Caboose

While I was in Canada I’d decided to book my Christmas accommodation in advance, so I didn’t end up with nowhere to stay. After a quick look through the guidebook I picked the Bay of Islands, which turned out to be a good decision.

The bus from Auckland to Paihia was uneventful, I’m starting to get a bit fed up of buses now. Once in Paihia it was just a short walk up the road to Peppertree Lodge, where I’d booked a bed in an en-suite 4-bed dorm.

Paihia is a nice little town on the Bay of Islands, with a small beach, a wharf for tourist boats and lots of accommodation. It’s also just along the road from Waitangi. Peppertree Lodge is one of the best hostels I’ve stayed at, the owners are very friendly and the facilities are well looked after. You can even borrow a bike or a kayak for free.

I spent a little while working out what I wanted to do and booking things then borrowed a bike and pedalled along to Waitangi. The Treaty Grounds are pleasant and they’ve obviously done a lot of work renovating the buildings and gardens but there’s little information unless you pay extra for a guided tour. The main sights are a very big and beautifully carved waka (canoe) and the Treaty House.

On the way back I picked up some supplies at the local supermarket: milk, butter and beer.

Christmas day started quietly, I was the only person in my room so got to lie in undisturbed. After a while I wandered down to the wharf and took the fast ferry across to Russell. The plan was to go for a walk but just as I arrived it started raining, so I quickly had a look around town then took the ferry straight back. The ferry really hurtles across the bay, with various loose metal bits clanging every time you bounce over a wave.

The owners of Peppertree Lodge put on a fantastic free Christmas lunch barbecue, huge piles of ham, turkey, sausages and vegetables. We sat outside (under the covered bit because of the rain), drank beer and ate. Later in the afternoon most of us moved inside and watched films.

For Boxing Day I’d booked a trip to go and see dolphins in the bay. Not long after we set off we found a large pod of adults and juveniles with at least one baby dolphin among them. Because the baby was there no-one was allowed into the water with them but we stayed for a while to watch the dolphins playing around the boat. As we left some of them seemed determined to keep up with us (going pretty fast), hurtling along through our wake and leaping into the air behind the boat. I spent most of my time watching them rather than taking pictures, unlike the rude and selfish big-camera people who kept trying to push other people out of the way and only saw the whole thing through a viewfinder.

A bit later we found a couple of adult dolphins without any young ones around, so we all dived in and spent a while swimming around trying to get closer. The dolphins seemed to be teasing us, and it’s much harder to see anything when you’re at sea level and there’s a bit of a swell (especially in my case when I’m not wearing my glasses). I decided to give up and climb back aboard.

In an odd connection to some previous travels it turns out that Marion du Fresne was killed nearby. Although the historical note (accompanying a copy of this picture) on board the Marion Dufresne II failed to mention that the French retaliated by killing hundreds of Maori (apparently from a different tribe from the attackers).

For the rest of the day I just relaxed, reading and watching films, as well as catching up on some laundry.

Now I’m back in Auckland, having a couple more relaxing days before I fly on to Tasmania tomorrow. Both in Paihia and here in Auckland I’ve ended up suffering from inconsiderate room-mates, the kind who come in late at night, turn on the lights and start talking noisily for hours. Even worse they then get up early in the morning and crash around while they pack, still talking noisily. I know it’s impossible to be completely silent when you’re packing up your bags and moving out, but I wish they’d at least save the conversation for outside the room.