Well, we're happy to report that Chapter Two of our Guidebook is much more positive - maybe not as memorable for Gary and Donna, but that probably is a good thing!

We ended Chapter One stuck on the boat due to a really nasty storm (okay, maybe it wasn't really raining harder than we've EVER seen - Tonga still holds that honor, but it was pretty hard!). Chapter Two picks up from there...

A) When the winds and rain subside enough that it is safe to move the boat, arrange for a slip in the marina. Move the boat off the mooring ball and gently motor into the marina as though there had never even been a storm. Okay, you might be reminded of the storm when an alarm goes off saying the engine temperature is too high - ignore it until safely tied up, then find that the cooling water intake has been totally clogged up with storm debris (leaves, grass, wood pieces, etc... - you wouldn't believe how disgusting the water was!). Do the much needed laundry that you should have done before your guests came! (How nice to be able to take it to and from the boat without loading it into the dinghy!) Have a wonderful Thai dinner in Paihia (Thanks again, Gary and Donna!), then take ice cream with both chocolate and caramel sauce back to the boat for dessert - yum!!!

B) Since one day in the calm marina was so nice, stay a second day. Go sightseeing around the Opua/Paihia area. See the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where the Maori Chiefs and the British signed a treaty establishing British sovereignty in New Zealand (depending on who you talk to, either the best or worst thing ever to happen here!). See the local water falls and then take the ferry into Russell. Let the girls have fun souvenir shopping, while the boys enjoy a glass of local wine (although we hate to say it... we're not that impressed with NZ wines!). Have a bowl of yummy seafood chowder at "Sally's" - complete with a signature in cream on the top. Rush to get back across the ferry to get Gary and Donna to the Culture North Show on time (the same wonderful play explaining the history and Maori culture we saw when we first got here).

C) Head out of the yucky water in the marina to the much cleaner water surrounding Robertson Island. Take the long, steep hike up to the lookout (Way to go Donna!) and marvel at the beauty of the area. Try to figure out how in the world the people who live in the house at the top of the neighboring hill get to and from their home (we decided it has to be by helicopter and I'll put a picture in the gallery so you can decide for yourself!). Make sure it is low tide so there is not enough water to snorkel the underwater hiking trail - Oops! (Although probably a good thing since the water temp has dropped considerably since we first did it!) Put Gary to work catching lots of fish (thanks to his lucky fish hook necklace from Donna!) that will be fried up with potatoes and eggs by the Vienna boys for a delicious breakfast! Stay another day at the Robertson anchorage so Glen can use the hookah rig to scrub the bottom of the boat (it took him 2 hours and he said it was the worst he's ever seen it for barnacles). Enjoy a leisurely day of watching boats sail by. Force your guests to watch home video of your trip so far - yikes!

D) Realize how little time you have left with your loved ones (9 days just wasn't long enough!) and try to cram in all the other stuff they may want to do. Go back to the shoe store that sold Donna a pair of sandals with different sized toe straps (??!!) and do some more souvenir shopping. Head to the Whangarei area to see a kiwi (bird) at the Kiwi House - make sure he is sound asleep (darn it!). Head back for one last night on the boat - now on a mooring ball a little closer to the dock. Make sure the winds stay calm so there isn't as much drama getting to and from the boat.

E) Head out bright and early to the Auckland area. Stop and see the fluorescent pink sheep at Sheep World along the way (picture to be put in gallery!). Go through the tunnel on the brand new toll road and then over the viaduct (Auckland Harbour Bridge) that crosses Waitemata Harbour and leads right into the city. Have a marvelous lamb lunch at the top of SkyCity (like the Space Needle in Seattle, but even taller) while the restaurant rotates to offer gorgeous 360 degree views of the entire Auckland area (again, a big thanks to Gary and Donna for their generosity). Enjoy the views from the observation deck and learn a bunch about the construction of the tower (like the workers ate over 545,000 meat pies and drank over a million cups of tea while it was being built!). Get a little dizzy looking straight down through the glass parts of the floor - yikes, it's tall! Try to convince your loved ones that they really shouldn't leave after so few days with you, but honor their travel plans and take them to the airport when they say they really do have to get going. :( Leave them with big hugs at the "City of Sails" airport and arrange for their flight to be delayed an hour while you head off to the closest camp ground. Have the winds start howling and the rain start to pour right about this time. Check out the conditions at the camp ground and decide you don't want another night in a tent that is going to blow down on top of you, then find out there are no cabins available. Opt for the biggest splurge of the trip so far and spend the night in a real motel (it even had a bathroom in the room and they furnished the sheets and towels... oh my, we've hit the big time!)!

F) Wake up the next morning eternally grateful that you're in a nice, dry room and enjoy the longest shower you have had in quite some time. Use the nice, dry floor of the motel room to re-roll both of the tents that had been thrown into the back of the van the morning of the wind storm. Head to the Immigration Office in Manukau City to turn in a second set of paperwork for your visa extensions (a long story in it self!) because otherwise, you will become illegal aliens! Do some price comparison shopping at all the chandlery stores on the waterfront, then head back to Opua very sad that your loved ones are gone.