Yesterday Richard and Anne flew back to Melbourne, but not before Richard had set us up with the fishing gear we need for future cruising trips - hooks, lures, etc, including a lure big enough for us to catch a tuna!
Last night we met up with a NZ friend we haven't seen for nearly 30 years, Julia Cornes, and her husband Graeme, plus friends Merryl and John. We had a great night, with an excellent dinner at Soul Food, one of the restaurants overlooking the Viaduct Harbour. As the 4 Kiwis are all local boaties they have lots of local knowledge about the Hauraki Gulf (the main area just north of Auckland) and we are looking forward to taking them for a sail next visit.
Today is cleaning, packing and doing a few odd jobs on the boat, with our flight home being tonight. We had lunch at the marina cafe, the Fat Duck, and I can understand why it is always so busy because Greg's sirloin open sandwich with grilled mushrooms and salad plus my pumpkin, fetta and basil fritters with avocado and rocket were both excellent dishes.
There are many things to look forward to when we return to Auckland and Dream Catcher III on March 10.
Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra