Relaxing Lunch Cruise To Historic Russell

OVERVIEW

Enjoy a sumptuous lunch as you cruise calm Bay of Islands waters, passing a vineyard, an oyster farm and numerous historic sites en route to the port of Russell. Voyaging from Waitangi, where New Zealand’s founding document between the British Crown and the Maori chieftains was signed in 1840, your leisurely coastline cruise winds past many sites that influenced the country’s history since. Okiato was the first capital city – but only for two years until Auckland took over. Omata, once a favored arrival point for European immigrants, is now a favored wine-growing region. As you encounter these and other sights, you’ll savor a traditional New Zealand lunch and learn much about the Bay of Islands’ evolution from rustic frontier settlement to top-shelf travel destination. Once you dock at Russell, enjoy an hour of free time to explore independently before the return to Waitangi. Long known by the unfortunate moniker of “Hell Hole of the Pacific,” Russell was the original lawless whaling, sealing and trading port on the North Island – notoriously inhabited by crusty mariners, deserters and convicts on the lam. Today, it’s a delightfully picturesque time capsule, rich with history and meticulously restored mid-19th-century buildings – with musket ball scars.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a sumptuous shipboard lunch as you cruise through the beautiful waters of the Bay of Islands.
• Pass by about fascinating sights along the shoreline like Okiato, New Zealand’s earliest capital, and Omata, once an immigration port, now a winegrowing center.
• Pull in at Kororareka, now known as Russell, the largest whaling port in the southern hemisphere during the 19th century – and the most lawless.
• Enjoy an hour of free time here to explore at your leisure before the return sail.
• Discover a picturesque waterfront village of historic restored homes, churches, and wooden cottages.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear casual, weather-appropriate clothing; include a light jacket or sweater.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Bring a hat, a bottle of water from the ship, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed.