CHRIS & FIONA IN NEW ZEALAND, FEBRUARY TO MAY 2006,

SOME PHOTOS OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY 

We spent our first weekend getting over jetlag with friends Colyn & Les at their cliff-hanging bach
called ‘The Ship’ on Ti- Point just north of Auckland

Shopping at the local market

Chris & Les doing the Sunday ‘male thing’! 

Lunch on the deck 

Ti Point beach

Cousin Andrew's birthday party,
Chris, Anne, Bob, Andrew, Steve and Fi (left to right) 

A novel use for a wine cool-bag 

Fitzroy Bay where we anchored Carelbi at Great Barrier

Cousin Andrew’s cat on our old banger which we bought 4 years ago for £300

Andrew, hugging one of his pines. (Part of his retirement plan!) 

The original bach of Maori friends, Patmore & June at Whangaruru Bay 

Carelbi anchored off the bach 

Pig hunting dogs; wild pigs have been devastating Pat & June’s veggie gardens
They have tracking devices on their collars to find them if they chase too far away 

Fiona on a beach at Whangaruru  

Chris, triumphant with kahawai fish caught off Kawau Island in the Hauraki Gulf 

Fiona preparing to bake the kahawai in Carelbi’s galley… 

Ready to pop in the oven 

Christmas Pudding rocks, complete with holly sprig! (off Kawau Island) 

Smoke from the gun salute for the Queen’s 80^th birthday in Auckland 

Fiona with herb garden, accepting happy 60^th birthday wishes!

Blowing out the candles 

The crew insisted this present from Jade was a minidress and demanded a modelling!  

Bill, Ken, Chris and Andrew, just before leaving Opua for Gambier 

Anders had to use the dinghy as tug to push Carelbi’s nose around -
there was very little room to manoeuvre in this marina 

Neatly turned around… and so, off  to Gambier 2760 nautical miles away

View of Matapouri Bay from Cousin Anne’s house

Pebble beach, just around the corner from Matapouri Beach
 

A totally delicious fish & chip 60th birthday celebration for Fiona with the ‘rellies’,
on the actual day, May 1^st, down the Tutukaka Game Club

Fiona is now waiting patiently in New Zealand for her boat with Chris and his mery band of men to arrive in Gambier.
They are not having very useful winds, lots of sitting in in the middle of a high, playing cards, guitar, singing,
eating good meals and occasionally getting a good sail. She is flying out to Tahiti on the 21^st and
down to Gambier on the 23^rd May. Love to all family and friends who have stayed with the photos to the bitter end!