Day 45 Russell, Bay of Islands

Our last day in Russell today and the day dawned bright and sunny; what a welcome sight after yesterday's cloudy day. Obviously a day for the beach, plenty to choose from but as it was rather windy choosing the right one was important; finally settled on Long Beach which was pretty much sheltered from the winds although the surf was up; Bill likes to body surf though so he was happy. We stayed there for most of the day just sunbathing, swimming and reading so not too much to report today. Packing again tonight ready to leave in morning for Auckland and catch up on the day's news which understandably is still wall to wall coverage on the rescue attempts in Christchurch and individual stories of miraculous escapes and others with heartbreaking tragedy. Being here and following it on TV so much makes us feel really close to all of the people who are stoically trying to get their lives back together but at the same time feeling totally helpless in the face of something so devastating.