Russell, 2018

We visited Russell in 2008 and again in 2014. It is NZ's original European settlement and now perhaps its most genteel place. The original town is hardly more than a few streets, but those streets are all about 19th century and colonial times, from the 1820s, when Russell was mostly a whaling station and the "hell-hole of the Pacific." Nowadays, you can get a hamburger, with all the trimmings, at the Duke of Marlborough, for 25$NZ. We still love the place and spent two nights there, mostly administrative and enjoying the quiet and beautiful ambiance. Alas, I don't have many pix of Russell...this time mostly the flora, which is impressive enough. Search Russell in the keyword box and you'll come up with a bit more. Or google it for lots of pix. It's a visual and historical delight.

I have this thing about hibiscuses deriving from my mother, a
 bit of a gardener, and my south Florida upbringing

No mossy pohutukawas in south Florida

Out on the pier, an ad for cruising on the
R. Tucker Thompson; we did this in 2008, one
of our best NZ experiences, one of our best
retirement travel experiences, a day on the Bay
of Islands on a tall ship

"Refreshing rascals and reprobates since 1827"

The great Morton Bay fig street near the Duke of Marlborough

Wadded-up hibiscus