Tuesday we made our way to Great Barrier Island the largest of the islands encircling the Hauraki Gulf. Most of the day gave us rain but we still managed to get out for some fishing. The rain doesn’t deter the good spirit of the ship’s guests. The Melbourne Cup is today, a very popular horse race of the New Zealanders-sort of like our Kentucky Derby. The Island Passage has a satellite TV and we put together a pool. Mike, our engineer, wins and he puts the winnings on the bar for everybody to enjoy a drink. 
Wednesday we went for a 4-wheel drive guided tour of Great Barrier Island. It is home to some 700 full time residents and that number goes up substantially in the summer months. We go over winding roads through the mountains and are treated to stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and long white sand beaches. We visit Mount Saint Paul Lodge a great bed and breakfast for lunch. Great Barrier Island, known commonly as “the Barrier”, is home to a wide variety of bird species and we spot a pair of rare Brown Teal Ducks. Our tour guide is Steve, of Barrier Tours, and he has a wealth of information about the island having lived here for 17 years. Hiking is one of the popular activities here and there are more than 60 miles of trails. Kayaking and mountain biking are also favorite pastimes. The terrain is quite varied and there are sheep and cattle farms. The Barrier is known for the Kauri tree which is prized for its use in ship building. The trees were logged up until the mid-1900’s and are now protected as almost all of them were harvested. After lunch there is still time to do a little fishing and I catch my first Snapper.
Wednesday we went for a 4-wheel drive guided tour of Great Barrier Island. It is home to some 700 full time residents and that number goes up substantially in the summer months. We go over winding roads through the mountains and are treated to stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and long white sand beaches. We visit Mount Saint Paul Lodge a great bed and breakfast for lunch. Great Barrier Island, known commonly as “the Barrier”, is home to a wide variety of bird species and we spot a pair of rare Brown Teal Ducks. Our tour guide is Steve, of Barrier Tours, and he has a wealth of information about the island having lived here for 17 years. Hiking is one of the popular activities here and there are more than 60 miles of trails. Kayaking and mountain biking are also favorite pastimes. The terrain is quite varied and there are sheep and cattle farms. The Barrier is known for the Kauri tree which is prized for its use in ship building. The trees were logged up until the mid-1900’s and are now protected as almost all of them were harvested. After lunch there is still time to do a little fishing and I catch my first Snapper.
3 comments:
Beautiful scenery! I think I have added some new places to my to-go list.
Does the cruise finish at Great Barrier or continue on further. It looks like stunning scenery there.
Yes, the cruise continues. Please see the following post. The regular cruise visits even more ports than than fishing cruise.
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