Great Barrier Island

22 October 2013

Russell is a beautiful, sleepy town in the Bay of Islands. Mainly inhabited and visited by older people so it seemed. The shops that one finds are aimed at the guests of  the big cruise ships anchored in the bay that visit the town, with knitting and glass blowing art.
But the location and the view are magnificent and because there was a tiny pier we did not have to stay on watch during the night.
The next morning we left for Roberton Island, one of the places where James Cook arrived. What a place! Bays with turquoise waters, beaches, many birds, flowers and a beautiful hill from where we had a great view on the ship and the Bay of Islands. Later that day we sailed on through a very narrow passage out of the Bay of Islands passing Cape Brett. The passage is famous for Piercy Island, with the big rock with a hole that one can sail through with smaller boats.
On a smaller rock island next to it hundreds of gannets nestle on the rocks, but weird enough not on the cape itself. In a very friendly breeze we sailed the whole night and we just dropped anchor at Smokehouse Bay, at the Great Barrier Island.