Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the insect-illuminated caverns with a 30-minute subterranean tour. Guided tours
only.
Minibus tours from Paihia to Kawakawa and the caves are offered by Russell Mini
Tours (
Click here
)
.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Russell
POP 720
Although it was once known as 'the hellhole of the Pacific', those coming to Russell for
debauchery will be sadly disappointed: they've missed the orgies on the beach by 170
years. Instead they'll find a historic town with gift shops and B&Bs, and, in summer, you
can rent kayaks and dinghies along the Strand.
Before it was known as a hellhole, or even as Russell, it was Kororareka (Sweet Pen-
guin), a fortified Ngapuhi village. In the early 19th century the tribe permitted it to be-
come Aotearoa's first European settlement. It quickly became a magnet for rough ele-
ments such as fleeing convicts, whalers and drunken sailors. By the 1830s dozens of
whaling ships at a time were anchored in the harbour. Charles Darwin described it in
1835 as full of 'the refuse of society'.
HONE HEKE & THE NORTHLAND WAR
Just five years after he had been the first signatory to the Treaty of Waitangi,
Ngapuhi chief Hone Heke was so disaffected that he planned to chop down Koror-
areka's flagstaff, a symbol of British authority, for the fourth time. Governor
FitzRoy was determined not to let that happen and garrisoned the town with sol-
diers and marines.
On 11 March 1845 the Ngapuhi staged a diversionary siege of the town. It was a
great tactical success, with Chief Kawiti attacking from the south and another
party attacking from Long Beach. While the troops rushed off to protect the town-
ship, Hone Heke felled the Union Jack on Maiki (Flagstaff Hill) for the fourth and fi-
nal time. The British were forced to evacuate to ships lying at anchor. The captain
of the HMS Hazardwas wounded severely in the battle and his replacement
ordered the ships' cannons to be fired on the town; most of the buildings were
razed. The first of the New Zealand Wars had begun.
In the months that followed, British troops (united with Hokianga-based
Ngapuhi) fought Heke and Kawiti in several battles. During this time the modern pa
