Russell is a place where you can cover the main historical sights in a morning on foot, then spend the afternoon on the water. Christ Church, Pompallier House, and Flagstaff Hill form a triangle of colonial New Zealand history that is hard to match anywhere in the country. The Russell Museum ties it together with context. After that, the Bay of Islands is the point — sailing, kayaking, game fishing, and the boat trip to the Hole in the Rock are what most visitors come for.