It was a beautiful morning in Russell, but we had miles to go…… Today was our last long distance driving day of this trip.

We took the vehicle ferry from Okiato Point to Opua and then drove north to the town of Paihia which is just across the bay from Russell. Paihia is a popular base camp for tourists visiting the Bay of Islands, and there are many hotels and restaurants. Just north of Paihia is the Treaty House in Waitangi which was the setting for the signing of the historic treaty between the Maori people and the British. The Maori tribes agreed to be governed by Britain and in exchange received citizenship and land rights. However, today the treaty is the source of much resentment from the Maori people.

On our way south we stopped along the road and spotted an interesting sign in a doorway. Not sure what gumboots are, exactly, but they must be bad business.

We decided once again to take the “scenic coastal route” and stopped at Lang Beach for a short walk.

We arrived at our beachfront campground in Orewa. We plan to spend a full day here tomorrow. The next day will be spent organizing and packing to leave for home.

Bob has already made some new friends. He watched some guys who had a fishing line that was propelled 2km out from the shore to sea by a torpedo device. Bob asked how much the torpedo device cost and the man said $1800. Bob said, “That’s a lot for fishing.” The guy replied, “Ever price a boat? Plus, it is hard to drown using one of these.” When Bob asked if he could photograph them, one guy said he’d take off his shirt so Bob could get a photo of his tattoos.

Tonight we had snapper for supper. It was given to us by the proprietor at the Russell campground, and it was delicious.