January 2013
Russell is the nearby “island” community about 10 minutes away by ferry (Russell, the “Island” Town). While Russell is actually on a peninsula, it feels like it’s on an island because of its isolation. It’s only 10 minutes away by ferry, but it’s about a 3-hour ride if you want to drive on paved road.
There is another option: unpaved road. It’s not easy to find the turnoff from the highway (a map helps here), but once you do you’ll have a beautiful drive along fields, trees, and hills, and the road is actually paved for quite awhile.
As the road heads up into the hills, you’ll find yourself surrounded by beautiful tree fern forest. It’s here that the road becomes a gravel road, but it’s not difficult to drive (although it can get dusty). The sign states the gravel section is 7km long (about 5 miles), but it seemed longer than that to us. Still, it was worthwhile because the scenery was impressive!
As you get closer to Russell, the road becomes paved again. The entire drive takes an hour or so to the Russell area; then it’s easy to catch the car ferry back to Opua. I would not call this a must-do, but it’s definitely worthwhile if you’re staying in Opua. –Cyndi
