Final preps for Homeward Journey
Zoonie
Thu 9 Nov 2017 12:12
We had planned to spend a couple of days north of Whangarei in Russell
where much early European immigrant history was made, while we still had Vicky
but then along came our buyers and their genuine enthusiasm and our need to part
with our trusty car were perfectly matched. With three pre-school girls Vicky’s
wide back seat gave plenty of room for their car seats, and of course being a
Volvo she is very safe with her SIPS and her (now) working air bags. We had
advertised Vicky on Trade Me and waited and waited. A local scrap yard had
offered us $500, the previous owner, Carl went as far as $1000 so we were
delighted when Tane agreed to $1700, almost the price of one return fare
home.
When Jeannie heard we had sold the car and so would not be going to Russell
under our own steam she offered to take us for coffee instead to a place she had
known for years just south of Russell. We stopped on the way at a pretty lake
area, once a coal mine and now a popular recreation area. At The Gallery and
Cafe at Helena Bay in the tiny and charming garden the little green pond frogs
make a noise that is in indirect proportion to their size. The cafe balcony
looks over native woodland to the bay below and in the gallery the artworks from
numerous cultures made me wish I was a millionaire furnishing my mansion.
Next day, the wad of money from Vicky’s sale now temporarily deposited in
our NZ bank account and Doctor Samraj Nandra’s letter allowing Rob to fly filed
away safely, we went back to House of Travel and let Anne do the donkey work for
us, so she booked our flights for the next week, just five days away. Before Rob
was poorly and we were booked to fly home on July 18th I asked him if he was
looking forward to it. “Not really, I’m so used to plans being changed because
of business commitments.” Well his response this time was somewhat different,
“Hell yes!”
Rob’s progress on the re-varnishing of the galley was coming along. All the
tough old and now discoloured because of the flood varnish was removed revealing
fresh ‘new’ wood. I made myself busy Pfaffing about with my sewing machine
making two hatch covers, two cockpit cushion covers and new webbing straps for
my small travel bag. It had been a freeby from the French clothing company, La
Redoute many years before but the fabric was tough and clean so I just used some
webbing from Arthurs Emporium to make new straps in funky lime green. Rob just
smiles at such exploits these days.
We had numerous wonderful farewell (temporarily) dinners with friends and
spent a really enjoyable day planning our next cruising in Zoonie when we get
back. We hope to do a triangle out to Great Barrier Island, south west to
Tauranga to see Mark and Andrea in their new home and then up north to the Bay
of Islands before we leave NZ finally in May 2018. We are so lucky to be making
such plans, it hasn’t been blue sky for our friends Christopher and Sue Singer
who if you remember own their elderly yacht Larry and whom we met up with in
Greymouth while we were in the South Island.
I opened up our Mailasail account just before we left to find an email from
Sue entitled “Sad News”. We knew they were coming to Tonga to charter a yacht
for a holiday. We had hoped to join them before Zoonie took her drink of
riverwater. So we knew they were coming to the area. Well while they were
snorkelling on a trip they had both been really looking forward to Christopher
had a fatal heart attack and Sue and their son Humphrey were arranging to take
Christopher home. We just hoped that as we would be home as well we would be
able to spend some time with Sue as we had planned to see them both. Again we
quietly reflected on our good fortune at Rob’s expert care and recovery.
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