November 11
Ounuwhao Harding House B & B
Russell
35°15′57″ S 174°7′41″ E
Catherine was up early again and enjoyed a walk along the waterfront boardwalk, spotting many unusual birds and a huge cruise ship anchored just off the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Good thing we did our tour there yesterday as tenders were ferrying cruise ship passengers there for the day!
We were sad to say goodbye to the beautiful BreakWater Motel but were looking forward to the next leg of our trip to Russell. We drove back to Opua and right on to the car ferry.
We got out of the car to enjoy the scenery and wondered why the locals stayed put inside their own cars. The ferry ride was less than 10 minutes so that was a pretty quick cruise for us!
It was a short drive to Russell in the pouring rain. We found a coffee shop on the waterfront and soon discovered that the cruise ship passengers were also in Russell for the day. After chatting with another customer in the coffee shop, we realized that the cruise ship was the Majestic Princess – the same one that we will be on in a few weeks!
Fortified by the cappuccinos and spending time warming up under the infra-red heaters in the coffee shop, we headed out onto the historic waterfront, lined with shops, restaurants and hotels.
Russell once had the infamous reputation as “the Hell Hole of the Pacific” so named by Charles Darwin who felt the place was full of the “very refuse of society” – sailors, whalers, traders, escaped convicts from Australia – all there for “rest and recreation” so you can imagine what that looked like.
The Christian missionaries were appalled and that prompted the British to set up police, courts and jails in the early 1800’s. Happily the only “Hell Hole” left in Russell today is a respectable little coffee shop on the main street.
We walked down to the Pompallier Mission to catch the noon tour to find the place closed for the day for private tours – you guessed it – the cruise ship passengers! Darn! Oh well, it will be open tomorrow.
We found a craft market open only for the day for – again – the cruise ship passengers and the general public so Catherine enjoyed supporting the local economy.
Beside the town hall was a small cenotaph surrounded by very wet chairs. We had just missed the Remembrance Day Service which had been relocated indoors due to the steady rain.
We paused for a few moments and I will leave my poppy there tomorrow – Cath’s has been lost somewhere between Vancouver and Auckland.
We continued our walk about town as the rain had decreased to a drizzle and came upon Christ Church – the oldest surviving church in New Zealand – built in 1835. Charles Darwin contributed financially to its construction.
The interior is very modest & simple but it had a welcoming feel about it.
Cath was particularly taken with the dozens of seat cushions that had been hand done in needlework with local images and motifs.
Exquisite work. We had seen similar cushions in Nantwich, England in 2016 at an Anglican church there.
We walked back to the waterfront and had a delicious seafood chowder at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, which has been “refreshing Rascals and Reprobates since 1827.” I wonder what category we fit into?
It was time to find our B&B – the Onouwhao Harding House which is facing a little bay, just on the edge of town.
We were greeted at the door by the owner Liz with a kind smile, a warm handshake and a pot of hot tea. Cath has died and gone to heaven. The is probably one of the nicest places we have ever stayed! More on that later! (Photo below – the view from our bedroom window).
We took advantage of having a good wifi signal & a warm, comfy dry place to sit & spent the balance of the afternoon catching with the blog!
After a glass of NZ red and some snacks, its off to bed.
Cheers!