If all goes according to plan, and the wind gods smile favorably upon
us, tomorrow morning we’ll move the boat to its final resting place at
the marina and we’ll be able to finally disembark! It’s much less time
exploring New Zealand than we had hoped, but that just means we’ll have
to make the best of it. Dad has already booked us an excursion into some
caves, where we’ll be suited up in rubber boots and helmets and tubing
about in waist-deep water in caverns lit by glow worms! Beyond that,
plans are less concrete, as we can’t be positive the wind will let us
off the boat tomorrow, but there are a handful of other things we’d like
to try in the three-and-a-half days we have. I’d love to visit the
Hobbiton set from the Lord of the Rings. The coziness of the Shire has
always been one of my favorite parts of that series, and I’ve been
listening to the audiobooks as read by Andy Serkis on this trip. It
would also be fun to go to a zoo or wildlife sanctuary and see some
actual kiwi birds, if we have time! But otherwise, I’ll be happy just
for the chance to wander about New Zealand and appreciate the culture
and nature. Especially after spending two weeks on this boat, I’d be
happy to wander about and appreciate the culture and nature of a parking
lot.

Ultimately, though, despite the occasional rough weather, the bouts of
light seasickness, not ever getting a full night’s sleep, and the
reduced leisure time, I’m still glad we came on this trip. I’m always
happy to do something I’ve never done before, and this was certainly
that! There were even some moments where I was alone on watch at night
with the starry sky above, the wind in my hair, and the waves gently
rocking us forward, that I really enjoyed. I probably won’t be in any
hurry to sail across the sea again any time soon, but I still love the
ocean and am looking forward to doing more small sails on Dad’s boat in
the Puget Sound, with land always well within sight and easy access to
fresh vegetables and ice cream.

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