangiputa and the Karikari Peninsula
On the Rangiputa Beach
We were concerned that we were arriving at a crime scene when we saw the Police Car outside our next digs.
To our great relief our hosts in Rangiputa, at the Wander Inn, were a Policeman and his Missus. They were both originally from England. We had a super room under the house and access to a washer and dryer was a big bonus. The local beach was pretty close by and had white sand with warm water, very nice! Apparently it's home to sharks, but again they were having a rest day so thankfully. Maitii Beach was a short drive away, partially down a dirt road, and it was unspoiled and stunning. We walked the length of the beach and found a shady spot. We spent a pleasant hour or so on its golden sand. The sun is very powerful in NZ, particularly in the North, so factor 50SPF is a must. In the main we went to the beach at the end of the day, when UV levels had dropped. The sun umbrella we purchased in Russell proved to be a great investment! On the way back to Rangiputa we stopped off at the Karikari Estate for a bit of lunch at quite a smart winery. It did seem a tad out of character for the area. We also had a look at the Carrington Golf Club just down the road and had a coffee. The Course appeared empty but looked in good condition. The winery and the golf club appeared to be the only developments on the Peninsula. Before visiting the Karikari Peninsula we thought it was totally undeveloped but, anyway, it is certainly not ruined and people need jobs.
Maitii Beach
Lunchtime view at the winery - the Karikari Estate
Lake Rotopokaka - Coca Cola Lake near Rangiputa
Our hosts suggested we visit the Coca Cola Lake. Not sure I'd be happy swimming in it as the peat and tannins in the area give it a distinct cola colour.
Leaving Home in the darkness with rain falling was not the greatest start to our expedition. Things got much worse when we hit the stationary traffic on the M3. Luckily we had left home nice and early so we were not too stressed. The plan was for me to drop TW at Terminal 3 and then take the shuttle from the car depot. There was no time for that. Check-in at Virgin was easy and friendly. We headed for the Virgin Lounge and a very decent veggie breakfast. A comfortable flight followed on a Virgin A350. We landed at LAX on time and immigration went surprisingly smoothly, apart from my confusion when trying too get my paws onto the fingerprint scanner in the correct order. The next challenge, how to get to Santa Monica?
We wanted to go via an Uber Taxi but we had no Internet access in the Terminal. Regardless, we took the Green Shuttle to the pick up point where we managed to logon and order up a taxi. It arrived in a couple of minutes. Great service and we were in Santa Monica in about 30 minutes. We were booked into the Cal Mar on California. The old place had not changed since our last visit 12 years ago! To be honest we were a bit worried about safety and security in town but we were assured it was pretty safe. With fingers crossed, and avoiding any eye contact, we bravely headed into town. Happily, nobody bothered us. We made it home with our porridge and cereal and some pasta for our evening meal. Despite the obvious and unwelcome elements it was actually quite pleasant in Santa Monica.
3rd Street Santa Monica
Cal Mar - back to the future
Forrest with his Chocolates
The Coastal Strip
The main shopping area in Santa Monica was quite smart. The coastal strip was up-market. We made a pilgrimage to the Santa Monica Pier and dropped into Bubba Gump for a Prawn and Salmon dish, very nice.
Everything grows
It was Street Market day and the stalls show-cased the impressive range of products that grow in California.
We had time to kill after lunch and say by the pool and chatted to another guest attending a wedding. Overall, our short stop-over went well. It was a no-brainier to call Uber to go back to LAX for our Air New Zealand flight to Auckland. The chatty driver took us via Venice and Marina Del Rey. We were again impressed and learned a lot about Los Angeles. We were really early at LAX so took advantage of the Air NZ lounge. Quite an impressive building, but the food was horrible. We were pleased to get on the flight where we found the food was much better. The service was good on the 777 but the sleeping arrangements were a bit complex. The staff have to set your bed with a very clever manoeuvre which seems to involve turning the seat upside down! As my turn came an attractive Kiwi hostess whispered in my ear. “Would you like to go to bid”.
27th January 2024 - Landfall in Auckland
We arrived at Auckland early in the morning, but it was already very busy. Getting into New Zealand with its strict Bio Security is a bit nerve racking, but despite our attempts to declare TW‘s beeswax ointment and my knee cream, we were sent through the fast lane into the real world. We quickly arranged our NZ phone Simms and then suffered a slow and frustrating car collection at Budget. We opted to wait for a hybrid that required cleaning rather țhan take a ready and waiting RAV4. With the gift of hindsight it was a mistake but Hey Ho. Eventually, we collected our car and headed to our initial accommodation on the North Shore at Takapuna, The Emerald Inn is just a stones throw from the beach. The owner allowed us an early check-in, which was a wonderful perk for two extremely tired Poms! We had just enough energy for a second breakfast just down the road at the Takapuna Beach Café before returning to our room for a quick kip. Takapuna is a pleasant town and appears to be quite affluent.
Takapuna Beach
Takapuna was a nice relaxed introduction to New Zealand. So much is like UK but with a South Pacific flavour. After our snooze we made the first of what was to become a ritual trip to the New World Supermarket for the staples of spinach, honey and pasta and, of course, milk, eggs and bread.
Packing up at the Emerald Inn
Whangarai Quay
Lunch at the Quay
Whangarei
Whangarei
The Whangarei Heads
Taurikura
After two nights we hit the road up to the Whangerai Heads. It's an easy run North up the Motorway. First stop Whangerai and lunch at the Quay, as recommended by Georgie, before setting out along the coast to Taurikura and our little apartment just outside the village.
The Shores - Tarapuka
It had all the comforts of Home, including a washer and dryer. What’s not to like. We took a pleasant walk along the coast road, past the lovely wooden houses. Many of them have a rusty old tractor sitting outside to pull their boats into and out of the water.
Taking a rest
For part of the way walked with an English Doctor and her husband and baby. She was on maternity leave from the Whangerai Hospital and was able to give us good info about the area. Our highlight was the walk to Smugglers Bay, a beautiful stroll through farmland to a deserted beach. It was a bit rocky in the water so we didn't take the plunge but otherwise it was idyllic. In the afternoon we drove along to Ocean Beach which was also very lovely but with no shade and with the sand acting like a huge radiator we could not stay for long. The Heads are, for certain, a lovely unspoiled, and pleasantly rural, coastal community.
Smugglers Bay
Taurikura
Russell and the Bay of Islands
The Church in Russell
Every pew tells a story in embroidery
After only two days it was time for us to leave and head North to Russell and the Bay of Islands. We opted to take the more direct route, which included a 5 minute cruise on the Opua ferry. The alternative would have meant a drive along a winding coastal road. A short drive from the Ferry took us to the Fantail Inn where, again, we were checked in early.
Dream House
Russell itself had not changed since our last visit. Lovely wooden houses and a relaxed ambience about the place. We drove over to Long Beach, a favoured spot on our last visit, and found a shady spot and had a dip. Our host at Fantail recommended the Boating Club just outside Russell for drinkies. We found it to be really friendly and rustic. With its great view and keen prices we stayed on for Dinner. I selected one of my favourites, lamb shanks, and TW had a nice steak.
Our Fantail Inn was about 10 minutes outside Russell and we were happy there. Before we visited we were a bit concerned that Cruise ship passengers might swamp the Russell and we saw a couple of Cruise Ships docked in the Bay during our visit. However, we need not have worried as fortunately the passengers mainly go to to Waitangi or play Golf.
Duke of Marlborough Hotel
The Fantail Inn
Urupukapuka here we come
On our way to Urupukapuka
High on a hill at Urupukapuka
The Otehei Cafe
Desert Island
We booked ourselves on a boat trip for the next day and it made a great start to February 2024. We took the ferry from Russell to the island of Urupukapuka. It cost $60 each and took about 30 minutes to reach the island's wharf. We shared the boat with lots of different nationalities. It was a bit of a hang onto your hat situation as the boat as the boat sped across the calm blue waters. We disembarked and took a walk through green fields up to a Highpoint with 360° view. It was a lovely sunny day so we wandered down to Urupukapuka beach for a swim and a picnic. It was such a beautiful beach backed by green lawns with the sea gently lapping on the pristine sand. There is a Cafe on the island near where the boat docks but loud music was blaring out and it was rammed full of tourists. We found a shady table outside, took in the view, and waited for our return ferry.
Urupukapuka was definitely the highlight of our trip to Russell and the Bay of Islands.
A bit fishy at the stern of our boat
Returning to Russell
A great discovery was a beautiful boutique vineyard, the Omata Winery, located quite close to Fantail. We popped in for a drink and a wander. Our walk took us through the vines and then onto native bush down to a viewpoint above the shoreline. We bought a bottle of their Red Wine which wasn't cheap but it travelled well. It was eventually consumed several weeks later in Nelson. Harvesting the grapes at Omata is a fun task for local residents. We were told local people are invited to do the picking and it turns into bit of a party with copious quantities of food and drink.
TW at the Omata vineyard
Beer at the winery
At the going down of the sun in Russell at the Fantail
