Bay of Islands

This bay is part of the Northland Region and is located about 90 km above Whangarei. Here lays the village Russel, a small village of approximately 1000 inhabitants, which was the capital of New Zealand for a short period of time. This changed in the 19th century, when Auckland became the capital. In Russel you can enjoy the view of the bay of islands all the way up to Paihia. The village is popular  also with yaught owners. Further, this destination is among the most popular of New Zealand for tourists and fishing. This area was the first area to be colonized by the Europeans. Hence there is a museum (the Russel museum) about this subject, which you can visit. There are a lot of nice pubs that you can visit, so you can enjoy a beer while enjoying the view. You can even visit the first pub of New Zealand in Russel: the  Duke of Marlborough. This is a hotels as well, now a days.