Paihia - January 22, 2014

WEDNESDAY – JANUARY 22, 2014

BOTTOM LINE:

Travel to Paihia staying at Bay Adventures Hostel

BACK STORY:

This morning we were shuttled from the hostel to the information center in Whangarei where we were picked up by the Kiwi Experience bus and transferred to Paihia Bay Adventures Hostel.

Bruce chose this hostel because it had advertised having a pool, spa, tennis, bikes and kayak use for free.  The first thing that we did was to check out bikes to ride to the grocery store for supplies. The grocery store was a few miles away up and over a hill.  The bikes were priceless!  They were old, rusted, didn’t have brakes and the helmets were damaged and made of Styrofoam. With empty backpacks on, off we went. We turned out to be lucky.  On our return trip we passed a guy that had borrowed a bike as well.  A pedal fell off of his making it impossible to ride!

The ride was actually lovely along the water, but when it came to going downhill without brakes, we chose to walk.  The grocery store was huge and had an adequate selection of goods.  We were booked on a number of day tours that would require us bringing a bag lunch.  We got what we needed and headed back to the hostel to prepare dinner.

Paihia is a coastal community in the Northland of New Zealand and the gateway to the Bay of Islands.  It is rich in Maori history and culture.  The clear waters, great local fishing and abundance of day outings makes it a popular place to visit.

Paihia Beach front

 

Paihia Wharf

Historically Europeans established a roaring sealing and whaling trade in the South Pacific.  Ships were needed for the task, so the tall, straight and hard wood of the Kauri trees were needed.  Unfortunately the trees were over forested, cleared and used. The Bay of Islands was perfect for a port and shelter from the seas beyond.

The history of explorers and their interface with Maori tribes were colorful and at times the colors ran blood red from conflict.

Returning from the grocery store we fixed a nice dinner, checked out the “one” kayak available and called it a day.