It was a lovely morning. We rose, ate our usual breakfast of yoghurt, nuts and coffee. Indecision as to where to go. We could go forward and miss the Treaty Grounds, or re-track and go along the windy dirt track. The decision was made at the last moment as we were driving out and had just dumped the rubbish (2 dollar charge) when I decided we should stay another night at this lovely campsite, so Rosemary retrieved the waste, and we paid for another night. We still drove out but visited Russell, not quite the Treaty Grounds, but still very important in the founding of the modern state of New Zealand. In any case, the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi could be seen across the creek and if we had felt in the mood we could have taken a foot ferry.
We escaped the twisty dirt road, instead we had the twisty sealed road. We arrived in Russell and parked in the main street outside the shops. Quaint town with a mixture of shops, mainly catering for the tourists and the fishermen. When you enter a food shop, there is always a freezer labelled “Bait”. You park nose in to the kerb along the wide streets, so it all feels slightly America.
We first visited the Pompallier Mission, this was a Roman Catholic mission founded by the French in this town to bring some order. Russell at the time was the “Hell Hole of the Pacific”, known for its drunkenness, fights and loose women. We didn’t visit the Pompallier museum complete with a working printing press from the 1840s, which produced religious tracts, some written in Maori. We did avail ourselves of their delicious coffee, croissants (with Bonne Maman jam!) and pain au raisin.
Next to the Russell Museum where there was a one-fifth scale model of the Endeavour, plus Maori and settler artefacts. We learnt that the Europeans were not the only culprits in bringing in non-native species. The Maori had done this a thousand years back when they emigrated from Polynesia and brought dogs, which were used to hunt Kiwis.
We, of course, walked up to Flagstaff Hill where the Union flag used to be flown. This flag pole was chopped down by a Maori chief 4 times, not so much because of the British rule, but because the government was moved from here to Auckland, ending the power of this region. The sundial had a good mosaic base.
The day here was sunny, with sharp down pours of rain. Coming down from the Hill, we sheltered under one of the many Tree Ferns, until the rain looked as though it was easing. We left in a torrential downpour which soon dried up.
Back at the campsite there had been no rain at all. Slight problem with the yoghurt. I appeared to have left it in the cool box at an angle, so most things were covered in it.
It was again a lovely evening on an idyllic coast. Rosemary found more shells.
