Off On A Lark!

It's quite obvious that I'm way behind on our blog posts. December and January were busy with the holidays as well as visits from friends. We've done quite a bit of sailing and some sightseeing on land too. Now it's time to catch up, so here goes...

As I recall, our last post followed David's departure (I hope you've all read his blog posts) and the arrival of many friends in Opua NZ from Tonga. Lots of catching up and socializing to celebrate their safe arrivals.

Opua is a small town in the Bay of Islands. It centers around the marina, where hundreds of cruising boats from around the world arrive in November and December. New Zealand is a popular place for 'Boaties', as they call us, to wait out 'cyclone season' that occurs in the tropics. Roughly December-April. Some boats choose destinations close to the equator or on north, to islands that are out of harms way. During the 6 months spent here, people often haul out their boats to make repairs and do maintenance. The sunny, salt water environment that we live in is brutal on everything associated with the boat. Fittings, mechanical parts, electronics and probably us too! Since we've only been out for 7 months or so, our work is all above waterline. That allows us to do projects as they arise and believe me they do on an almost daily basis.

In mid December, we rented a car for a few days. Started with a day trip to Whangarei (south of Opua) with our friends John and Nicole. One of their friends arrived in Opua after the passage from Tonga without a mast. It was a smaller boat from France who had their standing rigging (the wires that hold up the mast, or rig as it's called) replaced recently. Evidently the rigger who did the work replaced everything except the bolts that hold the shrouds to the chainplates. Guess what sheared off? The old corroded bolts! Once they were able to cut the mast free, they had a very sloppy ride as the seas were fairly big. Their fuel was limited and they still had several hundred miles to go. Friends on another boat heard their radio calls and came to give them what fuel they could spare. Not enough, but the next response was a huge ship who changed course, came alongside (which was evidently rather frightening due to the size), dropped their ladder and brought both diesel and food on board . Anyway...they needed a new mast and John found one for them that day in Whangarei. We accomplished a lot of other things too and enjoyed the day with friends. That was a roundabout description of our outing, wasn't it?

The next day Brad and I headed out on a visit to the west coast. We drove west towards our destination of Ahiapara. Stopped at Okahu winery and did a little tasting. Very nice wines, we especially liked their Port and Shiraz. We had made reservations at the Endless Summer Lodge which turned out to be wonderful place, just across from the beach. When we were here 5 years ago, we discovered the backpackers accommodations which we loved. They're a lot like a hostel, with a big shared kitchen and eating area. Great way to meet people and socialize along the way. We took our boogie boards along and thoroughly enjoyed a day in the water and laying on the beach in our wetsuits soaking up the warmth of the sun. At dinner we shared the BBQ and made the acquaintance of couples from Hawaii, England and a great fellow from Canada. Then a real bed that didn't roll with the sea and nice fluffy towels for the shower! Good to have a few days off the boat and a change of scenery.

On Sunday morning we picked up John and Nicole and headed to Kerikeri for the Sunday Farmers Market. Lots of nice produce, honey, olives and baked goods. I think we're set now with treats for the holidays.

I've already posted the photos, so look for them in the December album.