KEY POINTS:
It's worth going to the Bay of Islands in summer for the pohutukawa alone.
But the beauty of crimson velvet-laden trees dripping into jade green coves was a mere sideshow. We were here to commune with dolphins.
The thing about the Bay of Islands is you need to see it by boat. Russell is pretty and brimming with history; Paihia is a pleasant, well-serviced tourist town with a beach not to be sniffed at; the challenging Cape Brett walk is spectacular; and the Treaty House at Waitangi is an historical tableau. But to truly appreciate this birthplace of the nation is to be on the sea.
And while Fullers Bay of Islands has an array of cruise options showcasing what is deservedly one of New Zealand's premium tourist attractions, star billing still goes to the dolphins.
Fullers Dolphin Adventure Cruise - a catamaran carrying a maximum of 35 people - goes out in search of the lovable sea mammals twice a day. So accessible are the 200 or so dolphins known to frequent the bay that Fullers offers a free return ticket if the animals decide not to be found.
That's rare and, more often than not, they're also seen during the company's other scheduled excursions out into the bay.
The dolphins stole their own thunder on our visit, gleefully appearing the day before our official dolphin excursion, during Fullers' all-day Cream Trip (so-called because the ferry run was once the means by which cream was collected from isolated farms).
The ferry crews are so familiar with the dolphins they know them by name.
The Cream Trip dolphin appearance was by "the boys" _ a group the crew recognised as a gang of "teenaged" male dolphins on a day out.
Dolphins are not shy, and once they decide to play with the boat you are assured an up-close and personal experience. They cavort in front of the vessel, riding the bow wave and rubbing their bellies along the sides. Then they break away and momentarily disappear, only to burst above the waves again in a joyous leap.
The dolphin cruise is advertised as a "swim with the dolphins" experience, and certainly that is the aim. What's in the small print, however, is that there are many regulations Fullers must, reasonably, abide by to ensure the health of the dolphin population, and these can often rule out the swimming option.
When the animals have babies with them, getting in the water among the pod is a no-no, and thus it was the weekend we were there. It was disappointing, but any encounter with these creatures, above or in the water is always delightful.
Another point to note is that this is a sea adventure, and the cat must criss-cross a not-always calm bay in search of the beasts. Passengers, including me, could be found looking a little green around the gills during our trip.
But there are also bonus extras, such as the hammerhead shark which decided to spend time gliding around the vessel in full view of all on board.
The dolphin trip is one of a dozen tours Fullers offers in the area, and the aforementioned Cream Trip is a great way to see the bay's highlights. It's still used to provide essentials to the local farmers, and the tour operators have turned delivering the mail into a tourist attraction.
The Kiwis on board smiled at overseas visitors filming the handover of newspapers and mailbags to farm staff waiting at the end of the pier on Moturoa Island.
The crew have even cultivated performances by the local dogs. A ready supply of dog biscuits on board ensures that Bonnie, a canine resident of Roberton Island, sprints down the pier when the Cream Trip signals its arrival with a toot.
The Bay of Islands is bursting with history, and the Cream Trip tootles between historic spots with the skipper providing a running commentary about the travails of the early settlers.
The Marsden Cross in Oihi Bay marks the place where Reverend Christian service on New Zealand soil for a congregation of Maori who probably didn't understand a word.
Nosing into the deserted bay, it's hard not to feel the absurdity of three missionary families spontaneously making their home in the shadow of a large pa and expecting to convert the natives.
The trip visits Cooks Bay on Motuarohia Island where Lieutenant James Cook landed in 1769, and had one of his earliest encounters with Maori.
The historic tales continue on Fullers' sunset cruise, including the bloody story of Assassination Cove.
The story goes that French explorer Marc Joseph Marion Du Fresne and all but one of his crew were murdered by local Maori in 1772, after a misunderstanding about fishing in a tapu area. The one survivor managed to swim to safety and alert the French, who sought retribution by razing three villages and massacring 250 people.
Engaging stories of the past aside, this two-hour trip is like a nosey around the neighbours. It offers Living Channel-style views of the luxury hideaways of New Zealand's rich and famous, properties that can't be seen from land.
We glide through Paroa Bay, whose residents include Gary Paykel of whiteware manufacturer Fisher & Paykel fame.
We also slip past Parekura Bay, where diva Kiri Te Kanawa has her holiday home.
So secluded is the property that it can't be seen even from the water.
The skipper tells us the house was bequeathed to Te Kanawa by record-holding big game fisherwoman Kura Beale, whose parents owned the Tolaga Bay farm Kiri's parents were shepherds on.
The well-off Beale never married or had her own family, and was reportedly something of a mentor to the opera singer.
Not that the dolphins could give a hoot. They've been frolicking in the bay's sub-tropical waters since long before Cook, and with a bit of good management they'll keep entertaining the nosey tourists for generations to come.
* Maria Slade travelled to the Bay of Islands courtesy of Fullers Bay of Islands
- Detours, HoS
