The Bay of Islands

Our first bit of exploring in New Zealand took place in the Bay of Islands. Coming from London, this was a complete change is scenery - wide, open roads, sub-tropical weather and miles of coastline. I particularly enjoyed being woken up by bird calls rather than the morning traffic.

The quaint town of Russel was my favourite spot - it is hard to believe that it was once known as the Hellhole of the Pacific. It’s new nickname, romantic Russel, as far more apt.