Day out to Russell

At the turn of the 19th century, Russell, then known as Kororareka, served as a shore station for whalers. It became a lawless town, earning the title "Hell-hole of the Pacific". It was renamed Russell in 1844 in honour of the British colonial secretary of the day.

Today, the quiet town is involved in tourism, fishing, oyster farming and cottage industries.

We visited on Monday 6th April - we drove from Kerikeri through stunning countryside along the Puketona Road to Paihia, a pretty town with far reaching views across the Bay of Islands, and on until we reached Opua where we took the car ferry to Russell.

In Russell we strolled along the waterfront where we enjoyed fabulous views out across the Bay - we wandered along the wharf and had the good fortune to see a little penguin swimming frantically after a shoal of fish! Too fast for a photo sadly! We ate fruit at the beach and took numerous photos of the beautiful colonial buildings.....

We drove up to the viewpoint known as Flagstaff Hill Historical Reserve where we were amazed at the spectacular views over Russell to Paihia and out to the many islands. This is where we fully appreciated the region of the Bay of Islands - a stunning region of New Zealand.

We also visited Christ Church, built in 1836, and the country's oldest surviving church.