I'm On My Way South...

I'm planning to go slowly south...
But first I'm going to Christchurch... Again!
It's my Dad's 95th birthday so I couldn't let that
go past without a visit to see him and celebrate.
So I'm on my way to my friends house in Russell
where I'm going to park in their driveway and leave my bus.


From Tokerau Beach this was my first stop...
Ti Beach in the Bay of Islands.
It was a lovely sunny morning so I parked in the sun
on the side of the road. Opposite was a bakery
so it was coffee and a croissant
in the sun as I enjoyed a different beach.

In the other direction, still Ti Beach, is Waitangi,
the historic site where the Treaty was signed.
Northland is a magical area of New Zealand...
Every bend in the road presents another divine beach.

Here I am, parked in the sun...

Then on my way again. This is Paihia... I came
back here the next morning, on the passenger ferry from Russell,
 to get the bus to Auckland airport.

But the next bend in the road...

And the next... Bring me to the next beach... Te Haumi...

It's very tidal...

And the tide is out...

Past the Mangoves that grow into trees here
in the warm climate... Past the entrance to the camping ground...

I've turned left here and driving through a small settlement...
Opua... A big marina has developed here in the last few years...
But it's also the place to get the car ferry to Okiato...
And onto Russell.

Down another hill and nearly there.

The last bend... Two lanes here. In the summer time when this is a very
popular tourist destination there is aways a long queue of
cars waiting for the ferry.

The narrow stretch of water that separates Okiato and
Russell from the mainland...
It's a haven for yachts and oyster farms.

I'm on the ferry... You can see the landing ramp on the other side.
From there it's 10km to Russell town.