Kerikeri to Russell

After spending 3 days in the Hone Heke Backpackers in Kerikeri it was time to move on. Initially we were only going to stay 2 days in Kerikeri but Ella was not feeling too well so we decided to rest an extra day.

With Ella her usual hyperactive self again, we left the Backpackers at 10.30, praying the Cycle Gods would be gentle with us. 10.30 is a late start but we took our time to say goodbye to Kate and Duncan, the lovely couple that runs Hone Heke Backpackers who have made our stay the nicest experience. Kerikeri is not particularly our kind of town but its surroundings are beautiful and Hone Heke Backpackers definitely makes it worth the detour.

The road from Kerikeri to Paihia is rather easygoing and we made it in two hours to the docks to take the ferry to Russell.
Getting on the ferry with our two bikes and two buggies certainly was a challenge but Ella is enjoying every second of it as she hasn´t got to be in the buggy. She doesn´t know where to look first. At all the water splashing up, the boat moving away from the pier, the people on board, she is having the time of her life.

Getting the bikes and buggies off the ferry is even more complicated, why on earth are we carrying so much stuff with us? I should have just chucked one of the buggies overboard...

When we approach the Russell shore, we spot a group of dolphins at the horizon. On the banks we can see the Pohutokawas standing proud and it the midst of them a huge Ficus. Our captain tells us it´s not native but once we put up the tent, the first thing we do is get back to the beach to have a closer look at this giant. Its trunk is so twisted it seems to be in constant motion, a work of art only nature can produce. Russell is a very pretty little town with a long colonial history. The dolphins and the ficus made our day.