Whangarei, New Zealand

No formal plans today so we intended to get on the ship’s shuttle to Whangarei which is about 30 minutes away. As luck would have it, the shuttle was just about to leave so we managed to hop on. Just one catch: there was only one seat, so I ended up perched on Brad‘s lap for the half hour into the city. Not exactly comfortable for either of us but at least we didn’t have to wait for the next shuttle.

Our mission was to go to the waterfalls and then to take a walk seeking the murals that decorate the downtown area. It was easy grabbing a cab to the falls which were about a 15-minute drive away. It was a nice escape into nature.

We returned to the waterfront area and went to two art galleries and then had lunch. We decided to set out to find the murals next. We took the waterfront path and discovered that there was an open house at the Mauri cultural center. Bonus! It was wonderful to see how thread is made from flax and to meet one of the master carvers.

From there, we made it to town and found nine of the 15 murals. By then it was late afternoon and we grabbed the shuttle back, this time with me having my own seat.😁Read more