Getting Historic: Paihia and Russell

Ouch!   Has it been almost TWO months since I've blogged?

BAD, BAD LINDSAY!
Well I won't waste any time and I'll tell you about what I've been up to.

After New Caledonia, I took a 2 week position in Paihia, located up North in the "Bay Of Islands" area.   I've travelled there before, way back in 2010 on my first Labour Day long weekend.

Here's the town of Paihia, a small seaside village.   Booming in the summer, much quieter in the winter.

With these 2 week jobs, accommodation is provided, but it's like a box of chocolates (you never know what you're gonna get).   

I got REAL lucky this time--- it was an apartment attached to a GP's house who owned tons of land on a gorgeous farm a bit inland.

This was the view out of my bedroom window!

Yes, I did say it was a farm.  These guys were my neighbours.   What a hoot!

On one of my days off, I took a short ferry trip to the nearby town of Russell.

Small but quite charming coastal village.

This below is known as Flagstaff Hill (wonder why?)  Apparently this area was cause for much debate between the Maori and the British colonists who came to settle the area.   Maoris were angry when Union Jack flags were flown here and I guess the flagstaff was cut down four times in total by the Maori as rebellion.

A neato sundial was on the top of the hill, too.   11:00am, FYI :)

The views at the top of the hill look over to both Paihia and the town of Waitangi, where the treaty of Waitangi was signed back in 1840.

I took a walk to the far side of Russell to Takepa point and discovered these neat lava rocks.  Nice colour contrast with the vegetation, rock, and blue water below.

Russell has a beach called Long Beach...   A wee bit different and less populated than the American version in Long Beach, California!  Still pretty, though.

Russell has LOTS of history--- it's quite an old town by NZ standards.  Here is Christ Church, NZ's oldest church and possibly NZ's 3rd oldest building, built around 1835.

Remember how I said about the feuds between the Maori and the British back in the mid-1800s?  Well outside the church, you can still see some of the bullet holes from the muskets fired at the church walls!  Scary yet historic!

It was a surprise to see this huuuuge plant outside the church-- it was a pointsettia!

A few more of the historic sites of Russell include NZ's oldest restaurant, The Gables.  Unfortunately it was closed for the winter- boo!

And NZ's oldest licensed hotel, The Duke of Marlborough.

I finished the day with a tasty bowl of seafood chowder and took the ferry back across to Paihia.   A nice day exploring some New Zealand history.

Stay tuned for more adventures (coming MUCH sooner than 8 weeks, I promise!)