Russell

We drove from our hotel to the historic town of Russell, where we had very mediocre scones and jam at the Duke of Marlborough hotel. It was New Zealand's first licensed (booze) hotel and has a really funky, dated look.

Russell is a classic seaside town with lots of old trees, gorgeous homes, and neat little shops. Well, one of the shops was cool - the rest were overpriced "art" and local sculpture. It's a great place for people watching.

Most people take a ferry across the bay, but we drove around to further explore the area. It's so cool how there are still places that aren't totally built up and touristy -- we'd pass these tiny pristine bays and there'd just be homes near it. Of course, those homes are probably worth a mint, but there's something reassuring about a place that beautiful that's still mainly populated by locals, not hotels.