landlubbers again
16 December 2008 | en route to South Island
Jackie & Michael
Our haul out day dawned very wet and very windy - not the best conditions for hauling out - but all went OK. We spent several days sorting out and arranging work to be done. We stayed in the Gulf Harbour lodge for two nights, until we got the motor-home (you call them motor-homes, not camper vans or motor caravans here) and it was wonderful to lie in a both again!
We picked up our motor-home on Thursday and drove back to Gulf Harbour. We then spent a couple of days moving stuff from the boat to the motorhome and finally finishing cleaning the boat. We stayed in the motor-home for this and parked at the end of the marina, next to the yacht club, overlooking the bay and across to Auckland. See 'photo.
We went to the yacht club on Friday night (they are only open Fridays at the moment) and as the only visitors we were treated extremely well, introduced to everyone there, and had an excellent evening. Great hospitality.
We said goodbye to Lady Kay on Sunday and drove to the South of Auckland and stayed at our first camping site next to an estuary on the Tasman sea side. First thing on Monday we drove back to the camper van place to get a roof rack and ladder fitted. This took all day, so we both got our hair done in the local town, and had a very nice lunch out.
We then drove back into Auckland to stay at another camp site, as we were meeting up with John and Irene from Southern Princess. John picked us up from the camp site and took us back to meet his daughter and family - John and Irene are staying with them while work is done on the boat. Gabby and Richard plus two boys, live near the centre of Auckland within 15 minutes walk of the financial district where Richard works. Despite its central position, the house has a lovely garden with olive trees and jasmin all down one side and a grassy area for the boys to play in. John and Irene had been extremely busy between taking furniture out of storage and putting it back into their Australian house, and putting all the stuff from storage back onto the boat after Beneteau had finished the interior work and varnishing on it. They were both quite exhausted I think, and Irene had a bad cold and hayfever. However, we still managed to have a great evening and an excellent meal out in Ponsonby, which is a main restaurant area in Auckland.
We got a cab back to the camp site and I was woken about midnight by talking and what sounded like someone tapping on the van. Woke Michael, but he said not to worry and went back to sleep again - mistake - found out in the morning that it was the cab driver who had come back to return the camera I had left in the cab. Luckily we managed to get in touch with him in the morning and he very kindly dropped the cameral back to us without delay - what a relief, as we needed to get going early on our journey south.