HOLE IN THE ROCK -NEW ZEALAND JOURNEY

BLOG POST 14

After a sumptuous breakfast in the hotel we kept our bags out and proceeded to the Bay of Islands cruise center in Paihia for a cruise, special attraction of the cruise being the hole in the rock

As instructed by Tony all of us were carrying hats, sun screen lotions and goggles along with plenty of water. If the weather does not permit, whole trip would  prove to be a damp squib but luckily the sun was shining brightly and welcomingly.

All around us we could see deep blue water , a  beautiful blue sky above us and islands waiting eagerly to be explored, we were taking the Fullers Great Sights tour .

Finally we got into the luxury Catamaran  and we headed straight to the upper deck so that we wouldn’t miss a single island, we would be passing rocky outcrops, sandy beaches and an array of islands ,see Cape Brett Lighthouse, and Motu Kokako Island. We learnt that during warmer months, tourists make an island stopover on Urupukapuka Island.

 It’s been said that the Bay of Islands is home to some of the bluest skies in the world ,18th-century explorer James Cook has given this understated name when he stumbled into it in 1769.

The bay has an astonishing 144 islands, their profusion was more understandable when we learnt that these bays and inlets are actually 'drowned' valleys, and the islands are peaks of what were originally the highest 'hills.'

The staff on the boat were friendly and commentary was very interesting and informative. We had  many families on board, some with little kids who were running around closely guarded by their parents.

We left Paihia and traveled to Russell to pick up some more tourists.

The sea side town of Russell now a peaceful sleepy town and a most popular destination in the bay of islands was once known as Hell hole of Pacific which is hard to believe.

It’s bad reputation started in 1830s when it was the first sea port to be established in New Zealand ,it was completely lawless ,behind every grog shop there was a brothel and the first missionaries who arrived were  understandably astounded and pained by the rowdy and drunken behaviour of the soldiers.

The town now has a mixture of indigenous and European history, as evidenced in its architecture and historic sites.

 One could sail around the bay on a chartered yacht or explore the town at leisure, however we only had a look from the boat .

We were lucky enough to come across a pod of bottle nosed dolphins with a calf within ten minutes of leaving Russell .The dolphins appeared playful,dancing and cavorting along the catamaran and the captain allowed people on both the sides of the boat to catch a glance by slowing the boat, we could see dolphins, plenty of them frolicking in the white-water wake of many tour boats and private charters sailing around us.

 We were left wondering as to which direction to look to, dolphins continuously giving us impromptu dance performances, suddenly we found penguins swimming along with sea birds trying to call us a loud hello high above from the sky.

We could see the Cape Brett light house majestically standing 490 feet above sea level and also the part privately owned island Moturua where the sky TV NZ founder owns a summer house with apparently a tunnel running from the house to the shore for easy access.

At last we reached the Motu Kokako island also known as Piercy Island, off the northernmost tip of Cape Brett . It is an uninhabited  island dominated by sheer cliffs which rise 148 metres out of the sea, with a spectacular 16 metres high hole in the south western end ,which has been created by the erosion of sea for the past thousands of years.

As we approached the Motu Kokako island,we were stunned at the beauty of island and the Hole in the Rock ,historically, it’s very significant.

 We were about to follow the paddle-path of local Maori warriors who braved the current before each battle, seeking good omens. Our captain told us that it may not look too rough on the surface, but there sure was a reason why tour captains call it a natural washing machine and we started imagining the maoris navigating the journey in a tiny kayak!

 The island is of great cultural significance to the Ngapuhi, and was historically associated with a range of sacred customary activities.

 Motu Kōkako was said to be the landing place of the canoe Tūnui-a-rangi before it went to Ngunguru and Whāngārei.

 We heard stories of the brave warriors and their coming of age challenge to climb the island, of the Kokako, a now endangered bird that the island is named after by the Maori - "Motu Kōkako"

The island has a trust and the owners are battling with the boat operators for a fee towards the thousands of tourists who go through the hole.

Our captain called out to us,” shall we go through the hole “ only to be answered by all of us, a loud “yes” as none of us wanted to miss the golden opportunity given to us it being  a great day and the huge boat could go through that narrow hole.

As we waited with bated breaths, it became dark, people were hooting  horns and busy clicking pics , the boat slowly went through the hole and we came face to face with the silvery inner walls of the rock, droplets of water from the cave mouth fell on us which was  considered good luck by local Maori tradition.

Even after we left the place all of us craned our necks to look back at the majestic rock with its famous hole.

Though we had taken the 4 hour tour of the bay of islands ,there were over night tours ,hiking tours ,Dolphin watch tours and several others