Bay of Islands for Christmas

Day 1

Sunday 23^rd December

Dinner

Once everyone is on board, we head north for our morning tea stop at Warkworth. From there, we continue to Whangarei for our lunch then it’s on to Kawakawa for our ride on the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway. This is the most northerly railway in New Zealand and is of major historical and cultural importance. It operates a diesel locomotive through the scenic countryside for a unique experience so just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Afterwards, we head to Paihia - the main tourist town in the far north and the gateway to the historic sites and sandy beaches in the Bay of Islands. We stay in the Scenic Bay of Islands Hotel for 4 nights.

Day 2

Monday 24^th December

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, we hop across the bay to Russell and start with a visit to the Pompallier Mission and Printery. Built in 1842, Pompallier Mission originally housed a printery where Church texts were translated from Latin to te reo Maori then printed and bound. The Printery now stands as New Zealand’s oldest industrial building.

We visit Christ Church which was built in 1831. The wooden building is surrounded by a graveyard containing the graves of many early settlers and its walls have several holes made by musket balls dating from the 1860s. Take your time to look at the beautiful tapestries on the seats.

We have our picnic lunch at Oneroa Bay and there’s also time for a paddle. Our last stop in Russell will be at Flagstaff Hill. This important scenic landmark has had a turbulent past with its first four British flagstaffs cut down in protest by Hone Heke and his allies. We then return to the hotel for dinner.

Day 3

Tuesday 25^th December

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Happy Christmas! We enjoy a relaxed day of great food and great company including Christmas Dinner at our hotel. For anyone who would like to go to church for the Christmas Day service, we can arrange accordingly.

For lunch, we go to Haruru Falls where we enjoy a special Christmas Day picnic in these idyllic surroundings.

We return to the hotel and have plenty of time to relax before our wonderful Christmas Dinner.

Day 4

Wednesday 26^th December

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, we drive to the Kawiti Glowworm Caves which were discovered in the early 17th century. Here, we go on a tour of the Glowworm cave.

Our day continues as we visit Rewas Village in Kerikeri and spend time looking around this wonderful full-scale replica of a pre-European Maori fishing village. We enjoy our picnic lunch in the wonderful garden at Rewas Village.

Our last visit is to the spectacular Rainbow Falls. Unlike most New Zealand waterfalls which are created by the erosion of soft rock, the Rainbow Falls are sited on a hard layer of basalt beside softer mudstone. The falls were formed when water eroded the mudstone. There are three viewing platforms which look down over the falls. We return to the hotel for our last night.

Day 5

Thursday 27^th December

Breakfast

All good things come to an end as it’s time to say goodbye and head home. We take the ferry across to Okiato and drive down the spectacular coastline via Oakura, Helena Bay and Matapouri to Tutukaka for morning tea. After that, it’s on to Waipu for our lunch stop. Following lunch, we continue on to Auckland where we arrive mid-afternoon.