Position           35:18.96 S 174:07.29 E

Date                Saturday 16 May 2015

Weather windows.  We did not feel ready for the first one and then had to wait a further 8 days for fronts to go through and highs to re-establish before conditions were deemed suitable for departure.  Certainly the passage is not one to be attempted with a low passing and attendant strong northerlies through which was what was on offer during the intervening period

We were not idle however.  We took delivery of a new dinghy and fitted it to the davits.  Our old Southern Pacific aluminium RIB has served us very well but has limited life expectancy.  It has found a good home with friends David and Nicky where we are sure that it will have a useful retirement.

I omitted to get any good photographs of the new dinghy

until the pads were fitted to the davit, sewed by the Skipper, and it was covered for the passage.  Watch this space

We had an upgrade carried out on one of our freezer/fridges to enhance its cooling and of course we spent a day provisioning in Kerikeri (The New World Supermarket in Kerikeri offers GST(VAT) free shopping to foreign cruisers worth 15%!)

We managed to clear the saloon for action, under the table is packed to capacity and lashed in place

The guest cabin was definitely stowed to capacity with clothes and medical equipment

The Opua Cruising Club, confusingly called the OCC, as in Ocean Cruising Club, provided a pleasant evening watering hole during our stay with very good food at reasonable process and were we were able to meet with other cruisers waiting to depart mainly for Tonga oir Fiji, that being the typical Kiwi winter cruise.

The weather during our stay was as you would expect wet and windy.  We did however get out on the bicycles on a fine afternoon and covered the newly opened Rail Cycle Trail from Opua to Kawakawa.

The Opua Rail Cycle Trail – Long Bridge

The “World Famous” Hunderwasser” public toilets in Kawkawa (Google it)