Walking from Okiato to Russell one step at a time

Episode 034 Well it's my birthday. Something I have been wanting to do for ages since coming to the Bay of Islands, New Zealand is to walk to Russell from Opua (well...technically Okiato as we catch the vehicle ferry from Opua). Since it was my birthday, Adam kindly obliged. We usually sail to Russell and have driven to Russell but we have never walked to Russell. Walking gives us an opportunity to see things we wouldn't usually see if we had sailed or driven, such as visiting Okiato which was New Zealand's first capital. It's a truly fantastic and beautiful walk. Yes, there are many steps which make it challenging, and a certain level of fitness is required, but the views and landscape are absolutely breathtaking and make the challenges worth it. From walking through native forest to wetlands and through mangroves, this walk has something for everyone. It took us 6 hours to walk the 8 km track but we rewarded ourselves for our efforts by visiting Hōne's Garden, of course! We hope you enjoy the information from Adam about New Zealand's ecosystems! We hope you enjoy it! As always, thanks for watching. Sincere thanks to Charlotte Rockstar Jones for composing and recording Te Tāiko's theme song. Please remember to subscribe, like, comment - it helps us out! If commenting, we ask that you be respectful. Any comments made that are intended to be hurtful, disrespectful, antagonistic, and inappropriate to us or our viewers will be deleted and you will be blocked from our channel. Ways to support us: Subscribe to YouTube (it's free) 👉https://www.youtube.com/@adamandvickistravels?sub_confirmation=1 Become a Patreon 👉patreon.com/adamandvickistravels FOLLOW US: Website 👉https://www.adamandvickistravels.co.nz/ Pinterest 👉 www.pinterest.com/adamandvickistravels Facebook 👉 https://www.facebook.com/adamandvickistravels/ Instagram 👉https://www.instagram.com/adamandvickistravels/ Music from Epidemic Sound. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We’re Adam and Vicki. After a few years of studying and working hard we decided it was time to make a change. We needed a change that would allow us to spend more time together, give us a better work/life balance, and the freedom to travel. While we still had time on our side, we wanted to use it to live rather than use it to chase money. Learning to sail was the answer. In December 2021 we moved onboard Te Tāiko, a Chico40, and since then we have been so fortunate to explore many of New Zealand’s pest free islands and its beautiful anchorages. With our love of travel and adventure, this lifestyle has enabled us to experience so much more than we could ever have imagined. From new experiences to meeting incredible people along the way, our life has been enriched in so many ways and makes us ever so more appreciative of our environment and the footprint we leave behind. Tāiko is our floating home. She gives us the freedom to go anywhere the wind and weather allows. By living a more minimalistic and sustainable lifestyle, she has provided us with a better work/life balance and has taught us to live and be present more in the moment. Tāiko has also taught us to be more independent and less reliant on services. Some of these experiences have taken us out of our comfort zone many times but as the saying goes, ‘a comfort zone is a wonderful place but nothing grows there’. Our plan is to do blue water cruising. So, over the next year we will be completing some maintenance work on Tāiko and be getting her ready to meet New Zealand’s category 1 requirements to be able to go offshore. In the meantime, follow along with us as we navigate this new lifestyle whilst sharpening our skills exploring New Zealand waters. #boatlife #boat #travelvlog #digitalnomad #lifestyle #sailing #travel