Flagstaff Hill, Russell. Photo / Alexia Santamaria
Alexia Santamaria finds secluded beauty just outside Russell.
The Bay of Islands, that well-known hub for holiday-makers, can be one of the busiest tourist spots in country. However, I was delighted on a recent family trip, to find there was a way to enjoy all the fun of Russell and still retain a sense of tranquillity. And it involved merely a 10-minute drive out of the village.
Paroa Bay is east of Russell and when we arrived at our accommodation (
) we couldn't believe how remote it felt, considering we were surrounded by people just minutes previously. Claire and Richard Pearson have built their three fantastic chalets up on the hill and with clever use of glass, everywhere you turn it's green; verdant hills, leafy ferns, lush trees. I swear that it even had a calming effect when my kids started to fight over who got a millimetre more juice.
We'd heard there was a new restaurant called Sages, just up the road at
and were keen to check it out. With two young boys, wineries are always an appealing proposition as they have options for exploring and running around after lunch — leaving us and our sauvignon blanc in peace. The site was stunning, with panoramic views of the vines from our table, walks through the property, and even access to tranquil Paroa Bay itself. They also have high-end accommodation on site, frequented by wealthy overseas visitors. The reason for its popularity was obvious — luxury homes in this kind of secluded beauty would be hard to find anywhere else in the world.
The food was great and we loved that, if time allows, chef Cesare comes out to chat with guests. He showed us his gardens of herbs and vegetables for the restaurant and told us the charcuterie and focaccia on our platter had been cured/baked in house. The kids were extremely pleased with their wood-fired mini pizzas and it was so nice to see house-made pasta and ragu on the children's menu rather than nuggets and burgers. We were also heartened at the packet of coloured pencils provided for each child for their activity sheet — anything that occupies small boys is a godsend.
After some lovely wine and two rather large Italian mains we really did need some non-food action, so drove towards pretty little Paroa Bay. The water was warm and the kids were captivated by the pebbly beach, which made for excellent stone-skimming action.
After a relaxing evening at the chalets, including a spa surrounded by bush, we headed to Russell to give the kids a short history lesson, stopping briefly at Okiato to see the site of the first capital. Christ Church (New Zealand's oldest existing church) and its graveyard caught their attention when we explained that the small holes in the side of the building were from bullets in the 1845 Battle of Kororereka. The graves held so many tales too — civilians killed in the battle, New Zealand's first resident surgeon, an important chief's daughter and so many more. It was a fascinating insight into one of New Zealand's first British settlements and the heavy conflict of those times.
On the theme of history, we popped into the whaling shed, which is part of the Russell Museum, to see one of the original boats and some of the giant try pots used for rendering oil from the blubber. It all seems so barbaric now, but in those times there was extensive use of whale oil, making it a very lucrative business.
We stopped briefly for lunch at Hone's Garden, a gorgeous garden bar that serves great pizzas along with fish and chips, platters, salads and wraps. It's owned by the same people as the Gables on the waterfront (New Zealand's oldest operating restaurant) and they've done a great job on the plant-filled, relaxing fit-out.
The kids were delighted to spot the old stocks on the wharf for sticking their heads in and torturing each other. It was such a stunning day there was nothing else for it but to get togs on and play in the water. All the kids on the beach loved swimming out to the pontoon and jumping off before coming back to shore. Before we knew it, a couple of hours had passed without our even realising. Since we were in the area, it seemed perfect to grab some sharing casual food at Butterfish and have a drink at their beachside tables. My husband was delighted to find they served Kainui APA, a good local craft beer from Kerikeri, so everyone's needs were attended to.
The children had studied Hone Heke at school so the timing was perfect to head to the infamous flag pole at sunset. The views were stunning and there was a plaque explaining the whole story. We spotted a short bushwalk but decided to return to do it in the daytime.
We were really glad we did go back, because the meander through the emerald bush was magical, ending at tiny Waihihi bay, where the boys had (another) paddle in the water before walking back up. We were all entertained by the abundance of weka strutting around and thrilled by the fact that, even though we couldn't see them during the day, there were definitely kiwi in that lush green foliage. Russell is a very special place for native birds as the Russell Landcare Trust have done intensive weed- and predator-control and native replanting to enhance their habitat, making it a stronghold for North Island brown kiwi and North Island weka. We heard their calls several times at night.
Our last stop was Orango Oysters. How can you resist fresh, plump, creamy juicy delights right from the farm door? The plan was to take them home on ice — if only they'd lasted that long.
We'd been told the views and wine were magnificent at Omata, so decided that would make a great lunch stop before the drive home. The rumours were true — breathtaking views of rows of flourishing green vines with sapphire water as a backdrop, and a wonderful wine flight so you could taste everything at your leisure over one of their abundant platters. We spent far longer than expected — who wouldn't? I'd never really associated the North with good wine but was delighted to be proven wrong.
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