By Jodi Bryant
Exploring the Bay of Islands needn't be costly. The kids and I recently had a mini-vacay and, being before Christmas so with little time and money, managed to have an overnight stay where we crammed in lots of adventures on a shoestring budget.
First up was the ferry ride to Russell. We were lucky to arrive at the jetty as Bill's ferry was about to leave. With seven now-grown-up kids himself, our skipper empathetically offers children the ride for free.
Over in Russell, with all the stunning Pohutukawa in full bloom, I got a little distracted taking scenic picture after picture before the kids reminded me we were finding the track to Flagstaff Hill.
There are two ways up: along the beach and up a track at low tide, or up the road. The tide was out so we asked some passing tourists the way and set off. Spotting weka along the way was a highlight. It was extremely hot and we'd thought to take some water but, once we made it to the top, were thankful for the brilliant day.
Even the kids, who'd just begun making noises, were rendered silent by the stunning 360-degree vista before us. They sat on the bench and drank in the views – and lots of water – while I took more pictures and read out the inscription on the plaque about the history of this site – famed for flying the first Union Jack before being repetitively chopped down by local Maori.