WALKING ON URUPUKAPUKA

Storm over so we headed on to Urupukapuka to do some walks and explore the island.  This island is has many Pa's and a burial sight for the Maori who lived on this island. Pa's were fortified at the top of a hill with cliffs and and steep ground to protect them against invading enemy.  Now they really are just grassed over pits and mounds but with imagination one can see how they were roofed over and protected.  There were also pits for keeping their edible roots called Kumara over the winter period.  

After a couple of days there we headed to Te Uenga Bay to meet up with the Lennox-Kings who had kindly invited us for lunch, the other guests were the Gills so we had a fun and very informal small RCC meet.  In the evening we went over to the Gill's yacht called Quicksilver for a delicious Moroccan Tagine in the evening, just a crazy evening with good wine consumed.  Following morning was on board Aqualuna for coffee before we headed off to meet up with the Mortimers.

We spent the night anchored again off Russel, another huge thunder storm during the night with very much rain.  We then motored around to Opua to try and get into the marina but it was full as there is a rally setting off for Fiji at the beginning of May.  We went to anchor in a very calm area and very pretty as well.

The Mortimers arrived that evening in their camper van and came and stayed on the yacht.  We visited Kirikiri today to look at some of the oldest houses in New Zealand built in 1832.  It was originally a mission house and then taken over by a family after the missionaries moved on.