Over the days leading up to Easter this year, we made a trip to the beautiful Bay of Islands—yes, right through Cyclone Tam! Despite the wild weather, we had a wonderful time catching up with family, eating out, and enjoying the stunning coastal scenery.
Whangarei
We left home and headed to Whangārei to stay with my cousin Annette and her husband John. It was so lovely to catch up—we spent the afternoon chatting together.
Dinner for the four of us that night was at Number 8 Restaurant and Bar at the Basin. What a fabulous spot—great food, lovely atmosphere, and a beautiful location. A great night out!
Beaches, Bays and Thai with Friends
The next day we all explored some of the beautiful northern beaches around Whangārei together. We took a scenic loop drive from Whangarei out to Ngunguru through to Tutukaka (where we stopped for lunch on the wharf), then carried on to Woolleys Bay, Matapōuri, Whale Bay, and Sandy Bay. So many lovely spots to stop and take in the view—even in the wild wind and rain.
We looped around to Hikurangi before heading back to Whangārei.
That evening, we met up with Jan and Rory for dinner at Suk Jai Thai Restaurant in Kensington. The food was excellent, and we had lots of laughs catching up—rain or no rain!
Coffee in the Quarry and On to Russell
Day 3 and we started the day with morning coffee at Quail Café, tucked away in the middle of a beautiful garden setting inside the quarry. A lovely calm spot to wait while the rain eased off.
It didn’t, but once the skies cleared a little, we packed up the car and left Annette’s, heading towards Opua. Crikey—along the way, on both sides of the road we saw completely flooded farmland. It was awful to see, and the whole drive felt grey and miserable with all that rain.
We pulled in at a service station to grab a bite to eat, but they were already packing up for the day—and it was only midday! I guess the wild weather had driven them to close early. Luckily, the car ferry was still running, even though the sea was a bit choppy. We drove on board, took in the view for what seemed like a moment. And before you knew it the ferry arrived at the other side and then we drove on to Russell.
It was pouring when we arrived, of course! We grabbed our bags, dashed across the road from the carpark, and checked in at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel—a historic and iconic spot, a real landmark in Russell. The rooms were warm and cosy, just what we needed after a very soggy arrival. We had dinner at the hotel that night—not the most memorable meal, but the setting was gorgeous, the wine was wet, and it did the job.
Good Friday in Russell and Final Dinner
We surfaced late in the morning to find out we’d been right in the eye of the cyclone overnight. It had been hot and muggy during the night, but happily it looked like the skies were clearing. No sun, but no rain—so much better!
We started the day with coffee at the Duke and then breakfast at Butterfish Café. Poor Hubby Basker stepped away to grab salt and pepper, and while he was gone a whole flock of brazen seagulls 🐦 swooped in and stole his breakfast! The kind staff quickly made him another one—very thoughtful and much appreciated.
Then we had to shift to another place for our second night—an apartment just a little back from the water—because we couldn’t get two nights at the Duke. Once settled at the Hananui Lodge & Apartments, we met up with Annette and John and we explored the beautiful bays and beaches around Russell. We also popped over to Paihia and had lunch on the wharf at Zane Grey’s Restaurant & Bar—a lovely spot right on the water.
Later, we visited the historic Hone Heke Flagpole site— nice to see a bit of NZ history and have a walk around.
Dinner was at The Gables Osteria & Enoteca—right slap bang on the waterfront. Beautiful food and a charming spot to end our time in the Bay.
Last Day: Heading Home
We had breakfast again at Butterfish, then had a wander along the main street and visited Pompallier House. After that, we stopped into the local market at the hall for a browse. Lots of nice handcrafts. All too soon, it was time to pack up and hit the road. We were so glad the highways were still open—especially through the Brynderwyn Hills route, which we heard had closed not long after we drove through, due to a slip.
Just as we were driving home, an emergency weather alert popped up on our phones with a loud siren. Yikes!
We called Nisha straight away and found out that Auckland had been hit by a wild storm the night before—about 750 lightning strikes and 150 emergency callouts. She thought that the worst had passed so the alert was probably just a precaution. She was right, still, it gave me a bit of a fright… gulp.
We made it home okay!
That evening, we were invited to Nisha’s warm and cosy place for dinner—what a lovely way to wind down after a memorable week away.
💬 Final Thoughts
Despite the wild weather, it was a wonderful Easter break. A mix of laughter, good food, family time, and really… really fresh air. Cyclone or not, we were glad we made the trip!
That’s a wrap on our soggy-but-lovely Easter escape. Until next time! – ♡ Janet
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