Bay of Islands

We're staying in the cute, little seaside village of Paihai, in an area of northern North Island called the Bay of Islands.  There are somewhere around 140 islands near here, but only a handful are inhabited.  Across the harbor, is another village called Russell.  Cruise ships (and, obviously, buses like ours), come here. There are several activities to entertain us (tours of the villages, parasailing, fishing, helicopter and plane rides, and boating excursions).  John and I decided to take a ferry to Russell, where we wandered around for awhile. This is a beautiful day--78 degrees and sunny, with a gentle tropical breeze.

John, on the 70-yr old ferry we rode 

John and I, on the beach in Russell

However...a cyclone is headed our way...a.k.a., a hurricane.  There are three in the South Pacific.  I think the one that's coming to northern NZ is called Lusi.  It's arriving tomorrow afternoon.  We'll be leaving here late tomorrow morning, driving south back to Auckland.  Our bus driver is not at all concerned, so I guess I'll trust his experience.

Interested in our fellow travelers?  Maybe I'll try to say something about them, as I get to know them.  Lyn is a Malaysian woman, about 55, who lives in London.  She's traveling alone, and does that frequently.  In fact, she has five more bus tours planned for 2014, all around the world!  She went on a helicopter ride today.  Nick, also traveling alone (although he has a wife back home), is 69.  He's an engineer who lives in The Netherlands, and speaks 7 languages.  Maureen and Bob are a senior couple from Australia.  Bob is quiet; Maureen is a hoot.  She and John have had a lot of fun joshing each other.  Helena and Tony are Australians.  They live in a pretty town where retirees move to enjoy the scenery and weather.  Andy and Shirley, also Australians, went shopping in Auckland a few days ago.  They went to a chocolate factory, and Andy bought some candy.  He wants to share it with me; I don't know why; maybe my eyes lit up when he was talking about it.  Andy is a deep-sea fisherman, so he and Shirley went out to catch a marlin today.

Everyone has a story.  :-)