Bay of Islands

Went on a walk to Whangarei Falls, via the Kauri Canopy Walkway. Was really cool to be in amongst some huge Kauri trees. Rosie walked (and ran!) a lot of the way! When we got to the falls there was an empty picnic bench at the bottom, felt like it was waiting for us and our picnic :) Poppy enjoyed the picnic too, happily eating the cucumber and hummus.
Played Grandmother's footsteps (aka statues) with Rosie on the way back to get her back to the van. She loved it! Especially when she got to be Grandmother and turn around quickly to check if we were moving. Poppy loved the walk back too and was happily facing out in her sling and playing along.
We drove to Paihia after to stay at the Top10 there. Some beautiful golden beaches on the way. I went for a run along the coast in the afternoon then took Rosie into their heated (but still quite cold!) outdoor pool for a bit before dinner.
Next day we walked to Paihia (about 1.5km along the coast) and got the ferry to Russell, previously a bustling and raucous port but now a pretty village.Read more