new zealand

January 28, 2026

Our first stop on the North Island of New Zealand was the Bay of Islands. The first European explorer to map and name the locale was Captain Cook in 1769. However, the Maori had migrated to the island by CE 1300. One of our ship lecturers said that New Zealand was the last populated, habitable land mass on earth. Bay of Islands is also the location where Great Britain signed a treaty with the Maori in 1840.

Our exploration of the area was by coach tour. Paihei was the community nearest the wharf. Very high end lodging and restaurants. Venturing inland via a highway originally built by the US Army during WWII, we came to Kawakawa. This is more of a blue-collar community with a unique claim to fame. An Austrian architect (Hundertwasser) decided the town could use a public restroom facility that is bizarre to say the least. It sort of reminded me of Antonio Gaudi’s style in Barcelona.

We traveled on through several kilometers of lovely farm and grazing land before reaching Rainbow Falls. Our driver/guide filled us in on the agricultural bounty of the North Island: dairy, kiwi fruit, avocado, manuka honey, citrus, timber and wool. He added that the sheep:human ratio has declined considerably over the last 40 years. It has gone from 20:1 to 8:1.

Back on the ship we were entertained by a classical violinist. For all the Hoosier fans I will leave you with a snippet of We Are the Champions.

Next stop: Auckland