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Home / Travel

Staying at The Duke Motel, Russell

By Elisabeth Easther
NZ Herald·
19 Jul, 2017 10:00 PM2 mins to read

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The Duke Motel in Russell has been decked out with old Tourism NZ posters, ornamental paddles and shelving made from painted beer crates. Photo / Supplied

The Duke Motel in Russell has been decked out with old Tourism NZ posters, ornamental paddles and shelving made from painted beer crates. Photo / Supplied

Elisabeth Easther checks into Northland motel that's heavy on Kiwiana charm

How to get there: Russell is four hours' drive north of Auckland, including the ferry from Opua.

Check-in experience: Warm, friendly and informative.

The room: Two bedrooms, a decent-sized living room and balcony. A queen in one room, bunks and a single in the other.

The bed: Dreamy soft beds, cloud-like linen, plenty of pillows. When it was time to sleep, the tick tock tick of the alarm clock had to stop. I took the battery out.

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The decor: Kiwiana charm, old Tourism NZ posters, ornamental paddles and shelving made from painted beer crates. Super-groovy pendant lighting and a little record-album coffee table - Kim Carnes' Voyeur in mine. And the sheepskin rugs felt very nice underfoot.

Kitchen: If you fancy cooking you've got all the equipment, a sink, a couple of hobs and a microwave. But with so many good restaurants around, where's the fun in that?

Minibar: Quality plunger coffee and a range of teabags from Earl Grey to green, peppermint to English breakfast and a decent half-litre of milk.

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Bathroom: The shower was amazing and the spa bath was the size of a small-ish swimming pool. Plenty of fluffy white towels.

Toiletries: The very appropriate South Pacific Soap Co's shampoo, conditioner, soap and moisturiser. It's coconut-based and smelt and felt really good — so you actually want to use the stuff, which is novel.

A bedroom at The Duke Motel. Photo / Supplied
A bedroom at The Duke Motel. Photo / Supplied

Who runs the place? The lovely people who revitalised the Duke of Marlborough Hotel have put all their hospo knowledge to good use.

Also on site: A pizza oven, barbecues and a small swimming pool, although the bath is so big you could do laps in that.

Discover more

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03 Jul 05:00 PM
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Room Check: Eagles Nest, Bay of Islands

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Bar/fly: The Duke of Marlborough, Russell

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The Duke of Marlborough Hotel

05 Apr 08:00 PM

What's in the neighbourhood? Tennis courts, pretty beaches, historic buildings, plenty of eating and drinking, Pompallier House, Russell Museum, Flagstaff Hill, Duke of Marlborough Hotel.

Getting around: Walk everywhere in Russell, or take the passenger ferry to Paihia and stroll around over there.

The swimming pool at The Duke Motel. Photo / Supplied
The swimming pool at The Duke Motel. Photo / Supplied

Entertainment: Sky TV and speakers for your device. Plus a selection of games including Trivial Pursuit, magazines and books including a Woody Allen and a Tony Parsons, not to mention a well-thumbed copy of The Godfather.

Stay connected: Free Wi-Fi at a decent speed.

The verdict: Groovy Kiwiana kitsch. And it's comfy too.

CHECKLIST

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The Duke Motel is at 7 Wellington Street, Russell, Bay of Islands. Phone: 09 403 7008.

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