We arrived in Auckland at 0600 hrs on Wednesday 28th October on a grey overcast morning. Customs were relatively quick and efficient with the MPI guys going through every locker and even looked under a couple of floorboards. Fortunately little food was seized as we had pretty much cleaned out the fridge, freezer and grog locker given the much longer passage than expected. By 0900 hrs we were cleared to motor around to our new home in the Lighter Basin at the Viaduct in downtown Auckland where Pam & Birgitta were waiting to welcome us in. Finally Goran got his feet in New Zealand soil - not having been permitted to get off the boat in Great Barrier!
Savarna in the port of Atatiu in Rarotonga
Pam & Birgitta with the Harbourmaster - Atatiu
Lunch on the waterfront, Rarotonga the day of departure - little did we know we were heading for a 14 day passage!
It got cold quite quickly as we headed south
Typical view each day!
But the view occasionally broken by Goran catching a MahiMahi
And then back on the wind again
Many impressive sunsets but no green flashes!
The moon was a welcome feature most nights
Sometimes easier to sleep with all the gear on!
A welcome stop at Whangaparapara, Great Barrier Island for diesel under the watchful eye of the local pollce sergeant.
Motoring into the Viaduct - a big moment!
Under the drawbridge and nearly at our new home
The welcome home party a few nights later
Happy skipper makes a speech!
Savarna is now on the hard at Gulf Harbour getting antifouled and a few other jobs done before we head off on our first Christmas cruise in New Zealand for at least 10 years.
Cheers
Keith & Pam and the many friends who have sailed with us over the years
We took delivery of Savarna ( a hindu word meaning "daughter of the ocean") from the Hanse yard in Griefswald, on the Baltic, in June 2005. The first season we sailed via the south coast of England and wintered over at Denia in Spain. [...]In 2006 we cruised to Malta via the Balearics, Barcelona, Corsica, Sardinia, Rome and the west coast ot Italy, to Sicily and wintered at Malta. The 2007 season saw us back up to Siciliy, across the bottom of Italy, up the east coast of Italy and across to Croatia and then north as far as Venice and south back to Sukosan where we wintered. In 2008 we cruised southwards through Croatia to Corfu and the Ionian via Albania. From there via the Gulf of Corinth and across the Aegean to Marmaris, southwards as far as Finike in Turkey and then back up to Marmaris for the winter. The 2009 season has been the quietest yet cruising in Turkey and the Dodecenese Islands. In 2010 after wintering in Kos we completed the East Med Rally and got down to Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt - a great rally and well worth entering. In 2011 after wintering at Leros we headed northwards up the Turkish coast to Istanbul and then back to Athens via the Sporades and Mykonos. The returned later in 2011 for a cruise around the Peloponnese and up to Prevesa where we wintered on the hard. In 2012 we left Prevesa, cruised the Ionian and thence to Malta, Cagliari, Palma, Formentera and Cartagena. In November 2012 we participated in tha ARC and were 1st on the line and handicap in Division 1 - Canary Uslands to St Lucia in the Caribbean. We spent two seasons in the Eastern Caribbean and in 2015 left Grenada and sailed to Panama via the ABC's and Colombia, then through the Panama Canal and via the Galapagos, Tuamotu's to Tahiti where we are at present.