Tyson's Bach Guidebook

Bring all your own food. The Bach has basic stuffs like salt, pepper, sugar and various bits & pieces. Use what you need, but replace should anything run out. At the very least bring some milk, bread and breakfast with you for your first meal. You can then pop into Russell for supplies on your first day. Sheets, pillowcases, shower & beach towels, tea-towels, hand towels, etc: - unless otherwise arranged through a booking service, please bring these items and make up the beds when you arrive (NOTE; sheets & pillowcases for 1 x Queen size bed and 2 x single beds) Books, board games, cards, toys etc; there are a few things at the Bach, but bring what you need. Bring your toys: - boats, kayaks, surfcasting rods, a net & dinghy, spear & light for flounder fishing, boggy board, flippers, goggles, wet &/or rash suits, etc; …alternatively books, bare-feet and bathers. Suntan Lotion & personal toiletries, medications and cosmetics, etc. Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) – Please bring your own age/size appropriate PFD should you intend to be involved in any water-based activities. A Chilly-bin (Esky) with freezer pads comes in handy for picnics, fishing, making go-karts.

THINGS TO DO: Once there, there are ‘things to do and see’… “Walk" across on the car ferry back to Opua to get bread, milk, groceries, fish n chips, or just mooch around Opua. The ferry costs a couple of dollars for foot passengers. Walk around the rocks at low tide - take sneakers as the rocks are covered in oysters. Take the walkway all the way into Russell through bush and around various bays. Jump on the ferry back to Opua and take the walkway right around the waterfront to Paihia. Fish off the beach below the bach, or around off the rocks at low tide. Kayak the bay - there are two kayaks available. Go Kiwi spotting in the bush at night. Note, cover a torch with red cellophane – just be very quiet and listen for noises like foraging & rustling in the bush. Take the car ferry back to Opua and wander around the wharf and marina - grab Fish 'n Chips or an ice cream at one of the Opua stores. Visit Omata Estate Vinery just up the road at 212 Aucks Road. They grow 8,000 vines on clay slopes and have tastings, wine sales and a kitchen. Spend an afternoon under the vines with a glass of Pinot Gris in your and hand, an Omata Kitchen Platter for two, and look north at the view up Veronica Channel. Check out https://www.omata.co.nz for facilities and opening times. Pop into romantic Russell, and wander around the shops and water front. Check all the tour and excursion options out at the Tourist Information kiosk on the Russell Wharf. A visit to the Russell Museum, plus the musket-shot Church and grave-yard are well worth your while. This will give you an insight into the first settlers to Aotearoa (the Maori), plus the early inter-actions with European seafarers, sealers, whalers and settlers. There were many a good reason why Russell (Kororakeka) was nick-named “The Hell-hole of the Pacific”. Poignantly, cast your eyes across the bay to Waitangi where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed between Maori and British settlers. Exquisite Russell; arguably the most beautiful town in NZ. Jump on the little sight-seeing bus to get to know Russell and its tumultuous history – a must do! Tickets at Great Sights-Fullers shop on the waterfront. Have a beer or wine on the deck of the famous Duke of Marlborough Hotel, then a meal in one off the many beautiful restaurants the cater for a full range of dining choices. Fish off the Russell wharf – you don’t need a kid to do that, just be a kid at heart. Up the ante - whether snapper or marlin fishing, book a rod on one of the many charter boats. Book on one of the “Hole in the Rock” excursions; either the big fast “fizz” boat, or the slow Cream Trip; alternatively, go out on one of the Dolphin Watch boats for the day. Check all the options out at the Tourist Information Kiosk on the Russell Wharf. Sail the Bay of Islands on one of the charter yachts – or sail a little hobie-cat off Russell Beach. Drive around to Long Beach and sunbath on the beach or body surf for the day. Drive out to Rawhiti and stop at as many bays as you can, then include a walk to Oke Bay. Take a day bag with food & water and walk out to Whangamumu – one of the most spectacular bays in ALL of New Zealand. Check out some of the other many other Dept of Conservation walks in the area – including the Cape Brett Lighthouse that looks out to Piercy Island (Hole in the Rock). Just be aware that some of these are big, long walks, so plan accordingly. Take the foot ferry from Russell across to Paihia where there are a bunch of shops, cafes and bars. Take your car back on the ferry and nip around to Waitangi for a Maori cultural experience. Play a game of golf at the spectacular Waitangi Golf Course. Have a flight over the Bay of Islands in Saltair’s helicopter or seaplane. Pop down Kawakawa to spend a penny at their famous toilets, conceived by the famous Austrian artist, Frederick Hundertwasser. Whilst at Kawakawa, marvel at the working steam engines that still run down the main street and will one day connect back up with Opua – check out their timetables first. Do none of the above – just read, write, relax at the bach! Have a wonderful time and get out and explore the area. There is so much to do, see and experience that you will need to come back again… FUN FACTS: Did you know that Okiato (not Russell) was in fact the first Capital of New Zealand? Check the plinth out 200m up the road. The infamous NZ drug dealer (“Mr Asia”) Terry Clark owned a house, affectionately nick-named by the locals as “Cannabis Castle”. It sits proudly on the Okiato Point just up the road – best viewed (discretely) from the water or the rocks below. Okiato is a historical area known for its boat building and car ferry landing – there is still an old boat shed on the beach below the Bach and another in the adjacent bay to the south which was to be restored as a holiday home. The Opua Wharf was a busy, bustling hive of commercial activity, vital to the economic well-being of the area, fed by rail that came in through Kawakawa and beyond. Cruise ships regularly docked there until 20 odd years ago. The original owners of the property were the Deeming’s. In fact, they were also the original owners of the car ferry. In those days it was a barge that was towed and tugged by a small launch. Then one day Fullers came along with a big fancy self-propelled barge (that took about 6 cars at that time) and ‘gave the Deeming’s an offer they couldn’t refuse’! Final fun fact - This is where you will have one of the best holidays of your life!!!