“She’s a Lady”

Paihia is located pretty far north and sailing is the main attraction in this coastal town. On Sunday we went out with a group on the boat “She’s a Lady” to check out the Bay of Islands. The weather was definitely not ideal but who wants a picnic on the beach when you can hide from the rain in the cabin? Below is "She's a Lady."

We did manage to make it to Robertson/Motuarohia Island where a small hike up a nearby hill rewarded us with a great view of the area. This was the first place that Lt. Cook (later Captain Cook) landed and was his base while exploring the Bay of Islands. The creative fellow named it the “Bay of Islands” because there were so many islands... clever. Below are some pictures from Motuarohia before the rain came.

All in all we didn’t get much sunshine but the other people on the boat were great company and the skipper informative. We think that overall we were quite lucky with weather in New Zealand!

This area in the Bay of Islands is also quite important historically. Its location and Maori population density made it the first place Europeans and Maori encountered one another. This is where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, which still dictates the relationship between European settlers and Maori inhabitants to this day. For more information on this treaty (which actually is pretty interesting) click here.