Two months at home on Waiheke.
16 April 2012
Photo: One of the sculptures at Connells Bay.
Our time at home went all too quickly, although Brian did get bored and decided to paint the inside of the garage, make a cabinet for the bathroom, re-stain the outside of the garage door and install a clothes line, the man must have a project. In addition to all the usual catching up on correspondence, getting things ready for the tax man, annual health checks and tidying up around the house and garden, we had time to catch up with family and friends.
Gavin, Lica and Shae, (Sol Maria, currently home in Auckland from Greece) with Cheryl and Duncan, (Catina from Noosa), spent the weekend at our place on Waiheke. We had visited CheryI and Duncan for New Year, so it was great us all catching up with Gavin and Lica’s stories of their trip through pirate waters to the Mediterranean and adventures in the Med. We hadn’t seen them since they left us in Makongai, Fiji some 18mths ago so there was a lot to talk about. There were lots of stories told, a walk on the beach, food consumed and wine drunk, we also skyped friends in Greece who were aboard Gavin and Lica’s catamaran, the world is certainly getting smaller. We met Gavin and Lica again for dinner before they left to return to Greece, a lovely evening in the Viaduct/Wynyard Quarter and afterwards walking along to the street market and open air movies.
Whilst we were home the Volvo Ocean Race finished a leg in Auckland, a walk around the Volvo Ocean Village, viewing the boats and an afternoon watching the start of the next leg to Brazil was an added bonus to our trip home. We managed to get a great viewing spot for the start, outside what is known locally as The Cloud, which was ‘party central’ for last year’s rugby world cup.
We spent another lovely afternoon in Wynyard Quarter having lunch with Helen and Brett, Gail had several morning teas with girl friends, Brian with mates and dinner in the Viaduct with ex work mates now friends. We also managed to go to probably the worst NZ Breakers basketball game of the year; it was the first leg of the best of three semi final at Vector Arena. We have watched them play on Ozzie TV this season and they looked good, won the minor premiership, but when we went they lost badly to the Townsville Crocodiles. However all was redeemed when they won the best of three semi finals and went on to take the first game in the best of three games final against the Perth Wildcats; next games are when we are back in Oz.
At Easter the weather was great and we managed to catch up with Robyn and Russell on their yacht, anchored in “Double U” Bay on Waiheke. A phone call from Russell got us motivated to find a way down to the boat, no easy task as it turned out. We parked the car, walked along a track from where we could see the boat in the bay at the bottom of a steep cliff/hill but the way down was not obvious. A fisherman then emerged up another track and gave us directions, “it is a moderate climb”, what an understatement!!! We played mountain goats for the next 10 – 15 minutes, but eventually made it around to the shore where Russell picked us up in the dinghy. Determined there must be an easier way out, Brian went ashore to check out a ladder up a cliff on the beach, and returned to say that was the way we would go out. After a relaxing and enjoyable afternoon with Robyn and Russell, with the boys watching a nude lady doing a photo shoot on the beach the whole time, we went ashore and climbed the ladder, walked along a track and were back at the car in 10 mins, so easy.
For our wedding anniversary we went to Connells Bay Sculpture Park on Waiheke, what a great way to spend a couple of hours. You can only do a guided tour of the park, with a limit of 10 people per group, 2 groups per day. Jo, met the group at the gate and took us down in a 4 wheel drive, then explained how the park originated and something about the artists. She then guided us around the sculpture park, answering our questions and giving background information on the sculptures. It was a great morning we would recommend it to anyone, the park is only open during the spring and summer months.
It’s now time to turn our thoughts to heading back to Townsville, do some jobs on the boat and then start the journey north to Darwin and then Asia and beyond.