Apologies (Mom...) for the lack of recent posts, but we have been quite busy and having heaps and heaps of fun. One of the first things we did on arrival here in Opua was to buy an old Honda CRV from a local outfit called Cars for Cruisers. this was fairly cheap, near the marina and they agree to buy the car back when it's time to leave, so super convenient too. The added mobility has been great, allowing us to tour much of the countryside. Speaking of countryside: "OMG!" this place is beautiful! If colors were a commodity, the New Zealand Northland would corner the market on green. Every shade is represented in the patchwork of forest, field and sea. The only contrasts are the crisscrossing old stone walls and scattered livestock. The scenery is so distracting I find myself driving more slowly, much to the annoyance of the locals. They should at least be thankful I mostly stay on the left side of the road...

After a couple weeks to acclimatize, we headed off to Aukland to pick up Jessie and Grant who would be visiting for a week. Working together, Wendy and Jessie managed to plan a very full week of activities which included Maori cultural shows, thermal geysers, Hobbiton, caving, city tours in Aukland and even a little sailing. I think we all had a great time and we really enjoyed their visit. I'll try to start uploading more pictures to the gallery soon, so look for a NZ folder.

Boat projects have been progressing well. The new stove and oven have been installed, many rewiring projects completed, new hardware mounted and I have a new Rocna anchor on the bow. Preliminary tests suggest this baby really sets well. Hopefully this will help me sleep better at anchor.

All in all we are enjoying New Zealand and the time is slipping by quickly.