02/08/2010, Auckland, New Zealand
From the boisterous overnight shakedown sail from Whangarei to Waiheke Island, to the test sail in the Hauraki Gulf, cheering for the New Orleans Saints, and all the fun with our cruising friends in Auckland, it's been a blur of activities and photos. Here's the link to our latest and greatest pictures from our beloved New Zealand:
Click here for pictures!
Only a few more days of the southern hemisphere. Dockwise Yacht Transport will be loading our sweetheart, Zen, on Valentines Day, bound for Fort Lauderdale.
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01/30/2010, Whangarei, New Zealand
Get him! Get him! GET HIM!!! I'm dead! Kill her! That's all we were screaming as we ran at top-speed through the Laser Tag Maze tonight in Whangarei, NZ. Our crazy and very creative buddies on s/v Migration, Bruce and Alene, wanted to surprise Tommy for his birthday by shooting him with a laser gun. Kids add a whole new level of fun. Thankfully our long-time friends on s/v Monkey Feet were cooperative and supplied themselves and their 3 boys for the gun spree. We've been cruising with them since the San Blas Islands in Panama. We met Migration in the Tuamotus, French Polynesia. Ben, another int'l cruiser we brought into the mix tonight, joined our shooting fest and screamed with the best of us.
If you are wondering, the refit is finally over. Our final detail, a reefing line, was delivered to Zen today. These Kiwis are so conscientious, working on Saturdays and making house-calls. We're now ready to sail and of course the wind goes to 30 knots straight down our throats. Looks like we'll check the weather again in the AM and determine if we are sailing to Great Barrier Island or wait another day in Whangarei. Obviously from the photo, we are having a "horrible" time in this place?! Ha....we wish our own kids were here to join us tonight. Cammi and Cole, you guys would have been laughing your butts off this evening. But alas, you are ice skating, while we sweat in shooting galleries!
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01/26/2010, Whangarei, New Zealand
Zen was donned with her mast and sails on Monday. Our friends cheered as we motored down the river in Whangarei.
Tom and I would love to cut the docklines at Town Basin Marina and sail out for some hardcore NZ cruising before we leave this great country, but we are tied up until Friday waiting on some final refit detailing. We could be stuck in a much worse locale, right?
While here, we paid tribute to Tom's birthday. He was shuttled up to Pahia, a touristy waterfront town about an hour north of here, where he was surrounded by 8 of his cruising pals for lunch. Serendipity played a role and live music wove it's way into Tom's day. Our friend, Allan, played the drums with his local band. Tom settled into 3 hours of live music, with a play list that he would have chosen song for song. An overseas phone call with our kiddos singing the Bday Song came in at the perfect time. Eating some delicious Indian curries and breads, while our buddy, Bruce Balan, a children's book author, recited from Dr Seuss' "Happy Birthday to You" was the finale.
Now, sitting on our new comfy interior cushions (see pic - larger ones in Photo Gallery) we plan our week of sailing the NZ coast towards Auckland to meet Dockwise Yacht Transport. Closer and closer is Zen to reaching US waters and us to reuniting w/Cammi and Cole!
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