Leigh to the Bay of Islands (3)

According to the guide book there are three beaches worth seeing on your trip around Northland and Pakiri beach just 11 kilometres north of Leigh was one of them. I was expecting a nice romantic cove enclosed by cliffs. What I got was a 9km beach but is was beautiful none the less. Here's some pics.



After Pakiri beach we took a small detour towards Wellford for a bite to eat as it was the biggest town close by. There was nothing special about the town and the food we got in one of the local cafes was unfortunately nothing special either! After Wellford we headed towards Mangawhai but before we got there we passed Gandalf on the way. I think he acts as a marker for a LOTR set but that is pure speculation on my part, it might not even be Gandalf!



By the time we reached Mangawhai Sharon was asleep in the car so I decided to drive to the surf beach in the town for a look as you never know what you might be missing. Here's some pics of the beach.

After Mangawhai it was onto Bream Bay and the pretty coves of Lang and Waipu that precede the small village of Waipu itself. Here's some more pics we took along the way.



Sick of beaches yet? Well how about a few pictures of some public toilets then?

Our last stop before we reached the Bay of Islands was Kawakawa to see the Hunderwasser's Public Toilets. You can read about the Austrian born Architect here. Here's some pics of the toilets and a shop he designed across the road.



After Kawakawa it was a short spin to Opua to take the ferry over to Russell. More on Russell and the Bay of Islands (3) in the next post. There are 144 islands in the bay hence the name but don't worry I didn't photograph them all!

Cathal