We had dinner booked with friends, but other than that, our day was open. We decided to check out the farmer’s market in Kerikeri. Most of the stands were closing up when we arrived, but we found one with ripe avocados for sale. We were quoted a price for two avocados, and then we started chatting with the vendor and asked about a fruit that looked a bit like a lime, but not quite. We learned that it was feijoa, the very first ones available this year. Before we knew it, we had our avocados, five feijoa, and two little gem squash. We asked how much for the extras, and he said they were free. People are so incredibly friendly here.

We spotted a nearby park with sculptures so we had to have a look. Two things about this jump out at me. One, it reminds me of collecting rocks and shells at the beach, something we love to do. And two, kids are free to climb over the sculpture, exploring to their heart’s content, just being kids.

In the afternoon we took the ferry across the bay to Russell for dinner. We arrived early and walked along the sea in the lovely seaside town.

The buildings along the shore date back to the late 1800’s and have a colonial charm. But a bit further along, there were some fabulous looking modern homes.

The path was lined with Pohutukawa trees, but there were also ones like this, that looked like something out of a Tolkien story.

All this walking made us thirsty, and someone on the street recommended the perfect place for a drink. We took their advice, and found a lovely table in the shade. I tried a hazy ale, brewed specifically for this bar. The others tried the wine. Note the art on the wall behind Jan.

Then it was off to dinner, where we had reserved an outside table. As you can see, we were having a terrible time.

The weather was perfect, and the view of the setting sun just kept getting better.

Heather and Larry recommended this restaurant, and we are so glad they did. We never would have found it on our own. The six of us enjoyed a fabulous dinner.

Then it was time to walk back to the dock to catch the ferry back to Paihia.

It was the perfect ending to a birthday.