Across the water

More New Zealand for you this morning:

It being wintertime, we did not do much in the way of water activities, but we did take a passenger ferry from Paihia (not too far from the Treaty Grounds I mentioned a couple of posts ago) across the bay to Russell.  Nimue likes boats; this one was named the "Happy Ferry"

 Given that we didn't head across the water until 4:30, the light was getting low, making everything extra scenic.

We hiked uphill from town to the top of Flagstaff Hill, where the first official New Zealand flagstaff was raised after the treaty was signed.  This was entertaining, as we had just heard all about how the Maori chief Hone Heke instigated getting this flagpole chopped down over and over in the years following the signing of the treaty, as he found things not to like about the treaty.  Our tour guide at the treaty grounds really made Hone Heke out as a kind of a Trickster figure, chopping down the flag every time the British left an opening.

Hiking up the hill had the added benefit of giving us nice views in the warm late afternoon sunlight on the way up,

a chance to discover a nice sundial with a mosaic of New Zealand up top (Did you know sundials are counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere?),

 

sunset-like views on the way down, 

and a chance to skitter across the beach at the bottom.

 We waited for the ferry as it got dark, and headed back to the cottage for another yummy lamb dinner.