New Zealand in pictures A journey round New Zealand in February 2007 24th to 29th day
Day 24 - Rotorua to Auckland
The information centre at Tirau on State Highway 1	The Auckland Museum has a feast of treasures
from all over the Southern Pacific
The marvellous panorama from the top of One Tree Hill in Auckland           View panorama	with the district of Epsom in the foreground
Day 25 - Auckland to the Bay of Islands Stopover at Leigh, said to be the best snorkelling place in the North Island
The Harbour Offices in Paihia	The main street in Paihia
Day 26 - a walk in the Bay of Islands
Looking along the bay	Memorial with the Treaty of Waitingi in Maori on the panels
Looking down the bay	The Maori war conoe at Waitangi
Carvings on the inner side of the columns of the house
Detail of the prow of the war canoe
View from the flagstaff at Waitangi ' The flagstaff with the first Resident's house in the background. The Colonial Secretary in Sydney thought £577 was excessive for this posting, so it was cut down to a 2-room cottage in which the whole family with 4 children slept in the same room. Reconstruction of the parlour which combined the Resident's office and the living room for the family (below) Courtyard of the Resident's House, with two later wings (below right)
The sundial commemorating the visit of the Queen to waitangi in 1953
	The mangroves in Hutia Creek
Many gnarled old trees of the native forest (right) Boarded walkways through the mangroves
Many cormorants nesting in trees by the river
	Haruru Falls
Day 27 - Around the Bay of Islands All-day boat trip around the Bay of Islands - 40 nautical miles A walk round Russell Weather: fine with some cloud, rain in the late evening
Breakfast with a perfect view	Memorial to a missionary ship launched here
	Many sightings of dolphins - though very difficult to photograph
	The famous "Hole in the Rock" on Piercy Island
It was only just wide enought to get the boat through
The lighthouse on Cape Brett
	The Cathedral Cave, 50 m. long, which one day will become a second hole in the rock
We land for lunch on the largest island (Urapukapuka)
	Panorama from the summit of the island           View panorama
	(Vain) attempts to swim with the dolphins
Sail training ship in the harbour at Russell	The walking track to the flagstaff
View of Russell
The sundial near the flagstaff has a mosaic map of the Bay of Islands.	It was built to celebrate the centenary of the NZ Institute of Surveyors in 1988
....more pictures
The 1870 Custom House in Russell with a huge Morton Bay fig planted a few years later	The "Duke of Marlborough" hotel on the front
Day 28 - Rest day in the Bay of Islands Walk to the lookout above Pahaia Weather: fine with some cloud
The comfortable sitting room in our hotel had a wall-to-ceiling mirror	so we thought we would pay homage to David Hockney
This short walk starts at the end of School Road in Pahaia	and takes about half an hour to the top
View from the look-out
Day 29 - Return to Auckland Drive down the east coast Visit to 2 Kauri reserves Visit to the Kauri Museum Weather: fine
Andy and Maggie's house in Auckland	early next morning as we depart for the airport
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