Saturday 27th February

We woke up this morning as the ship was anchoring in the Bay of Islands & the tenders were being lowered to ferry the passengers to shore. After breakfast we were on the 2nd tender across the bay to Waitangi Pier just near where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British & the Maori people. As it was pretty grey & threatened rain we took the shuttle bus into Paihia the nearby small town around the bay.

Here we went to the library to check out the internet. The wi-fi was available only to users outside the library so we sat with about 10 others all working on their tablets or smart phones. One English lady had her phone on speaker so that everybody in a 10 m radius could hear both parties & we were all in fits as she wouldn't turn the speaker off in case she lost the call. The other party was not at all happy & spelt his displeasure out in a very graphic manner.

After a wander round a local craft market we took a ferry across the bay to Russell, another settlement again with fine old timber houses clustered around the pier. After a a very bitter coffee we walked around & came to New Zealand’s oldest church started in 1835 but since rebuilt.

The place is very pleasant set on the side of treed hills & full of boutique style shops & cafes.

As it started to rain lightly we returned to Paihia & bought a few items in the market to use up our $NZ. From there we took the shuttle back & then boarded a tender to return to the ship.

After lunch we rang Isaac to wish him a happy birthday & congratulate Pat on his new job at Legal Aid, which he starts in March.

The ship left the Bay of Islands at 6.45 having reloaded the tenders etc & set off for Sydney.

Tonight’s concert was an Australian Acapella group who were great singers but not too much to our taste.