We sailed from Circular Quay on 11 April aboard the Celebrity Solstice, bound for New Zealand. The Harbour was alight with myriad colours; from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Opera House and beyond.
Life aboard ship is, as always, wonderful and we had two full days of activities to enjoy before dropping anchor in the Bay of Islands on New Zealand’s north shore. Tenders were provided to take us from the ship to the delightful township of Russell.
We climbed about a kilometre of steep winding road before commencing a further ascent of some 65 steps to the flagstaff and the most wonderful views of the Bay. There we learned about the early days of Maori occupation and the signing of the treaty with the British in 1840.
Our guide, a proud Maori, enthralled us with his historical knowledge of both his people and place. He then walked us to New Zealand’s oldest surviving church, Christchurch and finally to a French connection in the Pompallier Mission which was established by a Priest from Lyon, in the early 1800s.
Set amongst beautiful flowering gardens, the building was
used as a printery and tannery. Today visitors can witness the process of
ancient printing and book binding, the covers of which were produced using the
tannery’s leather. We then caught a local ferry across to the town of Paihia
where we walked through local craft markets and lunched at Jule’z. All in all,
a lovely way to spend a few hours.
When in Auckland… or anywhere for that matter, we found a Starbucks and had coffee. Then it was back to the ship and the start of four days on the high seas.
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