Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Cape Reingal to Russell Island

Sunday morning we drove from Tapotupotu to Cape Reingal. The latter is situated on a high bluff jutting into the sea, with a 19th century lighthouse overlooking a great 270 degree view. From the lighthouse's signposts, we were able to discern that we were still much closer to the equator than the south pole, something of a disappointment. Oh well, we still have much further south to go.

Our route took us back south, to a couple of stops along the forbidding 90-mile beach and its giant sand dunes, and then past Doubtless Bay, then Kaipapa, and lastly, via another ferry, to Russell Island, a very scenic and comfortable little island community in the Bay of Islands. We dined at Gannett's, where I had an extraordinary mussel chowder (coconut milk, saffron, ginger, lemon-grass, and mussel reduction) and then a plate of steamed mussels. The chef, a German, came out to see who was eating all the mussels.




Sunday morning we drove from Tapotupotu to Cape Reingal. The latter is situated on a high bluff jutting into the sea, with a 19th century lighthouse overlooking a great 270 degree view. From the lighthouse's signposts, we were able to discern that we were still much closer to the equator than the south pole, something of a disappointment. Oh well, we still have much further south to go.

Our route took us back south, to a couple of stops along the forbidding 90-mile beach and its giant sand dunes, and then past Doubtless Bay, then Kaipapa, and lastly, via another ferry, to Russell Island, a very scenic and comfortable little island community in the Bay of Islands. We dined at Gannett's, where I had an extraordinary mussel chowder (coconut milk, saffron, ginger, lemon-grass, and mussel reduction) and then a plate of steamed mussels. The chef, a German, came out to see who was eating all the mussels.

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