Paihia - Bay of Islands

Small seaside town, bit touristy I suppose... Lots of Dutch here for some reason... Took a boat trip out into the Bay of Islands for the morning. This was fascinating solong as the islands offered protection BUT once we hit open sea - with a big, long swell - I did rather regret it! Still, we followed a pod of quite big dolphins, which was quite fun. The water is very clear everywhere, so one sees them underwater as well as bobbing out. The trip out to Piercy Rock (and the dash thru the hole in the middle) did NOT do my stomach any good. I am definitely glad I did not assay whale watching! But I had a lovely lunch (after an extended walkabout to calm things) in Russell, just across the bay, sitting in the shade of some tree or other right down by the strand, watching the ferries come in and out...