Back from the Holidays in the USA
After November 15 to January 16 back in the States with family, grandchildren, and parents, we flew back from Portland through San Francisco, Sydney, and Auckland. 'Julia Max' had been given a face lift with new teak decks and paint job. Also needed repairs were done on the genoa furler, the anchor windlass, the anchor chain, the refrigeration insulation, a 220v transformer, an outboard motor bracket, the main boom gooseneck attachment, and three shrouds and ten turnbuckles.
Once 'Julia Max' is back in the water and loaded with fresh fuel and supplies, Sue and I will take her down the east coast of New Zealand's north island to the Great Barrier Island among other anchorages. We hope to have a few weeks cruising before Sue meets her Portland-friend Katie for trekking on the Milford and Routeburn Tracks on the southwest side of New Zealand's south island.
The re-fit in Whangarei is now complete. On February 5th we left for the Great Barrier Island and points further south. The Great Barrier Island has numerous anchorages protected by outer islands and peninsulas on its west side. At summer's end there were still a hundred boats (mainly NZ) of all descriptions in the nooks and crannies. Shore facilities were minimal, but the grocery was adequate and fuel available to those who needed it. A car rental for a day proved sufficient to see the entire island. Sue trekked over one of the many trails taking all day. But the views were worth it!
Upon leaving, we headed over to the Coromandel Peninsula for a night, then on to the islands outside Auckland for a night. As we headed towards Auckland the following day, we dealt with heavy rain showers, and found a myriad of boats racing. Various boat classes from the smallest dinghies to the larger classic boats of the 1930s were racing/parading in review.
Passing Auckland Harbor, we were delighted to see one of the Dockwise Transporter Ships taking on yachts for transport east. We will be on board their August sailing. We arrived in the 1000-boat Westhaven Marina where 'Julia Max' will be moored until August.
Land Travel to the South Island of New Zealand
The 'Inter-Islander' ferry leaves the Capital, Wellington, on the North Island for Picton on the northern tip of the South Island. The three-hour passage encounters the infamous Cook Strait which throws heavy 25+knot winds at you during the crossing. Driving for the rest of the afternoon down the east coast to ChristChurch, we noticed thousands and thousands of acres of vineyards. The sunny weather and cooler temperatures we are told make New Zealand ideal for wine making. The blue skies made the coastal drive awesome.
Arriving in ChristChurch, we visited a church friend from the States. Heard about and took in the Festival of Flowers that was going on, toured the Botanical Gardens, and the Willowbend Wildlife Reserve, seeing local flora and fauna, including the famed Brown Kiwi bird.
Next we left ChristChurch for Queenstown, but on the way we stopped at the Mt. Cook National Park, and saw New Zealand's tallest peak in all its glory with fine clear weather.
Arriving in Queenstown, we soon realized that this is the destination for all adrenaline junkies. Bungy jumping off perfectly good bridges, sky-diving out of perfectly good planes, jet boat rides, luge runs down the mountain, para-sailing, para-gliding, snow skiing, hot-air ballooning...you name it, it's done here. In addition the town has boutiques, cafes, lodges, restaurants to meet your every need. Even though it was end of season, there were hoards of people here. Sue and her Portland friend Katie Foehl were preparing to take off on their Milford/Routeburn Treks from Queenstown.
A highlight of our stay in Queenstown was taking a one-hour lake boat ride on the SS Earnslaw to the Walter Peak Station where we took in a BBQ lunch and a sheep-shearing demonstration. The sheep station puts on an educational demonstration spiced with a bit of humor for all ages to enjoy. The six year old sheep being shorn was falling asleep just as we sometimes do in the barber's chair!
While Sue and Katie are on their Trek, George is touring the southeast coastline of the South Island. As I update our log, I am in Invercargill, and the winds are buffeting outside SW 20 knots gusting to 40 knots. This is the land of the roaring 40s (referring to the southerly latitudes: 45S). New Zealand is one of only three countries further south than any other country until you get to Antarctica. Except for Chile and Argentina there are no land masses stopping the winds moving around the globe.
One of the special interests that George had was trying to see some of the GPS locations that included sites mentioned in ‘1434’, a book written by Gavin Menzies. This historical documentary tries to reconstruct the world exploration by fleets of Treasurer Ships from China at the will of two emperors under the direction of Admiral Zheng He. Menzies, a retired British Submariner Officer, shares his mariner insights along with discoveries of numerous historical charts that were available to the Europeans before they started their explorations and ‘discoveries’. The book lists sites in New Zealand that were explored and settled at this time. Several of our car trips on the South Island were to GPS locations where these Chinese historic sites were located. For example: the Catlins, Shag Point, the Moeraki Boulders, and Banks Peninsula.
Our interest in birds motivated several of our stops, walks, and excursions. We saw the Royal Albatross, largest of albatrosses, on the cape near Dunedin. The Yellow-eyed Penguin and the Blue Penguin were treasured sightings aided by local guides and federal rangers. A special trip to Stewart Island gave us close-ups on Bell Birds, Kakas, Fan Tails, Tuis, Wekas, but no Kiwis. Another trip to an island 30 km north of Auckland entertained us with more of New Zealand’s special birds: Pokekos, Saddle Backs, Robins, Pigeons, and many more.
The America’s Cup sailing excursion highlighted our appreciation of New Zealand’s love for sailing. One afternoon Sue and I boarded a boat that had raced in the mid-1990s. In 12-19 knot winds the sailboat got up and went! With 30 customers on board helping to grind the winches and take turns at the helm, we somehow managed not to sink her. It was truly a rush on a beautiful blue-sky afternoon in the Huraki Gulf.
Another day found us on a 50+’ hired boat, ‘Pride of Auckland’, that participated in one of the local afternoon beer-can races with some 40 other sailboats.
One evening we had dinner at the restaurant at the top of the Sky Tower, Auckland’s famous tourist attraction and high point. What a view on a clear night with city and suburb lights stretching to every horizon.
We shifted ‘Julia Max’ to Pier 21 Marina for its location and convenience to the downtown area. We received much help and encouragement from David and Joanne while we worked out the details to ship ‘Julia Max’ back to the States. Boat Haulage Ltd. Arranged for the shipment of ‘Julia Max’ on a cargo ship named ‘Positive Passion’. And once placed on a special steel cradle on a Mafi roll-on-roll-off trailer, and embarked on the ship, she was three weeks to the day arriving in Gray’s Harbor, Washington State.
So we said good-bye to our friends in New Zealand, and headed back to the States to receive 'Julia Max', and to rejoin our extended family of parents and grand-children.