Fall already?
It's starting to get
quite chilly again – long pants, sweaters and jackets are coming
out of the closet – it's time to move on before some serious cold
hits us here, now that the cyclone season in the Pacific is nearing
its end. Since coming back from visiting our family and friends we
were touring the South Island in a small camper van. Our trip started
with wine tasting in Marlborough region, where most of New Zealand
wine is produced. If you like nature this is a paradise for you, if
you like to ride a motorcycle this is a dream come true. Roads are
winding like a never ending snakes! Scenery beyond belief. Curve
after curve, km after km, rarely a straight line. From the wild West
coast bordering the Tasman Sea to snow-capped peaks, giant ferns,
flying albatrosses, billions of sheep, walking tracks indicated every
few kilometers, there is no way to get bored. We could have spent the
entire summer roaming this part of NZ but we had only three weeks to
spare and yet managed to log over 4,000 km while circling the entire
South Island •
Back in Whangarei we took Vanille
to the boatyard to finalize the last preparation for the coming
season – antifooling paint, hull wax, etc. – now we are back
floating and filling her up with supplies needed for the next six
months in Fiji. The last few days we spent exploring the three
supermarkets here and other stores for goodies and bargains on wines,
beer, boat parts spares, etc., and then trying to find a place to
store all this inside Vanille.
Who said we were retired! This is work! •
In a couple of days we will leave
this place, will go and play with the wind and sea, test all the new
equipment installed and then will seek a good spot and will start
monitoring the weather for
crossing to Fiji. With a bit of luck
and mother nature cooperation we should be underway before mid May.