On Feb 11, 2010, Dream Catcher III arrived in Auckland NZ on a Dockwise ship, having been transported from Mallorca - a trip that took nearly 3 months via Fort Lauderdale FL, then the Carribean, the Panama Canal, Tahiti and Brisbane. Greg and I would like to sail a little in NZ during February and March and then leave the boat in Auckland for the southern winter so that a boat builder can give Dream Catcher III a new teak deck.
We plan to take the boat to Australia in October to prepare for a boat rally around the entire coast of Australia, beginning in Melbourne Feb 2011 and finishing approximately 14 months later.
On Feb 12 Greg and I boarded Dream Catcher III on the deck of the Dockwise ship and when the ship sank into the water and divers disassembled the stands underneath our yacht, we motored off at the rear. It was an extremely easy task for us to handle. We motored across Auckland Harbour to Westhaven Marina, on the edge of downtown Auckland and tied up at pen A16.
Since that time we have been getting Dream Catcher III ready for cruising, requiring a refrigeration mechanic and an electrician to help sort out some minor problems. I have been finding the best places to buy food, which I love doing. There is a fabulous market on Saturdays and Sundays in St Georges Bay Rd Parnell, where the food stalls included outstanding French style bakeries and farmers with a range of fruit, vegetables, meat and deli produce as well as an excellent cheese shop and cafe. There is a permanent wine and liquor store at the same location so we had a wonderful time stocking up. I have also found a couple of great food stores in Ponsonby and a very god supermarket near the marina.
On Feb 13 Richard and Anne McKay arrived to stay with us but we have not been able to leave Auckland until today because we needed to get the boat jobs done and then the weather has been terrible - firstly days of heavy cloud, drizzle and 100% humidity and then extremely strong winds.
Today is a glorious sunny, warm day, with bright blue sky, but.... no wind! So we have motored all the way to Great Barrier Island, about 55 km north of Auckland, planning to stay up here for a couple of days relaxing and fishing. We have even bought fishing rods! There are oodles of places to sail or motor to from Auckland, with many islands and mainland harbours nearby to choose from, in northerly, southerly and westerly directions. The locals are very lucky in that regard and we can understand why a quarter of the NZ population have a boat of some kind.
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