New Zealand, 2002
(Return to the sailing adventures of La Boatique)
Left, I am standing in front of ferns the size of trees. Middle, Frank and Teresa (Anna De Marra, from Scotland) often choose the destination for our walks. Right, cicadas are thick in some areas of the forest and make a loud buzzing noise with their wings.
Wild flowers along the hiking trail.
Left, the foggy start of the Tall Ships race Russell, New Zealand on January 6, 2002. Right, Pete in yellow and Sue in blue racing on Aurora. Only boats with more than one mast or boats over 30 years old can enter this race. We did not do well. We placed 27th.
There were some strange looking and some beautiful sailboats in this race with rainy and foggy weather. The race is in early January evey year. Nearly 100 yachts began the race but when the wind died many boats turned on their motors and were disqualified. The Soren Larsen, the white boat (upper left), sailed from Aukland for this race. Julius from Argonauta raced on Breeze, the back boat (upper right).
I really love walking through the tree fern forests in New Zealand.
The Flying 15's near the start of a Wednesday night race.
My favorite racing sailboat so far is the Flying 15.
Left, Alex Clifford of Kororareka Oyster Farm is concerned about water quality. Right, his oyster farm may soon be shut down. Too many people are moving to the Bay of Islands area causing too much sewage. The sewage treatment center in the nearby town of Russell has had many cost overruns and is still not operational. Where to dispose of the treated effluent is the major problem. No one wants it in his backyard or bay. The cruising sailboats in the bay dumping their sewage overboard do not help matters.
The Oyster Catcher and white fronted terns are resting on a barge used at the oyster farm. The young oysters are feeding in the water between the barge and the cruising boats. Cruising sailboats are in the background.
Hot Springs January 22, 2002. All they need to do around here is dig a shallow hole to reach the bubbling hot springs. The Ginn Ngawha Hot Springs are about 15 miles from where La Boatique was moored. Within the Bay of Islands are hot springs under the surface of the bay water. A few times I was able to smell the sulfur odor at the dock. Left, I decide to test the temperature with my fingers before I step in. Right, Theresa is already in the hot water while Lynne is ready to step in. The bottom of the pool is sand. When we got out of the hot springs we had sand all over inside our bathing suits and we smelled like sulfur for days.
I thought I would see lots of sheep in New Zealand. I have seen a few flocks of sheep but there are far more cows than sheep in northern New Zealand.
My favorite racing sailboat so far is the Flying 15. This picture shows the exciting conclusion to a Wednesday night race. The boat I was on was more near the back of the pack and was not in the picture. (Suzanne Osier from the boat Peregrine of California took this picture.)
That's me waving "Hi". I liked sailing on the Flying 15's best because I got the most involvement with sailing the boat. The larger boats have lots of crew. Each person has a small task to perform to keep the boat sailing as fast as possible on the larger boats. On the Flying 15's since there are only two people each person has many responsibilities. For me, the downside of the Flying 15's is that I got much more wet with spray than I did on the bigger boats.
The gang at Seapower, Peter; Brian; Cheryl; Jasper, the guard dog; and Pete. The new shop behind us is located a short walk from the Opua, marina.
Pete is working on one of the 600 HP Volvo engines of Mac Attack.
Brian Douglas, the boss is washing down the floor. He had grates installed in the floor so that he would be able to wash the floor and then it would self-drain. This way the shop floor will stay dirt free. Behind the red curtains are the welding area, milling machine area, drill press, and lathe. Brian has been servicing boats in the area for many years and has a great reputation. No worries mate!
This is the car we bought in New Zealand. It's a 1989 Suzuki Swift. It has 5 speeds, 1100cc engine, and no rust. Pictured behind the car is the Opua Marina.
New Zealand Pictures from November and December 2002
For the complete story including never before seen fantastic pictures and maps order the Book.