Our Location
Bellrock Lodge
22 Chapel Street
Russell
Bay of Islands NZ
We are located a 5 minute walk from Russell village and wharf.
HOW TO GET HERE
Russell is in The Bay of Islands. You can get to Russell in a number of different ways.
Air - from Auckland Airport to Kerikeri Airport (40minutes), and then by car which is a 1 hour drive time to Russell. Rental car if required , will need to be booked ahead of time. We can arrange pick-up from airport.
Air – from Auckland Airport to Whangarei (25minutes) and then by car a further hour and a quarter drive time to Russell. Rental car if required , will need to be booked ahead of time.
Car - from Auckland will be a +/- 3 .5 hour trip. Take SH1 to Whangarei and carry on to Kawakawa. Take SH11, passing Kawakawa on your left, carry on for another 18km where the turnoff for Oupua/Russell will be on your right. Take care ferry to Russell which is 8km further. VERY IMPORTANT - THE LAST FERRY LEAVE OUPUA AT 10PM.
Bus – from Auckland to Paihia +/- 3 .5 hours plus a 10min passenger ferry trip to Russell. The bus terminus is at the Paihia wharf. If using this alternative please let us know and we will pick you up at the Russell wharf.
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By Car from Auckland:
If using a GPS do not enter Russell as this takes you off SH1 (State Highway) just after Whangarei. Although this road is a lovely scenic route a lot of people get nauseous as it is full of twists and turns and will add another hour to your travel time. Therefore enter Opua, Franklin Street, into the GPS. This will bring you to the car ferry which you need to take to get to Russell, which is another 8km further. The ferry operates from 6-40am till 10pm and leaves +/- every 15minutes. Cash is the only form of payment allowed on the ferry.
Once across the ferry stay on the main road till you reach Russell. Chapel Street is on your right hand just before the petrol station. You will find us at 22 Chapel Street , there is a large Bellrock Lodge sign at the bottom of our driveway.
Please note that north of Auckland you will be using a toll road and need to purchase tickets before reaching it, or else you have the option to pay online before your journey or within 5 days after using the toll road. You do however, need the licence plate number of the vehicle to purchase tickets wither online or at the kiosk. There are signs along the way regarding the purchase of tickets for the toll. If you do not want to stop and break your journey to purchase tickets you may want to take the alternate route before the toll road, this might add 25 minutes to your journey.
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From Kerikeri Airport (Pick-up and Drop-off Service can be arranged for you)
By car from Kerikeri Airport – If no GPS
Turn left from the airport. After +/- 3km take roundabout (circle) take exit to Paihia on SH10. At Puketona Junction take a left turn to Paihia – SH11. At next roundabout turn right to Paihia. Drive through Paihia and lookout for the sign for Opua/Russell Car Ferry +/- 8km, from Paihia.