Position 35 21.916S  174 21.629E

So we are travelling north along the SH10 and doing detours along coastal roads.  One such detour (the Russell Road) eventually leads to a place called Russell (!) which on the Bay of Islands.  From there you can catch a ferry across the one of the big arms of the Bay of Islands back to the main drag.  Before we got there though we reached Whangaruru North where there was a DoC site at a place called Puriri. Some scenes along the way…..

Beautiful setting and there was a loop walk here around the cove and up onto the ridge backing the camp site, so we decided to stay the night.  A pohutukawa tree bridging the gap.  Paul chilling – note finger.

Sites are starting to get busier now as weather improving.  The kids go on holiday on the 13^th as well.  Apparently the big rush starts about the 20^th December .  By the 26^th most sites are full until the end of January.  Lady at this site said on the 26^th they would be queuing up the road to get it – and unless you booked you wouldn’t.  Anyway, they come with boats, kayaks, BBQs, smokers you name it.  The plant is something they call wild carrot, an umbillifore.  Lots of the wild flowers are from Europe, not sure if this is.  Anyway, there are fields of these and ox-eye daisies out at the moment.

View from ‘our spot’

And a 180 of the bay.

We should know by now when it says 2.5 hours to do 4 km that there are going to be hills involved.  And steps.  Bl…dy hell, my knees are never going to be the same.  Looking back towards the campsite and a lonely farm house – except we think it’s now a DoC hut before we started to climb up the ridges behind the campsite.

Some sort of web or cocoon, these are all around on some of the trees at the moment.

Paul walked up to the local trig point whilst I rested my knees and got my breath back.  180 of the bay the other side of Whangaruru headland we had just walked up

180 of Whangarurur headland looking out to sea.

Couple of coastal views.

Don’t go in the long grass.  And a sailboat – we can spot them miles off, although this was not that far off.

Another view…spot the cave.

180 of the campsite below.

Me cooling down in the breeze, campsite below.