We moored in the harbor of this beautiful, island studded bay (our guide says 144 islands—or 145 today including our ship, which is as big as some of the islands) filled with many beautiful boats, and we  tendered ashore.  A bus tour showed us the countryside is beautiful as well—hills (some quite large), valleys, streams, waterfalls, and towns.  The Bay of Islands is close to the northeast end of New Zealand and, thus, has a semi-tropical climate with little seasonal temperature variation but seems to be somewhere in the high 60s to low 80s year round.

Then we had a ‘lunch cruise’ in the bay—it turned out to be less of a tour than a floating lunch with, unfortunately, a captain who told bad jokes and added parlor games.  However, we did spend a hour off the boat in Russell, the site of the first European settlement, and across the bay from Waitangi.  Despite its colorful history and bad reputation as lawless and full of prostitution, it is now a charming village and popular tourist destination.

The timing of the lunch cruise meant we were on the last tender before the ship sailed, and we waited for a group of stragglers who’d missed the last shuttle from town to pier.  Fortunately for them, the shuttle bus driver passed on his way home, saw them, and picked them up and shuttled them back to the pier.