New Zealand cruise
Well isn't this nice?
I was just sat here thinking of you, why you may wonder? The answer to that is easy= I don't know.
So I digress (as is my wont) We're sat here (well not exactly floating) in the Abel Tasman national park and its 22.00, just had cod for dinner, downed with a glass of Hawks Bay Chardonnay(NZ) and followed by a spoonful or two of tiramisu, Its a moonlit scene looking out of the wheelhouse, and an uneasy calm prevails, I know its an uneasy calm because when we left here 18 hours previously we were in somewhat of a quandary, should we carry on to Australia or should we stop all the mayhem and turn back to Abel Tasman. I decided on the latter and here we are.
To say it was rough would be fairly accurate, the coffee machine went into orbit followed swiftly by the photocopier, the waves were passing the wheelhouse by this time (the windows are 21 feet from the waterline) A tad breezy whispered Pooh bear.
The photocopier is now the first part of a new reef system.
I suppose as we are in the "roaring forties" we shouldn’t complain too much.
This small moment in time is soon forgotten and here we are writing "emails" that will be then whisked across "cyberspace" via Satellite, to our friends in the far-flung spaces in the world. The coffee machine has been brought back from the brink of death, and all body parts are still in order.
Well its not all bad I suppose. We have just had a pleasant cruise through the "Marlborough sounds" positioned at the North end of South Island, New Zealand, these sounds are very similar to British Columbia with snow capped peaks and whales spouting all around, the water is cool and not as clear as that found in the South sea Islands, but it has its own glories. Giant Albatross skim the waves, the lack of people is the thing you notice, then the price of everything, a meal with a beer in a local garden costs as little as $8 US and the quality and variety available is as fine as any found in Europe or the States, the people we've met are as interesting and friendly as anywhere. We have taken advantage of the treats available here including, skydiving, river rafting jet boats etc. The culture is also well covered, the Circ de soleil was in Auckland for a 6 weeks tour, and this was a real highlight. The Sky Tower has a casino and nightly entertainment and the local theaters are booked up early, Philippa & Theresa also enjoyed a performance of sleeping beauty by the Royal Ballet.
Last Sunday I took a ride up to the mountains (South Islands lake district) and met up with a group of Gliding aficionados, after presenting my logbook they foolishly let me loose with one of their $150.000 machines, back on terra firma, hanging around watching the hawks doing a much better job, I met Robert.
The following morning I received a call- Robert, he was looking through his bino's and explaining that he could see us having breakfast! I informed him that because of his call mine was going cold. Back to the plot, he, Robert, invited me for coffee and so I jumped on the old stead (Yamaha cruiser) and headed for the hills I spent the next hour trying to find my way to what Robert had described as " his unfinished home" when I eventually saw him he was climbing on what looked at first like a pile of old wood, on closer inspection this was an overstatement. Robert was downloading emails in his rooftop computer "shack" this was just a pile of old window and doors nailed together. After the downloads were completed he joined me on the "terrace" some paving stones and a piece of marble balanced on a log were arranged to take in probably the best view in Nelson. I forgot to mention we were in Nelson, South Island.
He offered coffee which he "brewed" in a piece of history!, and then for the next four hours I was entertained by a remarkable gentleman.
Note: his previous home was a three-roomed tree house and he very proudly showed me this creation later; he has only solar panels for his power needs.
He had started his working life as a schoolteacher, then fancied he could build boats so joined a company in Wellington to follow this course, he developed headaches as time past and ended up in hospital with what was diagnosed - epoxy poisoning, this damages the brain and he lost the ability to read.
Ten years on and he had almost fully recovered and now makes the most interesting pottery, with dragons you can imagine breathing fire, his furniture designs are also a treat for the eyes.
He went on to explain that his "house" cost nothing to build! (I think he was robbed) and the land it was perched on was worth over a million. Another of his hobbies is designing a fully enclosed bike and the drawing showed another angle to this wonderful guy. It was now 15.00 and I had an appointment back at the boat, so sadly exchanged email addresses and promised to return here again.
The next few hours were spent being chauffeured around the outskirts of Nelson, our chauffer was a wealthy property dealer and he had bought some wonderful sites in the mountains. He showed us that in our previous four days we had missed so much of this interesting area, it boasted the largest campsite in the Southern hemisphere, there were miles of un spoilt beaches, golf clubs by the dozen and views to die for.
That evening it was off to some "friends of friends" for dinner, Cary and his wife had, twelve years previously bought "Wanderer 1V" this was the yacht belonging to the late Eric Hiscock, Eric and his wife were the folks that got Theresa and I into this current predicament, their tales of traveling the world's oceans in their own yacht thrilled us, and many others this was the nucleus for our break from society.
Cary and his wife are now planning another trip with Wanderer, this time down to Chile and around the "Horn" they are at present getting the boat ready for this adventure, with two teenage daughters I think it will certainly be an adventure. Their last cruise was to Greenland & the Arctic Circle. We do meet the nicest people
Well I think I've babbled on enough? So it’s off to bed.
Now the next morning and I thought I might add a few tit-bits to finish.
The weather forecast is for gales and storms for the whole area, we will sit here and wait a while as we are anchored off the most beautiful beach you can imagine, there are some canoeists and one beachcomber on the whole two mile stretch, I’m now going to try and replace the cod we eat last night.
As I close the wind is shrieking across the bay, 40 knots on the wind gauge, but the sun is shining and in the wheelhouse all seems like another world. The fish like to eat on windy days (famous Maori saying)
Happy lives
Theresa & Ian
I was just sat here thinking of you, why you may wonder? The answer to that is easy= I don't know.
So I digress (as is my wont) We're sat here (well not exactly floating) in the Abel Tasman national park and its 22.00, just had cod for dinner, downed with a glass of Hawks Bay Chardonnay(NZ) and followed by a spoonful or two of tiramisu, Its a moonlit scene looking out of the wheelhouse, and an uneasy calm prevails, I know its an uneasy calm because when we left here 18 hours previously we were in somewhat of a quandary, should we carry on to Australia or should we stop all the mayhem and turn back to Abel Tasman. I decided on the latter and here we are.
To say it was rough would be fairly accurate, the coffee machine went into orbit followed swiftly by the photocopier, the waves were passing the wheelhouse by this time (the windows are 21 feet from the waterline) A tad breezy whispered Pooh bear.
The photocopier is now the first part of a new reef system.
I suppose as we are in the "roaring forties" we shouldn’t complain too much.
This small moment in time is soon forgotten and here we are writing "emails" that will be then whisked across "cyberspace" via Satellite, to our friends in the far-flung spaces in the world. The coffee machine has been brought back from the brink of death, and all body parts are still in order.
Well its not all bad I suppose. We have just had a pleasant cruise through the "Marlborough sounds" positioned at the North end of South Island, New Zealand, these sounds are very similar to British Columbia with snow capped peaks and whales spouting all around, the water is cool and not as clear as that found in the South sea Islands, but it has its own glories. Giant Albatross skim the waves, the lack of people is the thing you notice, then the price of everything, a meal with a beer in a local garden costs as little as $8 US and the quality and variety available is as fine as any found in Europe or the States, the people we've met are as interesting and friendly as anywhere. We have taken advantage of the treats available here including, skydiving, river rafting jet boats etc. The culture is also well covered, the Circ de soleil was in Auckland for a 6 weeks tour, and this was a real highlight. The Sky Tower has a casino and nightly entertainment and the local theaters are booked up early, Philippa & Theresa also enjoyed a performance of sleeping beauty by the Royal Ballet.
Last Sunday I took a ride up to the mountains (South Islands lake district) and met up with a group of Gliding aficionados, after presenting my logbook they foolishly let me loose with one of their $150.000 machines, back on terra firma, hanging around watching the hawks doing a much better job, I met Robert.
The following morning I received a call- Robert, he was looking through his bino's and explaining that he could see us having breakfast! I informed him that because of his call mine was going cold. Back to the plot, he, Robert, invited me for coffee and so I jumped on the old stead (Yamaha cruiser) and headed for the hills I spent the next hour trying to find my way to what Robert had described as " his unfinished home" when I eventually saw him he was climbing on what looked at first like a pile of old wood, on closer inspection this was an overstatement. Robert was downloading emails in his rooftop computer "shack" this was just a pile of old window and doors nailed together. After the downloads were completed he joined me on the "terrace" some paving stones and a piece of marble balanced on a log were arranged to take in probably the best view in Nelson. I forgot to mention we were in Nelson, South Island.
He offered coffee which he "brewed" in a piece of history!, and then for the next four hours I was entertained by a remarkable gentleman.
Note: his previous home was a three-roomed tree house and he very proudly showed me this creation later; he has only solar panels for his power needs.
He had started his working life as a schoolteacher, then fancied he could build boats so joined a company in Wellington to follow this course, he developed headaches as time past and ended up in hospital with what was diagnosed - epoxy poisoning, this damages the brain and he lost the ability to read.
Ten years on and he had almost fully recovered and now makes the most interesting pottery, with dragons you can imagine breathing fire, his furniture designs are also a treat for the eyes.
He went on to explain that his "house" cost nothing to build! (I think he was robbed) and the land it was perched on was worth over a million. Another of his hobbies is designing a fully enclosed bike and the drawing showed another angle to this wonderful guy. It was now 15.00 and I had an appointment back at the boat, so sadly exchanged email addresses and promised to return here again.
The next few hours were spent being chauffeured around the outskirts of Nelson, our chauffer was a wealthy property dealer and he had bought some wonderful sites in the mountains. He showed us that in our previous four days we had missed so much of this interesting area, it boasted the largest campsite in the Southern hemisphere, there were miles of un spoilt beaches, golf clubs by the dozen and views to die for.
That evening it was off to some "friends of friends" for dinner, Cary and his wife had, twelve years previously bought "Wanderer 1V" this was the yacht belonging to the late Eric Hiscock, Eric and his wife were the folks that got Theresa and I into this current predicament, their tales of traveling the world's oceans in their own yacht thrilled us, and many others this was the nucleus for our break from society.
Cary and his wife are now planning another trip with Wanderer, this time down to Chile and around the "Horn" they are at present getting the boat ready for this adventure, with two teenage daughters I think it will certainly be an adventure. Their last cruise was to Greenland & the Arctic Circle. We do meet the nicest people
Well I think I've babbled on enough? So it’s off to bed.
Now the next morning and I thought I might add a few tit-bits to finish.
The weather forecast is for gales and storms for the whole area, we will sit here and wait a while as we are anchored off the most beautiful beach you can imagine, there are some canoeists and one beachcomber on the whole two mile stretch, I’m now going to try and replace the cod we eat last night.
As I close the wind is shrieking across the bay, 40 knots on the wind gauge, but the sun is shining and in the wheelhouse all seems like another world. The fish like to eat on windy days (famous Maori saying)
Happy lives
Theresa & Ian
posted by ian at 4:01 PM
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