Bay of Islands

Despite the intermittent rain, we decided to stick with our plan to drive to Paihia and catch the ferry to Russell, billed as one of the best places to visit in the Bay. It was a pleasant trip and we had lunch in Rusell, but the wet weather has defeated us and we have decided to head south tomorrow. In good clear weather this would be a great place to spend a few days exploring the islands and local Maori attractions, but in the rain it just seems drab.
We spent time in the evening planning our next part of our venture and decided to drive down to Rotorua. In the midst of such planning I received a message from the Air BnB host where we were due to stay over NYE that she was cancelling due to a family bereavement so that has caused us a bit of stress, as we now have to find somewhere else at short notice. Obviously it is understandable that she has taken that decision but we just have to hope we can find another good alternative