We are still up in the Bay of Islands and are, this evening, at anchor at Roberton Island at the end of a stunningly beautiful day.
We spent 6 nights in the Marina, taking advantage of hot showers and laundry and being able to visit local chandleries as we continue to ready the boat for the blue water trip and of course, managed to squeeze in the odd trip to the yacht club bar. As there are three rallies leaving Opua (to Fiji, Tonga and Indonesia) there were boats from all over the world, flying their colours and filling the airwaves in a multitude of languages. Each weekday morning starts with a Cruiser's net sched on the radio. This is an opportunity for all cruisers to share information, find out about local events, arrange lifts and share 'treasures from the bilge'. We took advantage of this and acquired a cruising guide to Eastern Australia for a good price. However, the most talked about subject is, of course, the weather. Every man and his dog is happy to share his/her preferred forecast, the highs and lows and the discussion on the seemingly unending debate on 'when is the right time to leave'. One or two weather gurus offer in-depth reviews, and our day always starts with half an hour looking at different models...however, the time is not yet right. Several boats have left already, but are motoring long parts of the crossing. This is not something that we either want to, nor indeed could do, and so we wait. However, there is still a lot of exploring to be done and we have visited Waitangi, Russell and Paihia, since leaving the marina. The Bay of Islands is a great place to spend time. We are booked back in the marina on Monday and have arranged our duty free supplies for Tuesday, but at the moment that looks like its on hold.
One thing we have learned on this trip so far, is patience. Everything on the boat has now found its place and we know where it all is, but to get any desired item requires moving at least 6 other things, and then replacing them all. We have also learned to be patient when it comes to our Satellite system. A month of calls back and forth to the US, led to the original unit being sent back and a replacement being dispatched from Perth, Australia. To cut an epic saga short, we have had to deal with the manufacturer, NZ Customs, the postal service, the delivery company and still we don't have the unit. It has finally cleared Customs (with the invaluable and amazing help from Gary in Opua), but just in time for the weekend and so no deliveries.
We are also being patient with the weather. We don't need to leave, and there is a tendency to get caught up in the anxiety of other cruisers and just go, but we are more than happy to spend more time here and wait for the weather pattern that will get us on our way. The rallies are all delayed, but are aiming for a Tuesday departure. We'll keep you posted of our movements, but at this stage, we think well still be here another 4 of 5 days at least.
I am also being patient right now, as Simon is cooking pizza for dinner and it smells divine. We have actually lit our little woodburner tonight, and are toasty warm in shorts and t-shirts!
I have added a link to our photo album. See the right hand side of the blog under 'favorites' link to our gallery.