Russell South To Whangaruru

From Russell we drove south to a beautiful DOC campground, right on the beach, at Whangaruru. The seascapes all along were marvelous.

Russell

We visited Russell in 2008, stayed overnight, did a sailboat cruise on the Bay of Islands, had a memorable meal, and really liked the place. It is the oldest European settlement in New Zealand, dating to the whaling ships of the early 19th century when Russell was the "hell-hole of the South Pacific." It's rather sedate and respectable now, classy and scenic. We took the ferry over and drove to a few of the major viewpoints to confirm our recollections.

Hundertwasser Toilets, Kawakawa

Students of this blog know that we first became acquainted with the art of Friendenreich Hundertwasser (not his real name, of course) in Vienna a few years ago. It is a name and also an artistic vision that one does not forget. (No straight lines, reconciliation with nature, etc., ...). We were surprised initially to learn that Hundertwasser had come to New Zealand in the 1970s, become a Kiwi national, and lived out the last couple decades of his life on a self-sufficient farm near Kawakawa. The more one learns about New Zealand and about Hundertwasser, the less surprising it is, really. In any case, he designed a public toilet building in Kawakawa that we had to see. It is small but typical of his work, particularly his New Zealand bottle period. In nearby Whangarei, they are creating a full museum to showcase his work and that of New Zealanders, particularly Maori, whom he admired. At the end, below, are pictured a few other Hundertwasser-inspired buildings and other stuff in Kawakawa.

Kouto Boulders

Beyond Hokianga, still on the Tasman side of Northland, we stopped to take a low-tide look at the Kouto Boulders in the bay there. We're getting pretty bold about the tides now. The Kouto Boulders are similar to the Moeraki Boulders, on the Pacific side of the South Island, north of Dunedin, which we saw in January.

Northland coastal view...waves coming in seemingly at right angles...

The boulders appear near the end of the bay, at low tide, and they go on for
perhaps a kilometer