Russell in The Bay of Islands
Russell in the Bay of Islands has many places like this, partly obscured views of the Kororareka Bay and they are all lovely. There’s something rather tranquil, serene and relaxing about the whole place. Particularly during summer! Back in the 1800’s, the bay must have been a sight for sore eyes for weary sailors who’d spent many months at sea and were ready for some rest and relaxation.
Tapeka Point in Black and White – Buy
North of Russell in the Bay of Islands, Tapeka Point is a former Māori Pa site. These days, it’s a lovely walk (although narrow and steep in places) that provides stunning views of the whole of the Bay of Islands.
Swimming at Tapeka Point – Buy
This was one of the stranger places I’ve had a conversation. At Tapeka Point Beach in the Bay Of Islands I was testing a waterproof camera and playing around with a few settings. In the bay there was a swimming pontoon. As I was about to swim back to the beach this man was waiting for his son and so we started chatting. We must have been talking for a good 3 to 4 minutes before his son snuck up behind him and pushed him in. It was all very assuming.
Pompallier House and Missionary – Buy
When ships started stopping off at some of the more well known bays and inlets around New Zealand in the early 1800’s, they brought plenty of goods to trade with local Māori. Local iwi eagerly provided items such as fish, pork, kumara, freshwater and women for items such as guns, and blankets.
However, when the ships were in port and their crews were set loose on shore-leave, they also brought other interests with them such as grogshops and brothels. Both of which did a roaring trade. In fact, life in some of the bays around New Zealand became fairly rough and rowdy. Nowhere was this more evident than at a place in the Bay of Islands called Kororāreka (Russell).
In Kororāreka, such was the unruly behaviour that when Charles Darwin visited in the summer of 1835/1836 he declared the place the “hellhole of the pacific”. So, to help sort out all the miss-behaviour, Missionaries were sent to New Zealand and when they arrived they had two main goals. Firstly, to introduce christianity to Māori and secondly to try and keep law and order among the European settlers.
One of these Missionaries was French Bishop Jean Baptiste François Pompallier who arrived in January 1839. Pompallier quickly got to work and by the end of 1844 he had setup Missionaries in Hokianga Whangaroa, Kaipara, Tauranga, Akaroa, Matamata, Ōpōtiki, Auckland, Wellington, Rotorua and Whakatāne, with his headquarters being Kororāreka.
At his headquarters at Pompallier House (built in 1842), he developed a printing press that translated church texts from Latin to te reo Māori. They were then printed, bound and distributed around the country. Producing a staggering 40,000 books, the missionary at Pompallier House had a major effect on the development of literacy around the country.
Christ Church in Russull (Kororāreka) – Buy
The church on the corner of Church, Robertson and Baker Street in Russell (Kororāreka) was one of the places I wanted to visit while staying in the small town. Not only is it New Zealand’s oldest surviving church however it contains the grave sites of important Māori leaders Tamati Waka Nene, Hannah King and many other names linked to New Zealand’s history. It also has the graves of men from the HMS Hazard who died in the battle of Kororāreka which took place March 1845. What makes the church even more interesting is that as it was at the centre of the conflict between Māori and the British Army, there are bullet holes scattered around the church that remain to this very day.
The Duke of Marlborough – Buy
Russell or Kororareka as it was once known, had the reputation of being the ‘hell hole of the Pacific.’ This was mainly due to the drinking, brawling, prostitution and general lawlessness of the town. As the port grew to be one of the biggest whaling ports in the Southern Hemisphere, so too did the town’s reputation for unruly disorder.
One of the early drinking establishments was known as “Johnny Johnstons Grog Shop”. The owner being Johnny Johnston, an ex-convict. In the late 1820’s, Johnson purchased land which he turned into a hotel and to give the place a touch of class he named it after the richest man in the world, the Duke of Marlborough. Today, The Duke of Marlborough sits elegantly on the waterfront in Russell and holds the distinction of being New Zealand’s oldest licenced hotel.
The Flagpole at Kororāreka – Buy
When I was young, I always thought the story of Hōne Heke and his warriors cutting down the flagpole on the hill above Kororāreka (Russell) was something quite fascinating.
In the years preceding the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Ngāpuhi chief Hōne Heke protested against unfulfilled British promises from the Treaty by cutting down the flagpole he had gifted to the British Crown. After his initial attack, the pole was re-erected, only for Heke to chop it down twice more, showing his displeasure against the British actions.
The fourth attack on the flagpole came at night on the 11th March. Despite the flagpole being well guided by British soldiers, Heke and his warriors managed to secure the hill and cut the flagpole down once more. Following this, war broke out and the battle of Kororāreka took place. The battle marked the beginnings of The Northern Wars.
Tapeka Point Towards Oneroa Bay – Buy
While In Russell, I decided some exercise was in order so I headed for the historic Tapeka Point. The point was once home to the Tapeka Pa and is now classified as a historic reserve due to its links to Maori ancestors and key events in the Bay of Islands history. Leaving the tranquility of Tapeka Beach, I followed a narrow grassy track that led me into what was once the heart of the Pa itself. Following the path and navigating what were once defensive ditches, I continued to the end of the Tapeka Peninsula and the top-most part of Pa itself. Once there, I found myself with almost overwhelming views out into the surrounding bays and beyond.
Bay of Islands Pontoon – Buy
The wonderful thing about the Bay of Islands is that you can go swimming in the summer without a wetsuit and not worry about getting hypothermia.
Russell Summer Evening – Buy
Recently while on holiday I found myself pondering a single thought, which was this; isn’t it amazing how sitting in the sun all day, doing nothing but reading a book and occasionally complaining that the sun has disappeared behind a cloud, makes you feel like you’ve earned a drink by 3pm? Not that I’m complaining, in fact, as I write I notice that it’s actually 4:13pm. So, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I hear my beer fridge calling.
Misplacing 30 years, damaged by water, rats – The Treaty of Waitangi.
Of all the things I’ve discovered recently, the most interesting and peculiar is this. The Treaty of Waitangi, our nation’s founding document was lost for nearly 30 years. At the time, this was something I couldn’t quite believe. Even now, a month later, I still find it mind boggling yet somehow very typically kiwi.
Much like the rediscovery of the treaty, I came across this information quite by chance. It was during a recent visit to the treaty grounds in the Bay Of Islands. It was a lovely fine morning and after a short 30 minute stroll along Te Ti Bay I found myself at the Treaty Grounds in Waitangi. With a good 30 minutes to spare before the next tour, I had decided to pass the time by looking through the Waitangi museum. I had been assured it was well worth a look so I figured, well, why not!
I casually strolled through the various exhibits which I must confess was very captivating until I happened upon a display cabinet containing a very worn and ripped piece of paper that resembled a school notice that had been at the bottom of a child’s bag for some time. The document, as it turns out, was an exact copy of the actual Treaty.
It seems that after the initial signing at Waitangi on the 6th February 1840, the treaty then went on a kind of regional tour around New Zealand so other Maori chiefs could sign. Unfortunately the next year the document was nearly destroyed by fire. Then, sometime after 1877 it was ‘misplaced’ (for nearly 30 years) before being found by historian Thomas Hocken in 1908.
The story goes that the highly esteemed Thomas Hocken was rummaging around in the basement of a Government building in Wellington when rolled up, thrown in a corner, damaged by water and eaten by rats, he discovered the Treaty of Waitangi. It was then damaged further when restoration work (a little DIY presumably) went horribly wrong. It was at this point, after misplacing it for 30 years, damaged by fire, water, rats and restoration work that everyone decided it was best to leave the thing alone, put it in a tin case and lock it up for another 50 years.
As I moved out of the museum into bright sunshine and towards a gathering crowd that I assumed was the tour party I was joining, I had two thoughts. Firstly, what other important national documents are we missing? Secondly, has anyone thought to look for them in remote hay barns?
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The 9:30am Russell to Paihia passenger ferry.
The plan for the day was to catch the ferry across to Paihia, then walk the 2km around the bays to the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi. Seeing the grounds where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed was something I had been looking forward to, so I was extremely pleased that the weather was kind for such a trip. The ferry ride was a short one but the local’s had assured me that a full day would be needed to make the most of the grounds. The previous day in Russell, when I had announced my intention to walk to Waitangi from Paihia to some of the long term residents, I had received a most indifferent response. Some were very encouraging of this plan and had assured me it wouldn’t be more than an hour’s walk. Other’s had looked at me like I had gone bonkers, shaken their ahead and assured me that to get to Waitangi from Paihia on a Saturday, I needed to have left last Wednesday, and even then I’d be pushing it. However, upon mentioning I was from Dunedin, their advice changed entirely. I was quickly told that I’d have no problem covering the distance. I’m not sure how this changed things, but apparently it did.
One of the intriguing phenomena I’ve noticed when traveling in New Zealand is this. As soon as people find out I’m from Dunedin, I end up having one of two conversations. Either I end up discussing southerly weather patterns that include wind, rain and general cold temperatures or I end up discussing travelling distances. I’m not sure why this is, maybe everyone thinks all we do in Dunedin is walk in the rain. I’m not too sure.
As the 9:30am Russell to Paihia passenger ferry pulled away from the dock the temperature had already climbed to a lovely 23 degrees. The ferry had a small scattering of passengers as it quietly eased it’s way across the still, calm bay. It seemed almost the perfect way to travel. Looking across the bay, all sorts of water activities were getting underway along with a multitude vessels that were preparing for something called the Tall Ships Regatta. Whatever the event was, they had a splendid day for it and I was glad to be free of the hired car.
Fifteen minutes later the ferry pulled into its berth in Paihia. After disembarking from the ferry and somehow managing to trip as I did so, I set off for my destination. It was a lovely fine morning and after a short 30 minute stroll along Te Ti Bay I found myself at the Treaty Grounds in Waitangi. With a good 30 minutes to spare before the next tour, I had decided to pass the time by looking through the Waitangi museum. I had been assured it was well worth a look so I figured, well, why not!
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Russell/Kororareka
I like Russell, I really do. It reminds me a lot of Arrowtown in Central Otago. It’s not that the towns are similar at all, nor are their visual characteristics that draw direct comparisons. What each town possesses is a feel of timelessness. There really is something quite lovely about being able to stroll down a street and without trying too hard at all being able to picture what it was like 130 years ago. In Arrowtown at any moment I keep expecting a disheveled miner to appear from the hills carrying with him a fortune in gold. In Russell, take a walk along the The Strand, a street that runs almost the entire length of Kororareka Bay and you can picture sailors from all sorts of nations sleeping off a nights inebriation on the pebbly beach. I had been in Russell for four days and was liking the place very much.
The morning in Russell was bright and clear. Overhead, the sky was a crisp light blue with no wind to speak of. It was going to be what we Kiwi’s called ‘a scorcher’. That’s one of the great things about us here in Aotearoa, we’re so easily pleased. Give us seven days of clear, warm, fine weather with a beverage at the end of each day and we’ll be sweet as.
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Diners enjoy a summer evening in the Bay of Islands.
One of the wondrous things about New Zealand, when compared to the rest of the world, is how young our country actually is. As an example, The Falcon Hotel in Stratford Upon Avon, Britain was first built as a town house around 1500 and had a second floor added around the time of 1645. It’s first use as an Inn was then recorded in 1655. Even today, you can call in and have a pint under the timber-frame that props everything up and wonder how the hell it’s managed to stand for 355 years. And that isn’t even the oldest pub in Britain!
Travel 18,000 km to New Zealand and you’ll find that the title of New Zealand’s oldest pub goes to The Duke of Marlborough in Russell which was opened 172 years after The Falcon in 1827.
While New Zealand’s history is relatively young, having history worth celebrating is a recent realisation to many Kiwi’s. I’m not saying that until now we have been ignorant of our own history, more unaware that it is even there. So, when the chance came up to spend a week in the historical village of Russell in the Bay of Islands during summer it was an opportunity I jumped at.
This photo was taken on the waterfront by The Gables that was built in 1847. As I understand it, The Gables served a brothel, a shop, a bakery and Salvation Army Boys Home. However, not all at the same time!
Today, it is a wonderful restaurant and the perfect location to enjoy a delicious dinner while watching the sun set over the Waitangi Treaty grounds.
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