Life Among the Kiwis

This is where you will find us if you decide to visit!

After leaving Opua in the Bay of Islands, we have made our NZ "home" here in Gulf Harbour Marina. It is a 40 minute drive north of Auckland on the Whangaporoa Peninsula. During the week, there is a ferry that runs back and forth to Auckland several times a day mostly full of commuters going to work. It is a pleasant 30 minute ride.

Many beautiful boats here with direct access to the ocean.

It is beautiful and very quiet. In fact, a little too quiet! It seems most of the 1000 boats sit here with no one coming to take them out! Maybe 10% of the boats go out on a weekend - and this is their summer! Millions of dollars tied to the docks. What a shame!

The ocean, sun and wind are very hard on the boat and many systems we have to keep functioning at optimal level. Our mission here is to have a lot of maintenance done as the Kiwis are known for their marine skills and technology. Although, the labor is much more here than in Fiji, but then you get what you pay for! (I know- that is a dangling participle!) The workers are very knowledgeable and very neat! That is a plus for the beige carpeting.

The warmer waters and sitting for long periods cause a
 hairy growth along the waterline and on the bottom
 so it is time for a shampoo and shave for Trillium.

Since we are not even half way through our adventure, it is time to check everything and make sure we won't have any major failures in the near future. Of course, we will have everything checked again in Australia next year before we head across the Indian Ocean to Cape Town, South Africa.




The engine is being given a thorough check
up so it is time to clean everything in there.

We have found the Kiwis to be very friendly and most helpful. And a lot of fun.
We have enjoyed the Gulf Harbour Yacht Club for a few dinners and cocktails. The members have been helpful with suggestions as to where to find things and places to visit while we are here. Everyone raves about the South Island and tells us we need to have a lot of time there. So we have planned a 3-4 week driving trip. My sister and brother-in-law will be here for the first two weeks of the trip. Guess it will be a variation of Thelma and Louise with husbands along! Not really, but our mother's name was Thelma.


Once again, I am scraping barnacles off the prop. This time
we learned about a special mesh sanding product which makes
it much easier. And we had it coated with a prop protector!

At some point, I will be blogging from the land cruiser with very limited Internet. But I expect to post photos of some spectacular scenery for you to enjoy with us. We understand it will be hot in some areas and then we will be freezing in the glaciers! How do you pack in one duffle for this!