After our morning at Waitangi grounds we catch the ferry to Russell where we decide to stay for the night and hopefully tomorrow will be sunny and we can go out on one of the boat tours. We stay in a great little studio room at Hukanui lodge where the unit is sparkly clean and cosy as well as having a lovely outlook through the Pohutukawa to the foreshore.
We wile away the rest of the late afternoon wandering and writing and then eat at the pizza bar next door as it is raining hard and steady now. The dawn breaks slowly and the weather does not inspire us to head out onto the water so instead we once again hit the road and take the scenic route.
We wind around bay after bay of sandy shores that are draped in Pohutukawa and framed by rocky cliffs. NZ bush is spectacular and we debate if this is because it is “ours” and like newborn babies that are our own, we are biased, or is it truly the best bush/forest in the world.
We have visions of staying in Tutukaka but it doesn’t inspire and before you know it we are in Whangarei. I will admit that it does not inspire either but we are hungry after eating the last of our meagre rations of crackers and vegemite in Sandy Bay many hours ago.
We check into the Quest who happen to be having an art gallery opening in the lobby corridor and of course a piece jumps out at me. It’s called The Queen, the Treaty and the Crown and it is an etching and print by a local artist Virginia Grey. The piece resonates with me in this time and place so it is purchased and checked in with us.Kamagra tablets became viagra levitra cialis the most prescribed drug to enhance the female sex drive. By improving the blood-volume, Kamagra tablets slovak-republic.org generic cialis for sale 100 create circumstances for penile organ becoming erect. The tablet starts working after an hour and provides you with the same benefits and results. online viagra pills It offers cialis 20mg tadalafil slovak-republic.org the effective and safe herbal remedies for seminal discharge.
The next morning we check out and are going to do some walking in the bush and visiting waterfalls but head to the town basin Marina for brekkie first. (Yes our food supplies are now non existent unless you count one lemon waiting for fish and chips that were never had and some butter waiting for some toast or at least crackers)
The Town basin is lovely and the sun even makes a rare appearance. We have a great breakfast and coffee at the QUAY cafe and then wander. And wander. At some stage we go back to the car and put more money in the metre and then we wander some more.
In Whangarei they are building a new art museum, not just any art museum but a Hundertwasser. Think Kawakawa toilets, Kuchlbauer tower if that still does nothing google Hundertwasser buildings. I learn lots of fascinating things about Hundertwasser and his links with the north, his relationship with local iwi and the new Whangarei art centre being built from sketches he did for a Maori art gallery in NZ, which have been resurrected and are now being implemented. But wait there’s more – I purchase a Dick Frizzell named Whangarei Tiki from a great gallery called Burning Issues. Who knew – Whangarei- it’s great. Obviously lots of people already knew that but I am a recent convert.
The parking metre has been fed again and we finally leave after lunch by which I refer to as in time and not food as we are still digesting our breakfast.
We head to one of the many tracks, the first being the Kauri and canopy walk, brilliant, followed by the waterfall, lovely, and the loop track, nice. Have already said all there is to say about the NZ bush so with tired legs (or at least mine) we hit the road and with an obligatory stop and nosey at the port we head for home with promises to myself to return as we have to take grandkids to Waitangi, walk some more tracks, get out on the water in the Bay of islands, and visit the Hundertwasser art centre which will also hold the Wairau Māori art gallery, when it opens of course. Can’t wait and of course I will take the camera.