Photo shows the Wicked camper van we hired for our two weeks or so in New Zealand. We had no idea of the meaning of the slogan on the side (Mystery machine) until people (mainly kids) told us it was the van that the four young detectives and their dog (Scooby Doo) used in a popular TV programme. It got a lot of thumbs up and grins from the kids we passed!


We are in an AirBnB in Papatoetoe, South Auckland, ready for the plane flight back to the Gold Coast and Sundari. We arrived a week after a disastrous cyclone (Gabrielle) and heavy flooding in Northland, Auckland and the Coromandel. Roads were still cut when we arrived and many houses red stickered awaiting investigation after slips and mud engulfed whole communities. As usual in these climate change enhanced times, the floods were 'unprecedented'. Luckily for us, we have had warm to hot, sunny, summery weather every day we have been travelling around the North.



The old sailing dinghy we had left behind on a dinghy rack at Tutukaka was still there, so we hastily rigged it for a photo ad!

Our main objective on this visit was to dispose of the daunting quantity of stuff we had left behind in a Bay of Islands storage locker, the two dinghies left behind in Tutukaka and catch up with old friends. Rather to our surprise, everything went very smoothly, although we had to make detours in places because of closed roads in Northland (Te Tai Tokerau). By yesterday, after 10 days of selling stuff we didn't want to bring back to Australia, we had sold 2 outboards, the sailing dinghy, a VHF radio, a pile of nylon, plaited mooring ropes, a ream of NZ east coast paper charts, a bilge pump, lifebuoy light, bosun's chair, two sets of paddles, a bicycle, a bicycle basket, a bicycle carrier and a tent and sleeping mat! There was also a hell of a lot of stuff to dump in the waste tip and charity shops. We still seem to be bringing back on the plane rather a lot of stuff we haven't used, or had even seen for 6 years, including Alison's bike and a heap of memorabilia.



The Sail Indo rally gathering at Bryce and Martha's kiwifruit orchard west of Whangarei - some circumnavigators were here, too

As far as old friends were concerned, we stayed with family friends, Alan and Janice, twice (arriving and leaving), in their new, comfortable home in Snells Beach, overlooking Kawau Bay. They have both got quite absorbed in the local community since retirement, Alan enthusiastically trying to help restore native bird populations, including kiwi, and Jan active in nearby Warkworth's museum.

The Sail Indonesia gathering at Bryce and Martha's kiwifruit orchard west of Whangarei brought 30 odd sailors, (now mostly ex sailors!) some of whom we had sailed many sea miles with and shared memorable experiences. We also caught up with more sailors, Megan and Andy (Wairua) and Glynis (Sea Hawk) in Kerikeri, Ron (Pilgrim) on the Russel Road, and, by phone, Craig and Lynne (Solan) in Waihi and David (Sahula) on Kawau Island.



Tawharanui Reserve and its lovely beach and view towards Little and Great Barrier Islands is located on a peninsula near where Alan and Jan live in Snells Beach.



Megan, Andy and young son now live in Kerikeri. They crossed the Pacific in the smallest of sloops the same year we did. Andy is about to fly to Suva in Fiji to bring back an equally small catamaran.




Kerikeri Basin and the Stone Store, where we were moored for a few months immediately before we crossed the Tasman on our 1933 kauri sloop, "Corsair".


We should be back on Sundari by this time tomorrow and have a few days in the marina before getting ready for this year's sailing adventure.

We did have time to snatch a few hours visiting old, familiar places in Te Tai Tokerau, but walks were out because of cyclone damage, thankfully not so severe as on the east coast and in poor Vanuatu, currently recovering after two cyclones passed through.



Maninangina kauri hugger, Puketi Forest, west of Kerikeri.



Opua moorings on a misty morning, near where we left a heap of junk in a storage locker.



Whangarei Town Basin, with many new overseas yachts in attendance this summer after the pandemic closures.



The weird looking, new Hundertwasser Art Gallery and roof garden at the Whangarei Town Basin.



Mount Manaia, a craggy, volcanic landmark near Whangarei Heads was out of bounds because of cyclone damage, but we did hear several kiwi calling at night.