Bay of Islands

After a couple of days in Auckland, we drove north to the Bay of Islands.

We stopped for lunch in this town with the waterfall.

 Then we stopped in Kawakawa which is famous for its public toilet designed by the Austrian painter/architect, Friedrich Hundertwasser. 

Since I am a fan of his paintings, we had to stop. 

You may ask why he designed the toilets here. 

As it turns out, he lived nearby for the last few years of his life.

 A mural in the style of Hundertwasser.

 We stayed in the town of Paihia.

 This is the B&B where we stayed.  Each morning we had breakfast on the lower deck.

Our room was in the corner where you can see the lights.

 This was the view from the deck where we ate breakfast.

 The blue car was ours.

 The Bay of Islands is famous for the Waitangi Treaty Site which is where the treaty was signed between the British and the Maori.  There is still controversy about what was signed, but it is a beautiful location with historic buildings and artifacts.

 

 

 We saw a traditional Maori performance in this meeting house with incredible carvings.

 

We took a ferry across the bay to the old town of Russell.

 

 This is the oldest church in New Zealand.

 We ate dinner at this hotel along the beach.