Beautiful Opua Home

The last 3 days in NZ we stayed in a unit underneath the home of Brian and Joan Hepburn.  It is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been.  Brian built, and is still building, most of it and Joan does the interior and garden decorating. The view from their deck is of the Opua Marina in the Bay of Islands.

Auckland to Ridgecrest

Kokako on Tiritiri Matangi

Air New Zealand Nov 8  The aircraft was a new 777.  Interesting features: The safety message was a video featuring characters from The Lord of the Rings  - funny and riveting.  The bathroom had wallpaper which was a bookshelf with very interesting titles on the spines of the books such as how to fly airplanes, Nude Skiing in New Zealand by Seymour Butts and Stargazing.  Each seat had a video touch screen with a huge number of viewing choices.  The eleven and a half hour flight flew by.  ;).  At LAX we found Norelle Shlanta waiting for the same flight to Inyokern.  She gave us a ride home from IYK and it was fun to catch up.  Ellen Janetzko met us at home with breakfast for the next morning.  Good friends! Gracie was in the house when we got there but she was not at all happy to see us.  She pouted all night and half the morning but is now back to her usual cuddly purring self.  Sheryl promises to give me blog lessons so the quality of my blogging should improve before the end of  the year!  I am going to send a few photos at a time of our sailing before we had internet access.  By the way, nearly all the superb bird photos are by Barry.

Home 2 Days Ago

Sunrise in Opua Marina with another 
Wauquiez, Destiny. Virtually all Wauiquiezs 
have the same wide, blue sheer stripe.

 



Last Minute Visitor and Work

Red-billed Gull Abundant native

Does Barry look cool with his hat 

on backwards or just hard working?                              

Fireworks

Nov 5 Guy Fawkes Night   We have fireworks tonight to celebrate Guy Fawkes getting tortured and hung for plotting to kill King James.  I must say that the 4^th of July is a much happier and more uplifting reason to celebrate with fireworks. 

Technology Friends Food

The Technology

Before leaving the US we were told to “unlock our SIM card” in the cell phone.  We have no idea what that means but I called up Verizon and told them to unlock my SIM card and a few minutes later it was unlocked.  We needed cell phones in New Zealand and so we went to the Vodafone store (Vodafone is the equivalent of Verizon) and told them Lynne needed a SIM card for her iPhone.  They physically took out this tiny little thing the size of a pinky nail and put in a NZ one.  The SIM card came with minutes, data and messaging.  Now my iPhone works in NZ just as it did in CA with telephone, instant messaging, receiving emails from all our accounts (except sailmail) and connecting to the internet (like Google maps).  To us this is truly amazing.  Of course, the people in the Vodafone store who set this all up were under 30.  Barry took the opposite approach and bought a $19 cell phone that is just a phone.  At the same time we bought a USB “stick” (mobile broadband) which connects our computer to the internet just like in the US.  We have a secure internet connection  wherever we are in NZ .  We have enough gigabytes to listen to Radio NZ (like NPR) streaming.  The news we are getting here on Radio NZ  about the US election is news, not hysteria.  Speaking of  elections we can get our ballots by email, see the voter pamphlet and pros and cons and everything on-line that the CA Secretary of State and Kern County sends out and then we can vote and send in our ballot by email.  This is good.  The voting process took about 20 hours at least of our time and required the help of a genius daughter who used to work for the Sec of State and was willing to call Kern County for us.  Hours of help from both Vince and Sheryl. 

The Friends

When we left New Zealand in 2008 Barry cried because he thought he would never see his Kiwi friends again.  Our NZ friends are those kinds of friends.  And, so, when we returned, and the old friends saw us,  huge smiles of recognition spread across their faces, they shouted our names and gave us hugs. This is good for our souls and good for our health!  We have also made some new friends.  When we first bought our boat in Seattle in 1996, Michael Gray was the president of the Wauquiez Owners group.  Since arriving in Opua Oct 6 he has been here on Destiny right near us in the marina and he has become a true friend.  Ditto Melanie, Puggsy and Diane. 

The Food

New Zealand is food heaven for people like us.  The produce is absolutely fresh and abundant.  We especially appreciate the selection and availability after having been cruising for 5 months in areas with no soil or not enough water or where everything is imported.  Fish with fries in expensive French restaurants and coconuts  go just so far. 

Bad Memories and Good Neighbors, a Photo from Niue

The shredded mooring line.  The shredding of this line could have been the death of Sunrise on the reefs of Niue were it not for the goodness Sockdollager, Orcinius and Charisma on neighboring boats.

Daily Beauty

Barry used to watch here for dinosaurs 
but has since been watching for a moa
 to poke its head up at any moment.

Almost every day we go for a walk to keep in shape.  We have 3 routes.  One goes along the bay  from Port Opua to Paihia and the other goes from behind Ashby’s and Legge’s boatyards up very steep Lyon St and has several variations.  The third route follows the railroad tracks from Opua to Kawakawa.  All routes are birdy, bushy, scenic and historically interesting.  They go through bush (forest) and are, therefore,  “bushy”.   The one going up Lyon St has giant tree ferns and that is why Barry always keeps his eyes peeled for a dinosaur or a moa which you would expect to see in just such a habitat.  Moas are like  giant ostriches, were present in great numbers when the Polynesians arrived about 1400 and are now extinct. 

This is the route of one of our daily walks.

OPUA WALK ALONG BAY OF ISLANDS

POHUTUKAWA TREE

WHITE FACED HERON abundant native

October 20, 2012 New Zealand is Beautiful

Chinese toons

It is so much fun to be in New Zealand on a 3-day weekend - Labour Weekend - especially if you are in a marina.  Families are going out for a cruise to the Bay of Islands with its hundreds of beautiful anchorages or to the east coast bays where we are.  New Zealand is so incredibly beautiful!! You might get sick of the word "beautiful" but how else to describe this beautiful country?!  Big, burly Kiwi men are hauling sails to ready their boats for racing, race boats are coming in from the Auckland to Russell race and on-lookers and celebrators are all about.  There is a food fair in Paihia and a craft fair in Russell.

Tuesday afternoon we left the boat and drove to just north of  Auckland enjoying the road we have traveled so often.  It is hilly and rural most of the way and, yes, beautiful.  We got on a ferry making sure our luggage and food were free of ants, any insects, stoats, possums, seeds, cats or dogs and being sealed so none could get in as we walked from car to ferry.  We were on our way to Tiritire Matangi, a predator free island in the Hauraki Gulf where Auckland is.  Tiri has been restored with native vegetation and trees and endangered native birds and the tuatara (sort of like a giant iguana) are flourishing there.  We went specifically to see the Spotless Crake.  It is known to be on that island so how could we miss?  We asked the volunteers on the island and they said, "Oh, we haven't seen the Spotless Crake for years!"  No, we didn't see it but we saw and heard all kinds of strange and beautiful birds.  New Zealand has no native land mammals, although they do have 2 native bats and sea lions and seals on their shores.  Whales and dolphins in the sea.  They make up for the lack of mammals with every weird and amusing form of birdlife you can imagine.  I'll send  photos.  Too bad I can't send the sounds they make.

We have made several trips to Kerikeri to tend to business, shopping, boat work and a medical appointment about my ear with the "barotrauma".  Again, the road is beautiful, rural, winding and one we have enjoyed many times in past years.  It is spring in New Zealand and there are lambs in the pastures,  wild calla lilies in the pastures and  Chinese toons (trees with pink leaves in the spring) in peoples gardens.  Heavenly.  

We have only seen 2 dead possums on that road where we used to see 20 or 30.  They must be making progress in eradicating these pests from Australia which decimate the bird population.

Sacred Kingfisher

Tui at Tiritiri Matangi

Brown Teal

Takahe

Kokako

Sacred Kingfisher

Lists of birds we have seen at sea and in New Zealand

Barry snorted when he read that Sunrise is "almost flat". OK. "Heeling less horribly than she was."  Another thing: the paper towels that we bought in French Polynesia Barry says are made out of recycled toilet paper.  We think we have the wind theology figured out - we didn't have this problem with it being contrary when we were naked.

At sea closing in on New Zealand:
White-faced Storm Petrel
Australasian Gannet
Buller's Shearwater
Cook's Petrel
Black-backed Gull
No Little Blue Penguins

Near Kerikeri:
Pheasant male & female
California Quail many

Opua:
White-fronted Tern on marina breakwater/Quarantine dock, many
Black-backed Gull few
Red-billed Gull many
House Sparrow
Blackbird (Turdus which I think is same genus as our robin)
Swamp Harrier near Roadrunner Tavern
Kingfishers in marina
Grey Warbler (Gerygone) heard not seen
Dove (?)

Road to Paihia:
New Zealand Pigeon
Mallard
Variable Oystercatcher, black

Safe and sound

Opua, New Zealand  Safe & sound. Beautiful good final day! 

Position :  35 18.80' S, 174 07.36' E
Speed : 0.0 knots,  Course : 291 degree

October 4, 2012 LAND HO!!!

We see land by naked eye and radar. In 32 miles we will be in the Bay of Islands.  Blue Penguins, Australasian Gannets, Buller's Shearwater and Cook's Petrel await us.

Position :  34 58.16' S, 174 14.84' E
Speed : 7.0 knots,  Course : 199 degree

October 4, 2012 Moaning and maybe.....

Everyday we look at weather faxes, weather GRIB files, inmarsat weather from precise location in NZ and NZ weather in text over the inmarsat.  Everyday we strategize, carefully plot our course and calculate to make sure we are on the most efficient point of sail.  The forecasted wind direction varies daily and we take all that into consideration.  And everyday day the wind blows from the southwest blowing away with it all our plans!  Sunrise beats, slowly going SW into a SW headwind.  The only variable has been the wind speed - anywhere from 3 to 30 knots.  In case anyone cares, we would like a northerly wind - got that, NORTH, not SW!!  

If there ever is a next time we will hire some fool who is willing to spend 2 weeks of his or her life in misery for cash.  I would quit bellowing and go out and look for birds and pumice but it is cold,  gray and wet out there.  OK. I gave up and went out and there are zero birds, zero pumice and the wind is SW 20k.

The genoa has a hole in it and on a regular basis Barry goes out to look at it and lament that it is getting baggy and worn, not driving well (or pulling, lifting or whatever it does).Now the dinghy has come loose on the deck.  Imagine the damage a flailing dinghy could do wrapped up in the genoa, whacking against the boom, mast, sheets and rigging! Thankfully, the dinghy is not insecure but has only shifted slightly.  

I almost forgot to mention that the mast boot is leaking and has been since we left.  No big deal - a little rain water.  Now, however, there is the Pacific Ocean flowing over our deck and down the space where the mast goes through the deck to the keel and we have salt water raining down on my clothes, the settee, the file box and the rugs on the floor.  To plug that up we have rags stuffed in there now and over aforementioned items so you can imagine the décor of  the main salon.  

Oh, and, let's see.  The sink won't drain on this tack (design flaw) so I pass pitchers of dirty sink water out the boat to be poured overboard by Barry.  

Sailing from Niue to NZ has got to be the dumbest thing we have ever done.  Other than that, everything is just fine!  Heavy sarcasm.

8 hrs later:  Wait! The sun is shining!  The wind has shifted W and we are headed for Opua.  NW wind forecast for tomorrow (they usually lie, but it could happen).  We could even get there tomorrow afternoon.  We have communicated with Opua Marina and NZ Customs and Sheryl has even talked on the phone to NZ customs.  They are lovely she says and we know that.  Customs in Opua are lovely people, for sure!  

Sunrise is almost flat, going a moderate speed and not moaning and groaning like she was.  Maybe, just maybe, there is a rainbow out there.

Barry snorted when he read that Sunrise is "almost flat". OK. "Heeling less horribly than she was."  

Another thing: the paper towels that we bought in French Polynesia Barry says are made out of recycled toilet paper.  

We think we have the wind theology figured out - we didn't have this problem with it being contrary when we were naked.

Position :  33 15.28' S, 174 38.24' E

Speed : 6.6 knots,  Course : 152 degree

Getting close, slowly......

Pumice foot scrub

I asked my mom, "Did you get a pumice foot scrub?"
Her response, "No, thank heavens!!  My feet have been nowhere near the deep dark ocean.  They stay high and dry on deck! And that's the way we'll keep it, thank you." I'm glad mom has some priorities. 

Oct 3, 2012 Nothing but pumice....all without chocolate

Oct 3  You thought the earth was filled with lava around an iron core didn't you?  We are here to tell you that it is made of Styrofoam!  One little volcano forms a hole in the skin and Styrofoam oozes out all over.  And WE HAVE PICTURES TO PROVE IT!  I'd talk about something else besides pumice but that's all we've got going on around here.  We are just bobbing around out here waiting for the wind to go the right way.  Not even a bird - just pumice. We would be motor sailing and getting there shortly but, as you recall, we can't use the aft fuel tank with the gushing leak and thus are short of fuel.  Here's how we are occupying ourselves:  The Will Hamm autopilot bit the dust about two weeks ago.  We have a back up autopilot but, at the moment, it would take too much of Barry's time and energy to dig it out from storage and install it.  So we have be relying on the Monitor.  As you recall, Sir Monitor (notice the change in status and title) doesn't work if there is no wind.  For those occasions we put Will Helm (the WH Autopilot) to work and when it doesn't work, we have an electric tiller pilot.  Heaven forbid we should have to steer ourselves.  That is the ultimate in boring and exhausting!  Sir Monitor starting coming apart this morning and that genius, Barry, the saint, is out there fixing it.  This is not unusual to have things start to unravel after the approximately 6000 nautical miles Sunrise has just sailed; therefore, if you go sail long passages bring a physicist with horse sense.

I'm starting to feel repentant about eating, almost single-handedly, the 10 or so big chocolate bars that Vince and Noelle brought us in August.  Now I'm deprived.  But we are no longer deprived of news.  Our favorite daughter selects and sends us very interesting news.  She entertains us while Vince minds the coffers.  That's the other thing you need for long passages and long term cruising - good children to keep your affairs in order and provide human contact.  Speaking of human contact we have not seen a single ship since leaving Niue.  And speaking of birds (right?) several sightings of Sooty Shearwater.  Those birds are everywhere!

October 1, 2012 The Bad and the Good of It

Oct 1 (New Zealand time) Too much of a good thing - 5 days of pumice.  Pumice in the sink, on the dishes, in the toilet, clogging up the knot meter which then can't feed data to the true wind speed display which means we don't really know how hard the wind is blowing - or not.  It's in the raw water inlet causing work cleaning it up and out.  It seems this pumice doesn't just float on the surface it is under the surface too and that is how it is getting into our through-hulls.  Furthermore, we are cold - scrounging around trying to find blankets and warm clothes left over from the days sailing in the cold California current in May.  And it is taking FOREVER getting from Niue to NZ against contrary wind.

The good:  The sky here is much brighter and clearer for some reason.  Hole in the ozone layer?  Full moon.  Calm seas.  Cape Petrel.  Grey-faced Petrel from Kermadec Islands.  Maybe Kermadec Petrel.  I'm even starting to miss those rascals, the boobies.  Now we have, instead of boobies, the look-alike gannet.

Position :  30 35.04' S, 176 24.12' E

Speed : 4.4 knots,  Course : 286 degree

Pumice raft....for days!

Pumice

Our friend, Gene, sent us this:

August 9, 2012
An "island" of floating pumice rocks bigger in area than
Israel has been spotted in the South Pacific, New Zealand's Royal Navy said.

Officers on a Royal New Zealand Air Force ship saw the rock raft southwest
of Raoul Island yesterday (Aug. 9). It measures an astounding 300 miles
(482 kilometers) in length and more than 30 miles (48 km) in width, the
Navy said.

Lieutenant Tim Oscar, of the Royal Australian Navy, described the rocks as
"the weirdest thing I've seen in 18 years at sea,"

"The rock looked to be sitting two feet above the surface of the waves, and
lit up a brilliant white color in the spotlight," Oscar told AAP. "It
looked exactly like the edge of an ice shelf."

Pumice forms when lava from a volcano cools rapidly. Trapped gas in the
hardening lava creates pores in the rocks, which allow them to float. The
Navy said scientists believe these chunks off New Zealand's coast were
likely spewed to the surface by an underwater volcano, possibly the Monowai
seamount, which has been active along the Kermadec arc.

We are not sure of the date.  Maybe you can find out.  We are still seeing it
after a day and a half.  That is heaps of pumice!  And it is below the surface also and is coming through the salt water we use in the toilet, the sink, the cooling water for the engine, etc. When it was calm Barry made himself secure, leaned over the side of the boat with a colander and retrieved some big chunks.

We are 160 mi NW of Raoul Island mentioned in pumice article.

September 27-28. A 2 hour Birthday

Sept 27  While looking at the weather forecasts during our passage to Minervas Reefs  it was clear that the wind would be changing direction while we were there.  When you are anchored somewhere, you try to get some protection from the wind waves.  If the wind is going to be changing direction, this means that you may need to re-anchor the boat.  Since the lagoon has coral heads, you need to anchor in good visibility.  The problem is that the wind may change direction at night or early and late in the day when visibility is poor.  In addition, the forecast did not show a propitious time to leave Minerva Reefs for New Zealand.  With all that and "Heading for the Barn Fever", the Admiral says, "Turn left toward New Zealand now!"  So, Minerva Reefs will have to wait for another year.

Sept 27, 10:19 pm Watching the GPS  at 179 degrees 59 seconds and in 1 second we will cross the international date line and  it will be Sept 28.

Sept 28, 179degrees 59 seconds East.  9:20 pm .  So there you have it - I will have a 2 hour and 40 min birthday.

Sept 27 1 pm The Lost Birthday and Pumice

From Lynne:  after a lot of calculating and worrying, I have determined that I am going to lose my birthday.  It's an important one - 70 years!  Any advice on what to do?  

Barry was sleeping and I was eating lunch in the cockpit when long streams of floating pumice appeared going from north to south more or less.  The streams of pumice have lasted almost an hour and a half so far.  When I figure out the geology involved I'll let you know or you can let us know.  I think it has to do with volcanic activity along the Tonga Trench.

Pumice, not our picture or our location

Skipping Minerva Reef....again. September 23, 2012

We gave up on Minerva because going there meant arriving in the dark and having to wait 8 hrs in 25 knots and heavy seas waiting to get in.  Then once in, we would be missing the only good wind for a week. The wind wins every time (if you are smart).

From Sheryl
On another note, Google maps and their search function for this blog work pretty well. However, today, it says my parents are here. I assure you, based on my minimal knowledge of sailing, geography and my parents' description of their location, they are not in New South Wales Australia. They are instead, according to regular Google maps, in the location noted in the second picture....far more likely, don't you think?

Position :  26 23.32' S, 179 03.52' W

Speed : 6.6 knots,  Course : 187 degree

September 27, 2012 Approaching the international date line

Sept 27 3 am.  Good wind, flat seas, zipping right along fast approaching the international date line at which point we will be a day ahead of you.  I hope this doesn't mean that I lose my birthday in the process.  New ETA NZ: Oct 5.  No birds, no whales, nobody.

Sept 25, 2012 On the way to Minerva Reef

Sept 25  It's a lonnng way from Niue to New Zealand via Minerva Reef.  All the while we are getting farther S (towards the South Pole) and yesterday we had to put on some clothes to keep warm. Our tropical adventure is drawing to an end.  ETA Opua NZ = Oct 7

Niue Memories, Sept 2012

Niue Memories
Monday we went on a forest walk with Jack, a local.  The following is the best we can remember of what he had to say:

Niue was settled by peoples from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji and the political divisions on the island reflect this. The island is divided three ways according to whose ancestors were from Samoa, Tonga or Fiji.  Once land is in your family it is that family's even if all family members live in New Zealand or the US.  Jack does not like the way present day Samoans leave Samoa and send their wages back to the family in Samoa or Fiji.  In Niue, whatever money you make goes to your immediate family and Jack thinks that is the way it should be.  Niue is heavily financed by NZ, some say $4 million/yr, others say $ 5 million/yr and still others say $25  million/year.  It looks to us like about $5 million/yr in the way of salaries, infrastructure repair and new building. If there are land disputes New Zealand sends commissioners to hold a court.  Jack was grateful to the Kiwi's role because they are fair and the locals are corrupt.  His opinion.    Jack was proud of his family of 6 children and following grandchildren. (This pride in having many children was the same 12 years ago.)  His is 48.

The huge trees in the forest have buttressed trunks or multiple trunks because the roots can't go deep in the very shallow layer of soil on top of the ancient coral.  There are many different types of trees on Niue.  Particularly prized is ebony, because of its fine grain, color and weight.  Jack carves ebony.  The ground is very rough due to chunks of old coral sticking up everywhere.  The entire island is riddled with caves from one end to the other, just the way coral reefs are not solid.  There are no coconut trees in the primal forest but there are coconut crabs, uga, pronounced oong ah.  Ugas eat fruits from the native trees at night and hide in the caves or holes during the day.  Coconut crabs can live to be 40 years old and grow very slowly.  The female crab mates, carries her fertilized eggs to the ocean side cliffs and drops them into the water.  They hatch and the crabs go through two different cycles in the ocean looking like krill.  Then they change to being a hermit crab, living in a mollusk shell.  As they grow older, they finally crawl out of the ocean and start living on the land.  They are a prized food on the island, and hunted extensively.  How long the crabs can take the pressure is a good question.

The forest is dense.  Once you get 100 feet from the road, you cannot see it.  You cannot see the sun due to the tree canopy and it is very easy to get lost in the forest.  After the big cyclone, there were no leaves left on any trees or bushes in that forest nor anywhere on Niue.  Many trees were blown over.  It took about 2 years for the surviving trees and bushes to grow back a full set of leaves.  There were no coconut trees originally on Niue because there were no beaches for water born coconuts to land on.  The coconuts were brought by the original South East Asian settlers and planted on the flatter ground above the seaside cliffs.  Agriculture here uses the slash and burn technique.  Taro, casava, papaya and a few bananas are typically planted.  A stick is used to make a hole between the coral rubble.  Can't use a farm tractor here, much less a shovel.  However, dozers are used to clear the forest.  After a few years, the soil is depleted and is allowed to grow back  to bush.  After many years, it will be ready to burn and grow food on.  The brochure declared that the forest walk was not appropriate for the elderly 70 and over.  Silly rule; we did fine.  At the beginning of the forest walk we told Jack we were interested in locating birds. He said we would hear many birds but see few because they are shy.  He said to go to the Matavai Resort  where the birds are more used to people and this is what we did.  We saw many White-tailed Tropic Birds and Jack showed where they nest in hollow trees in the forest.  He didn't find birds but he duplicated their calls and he told in which trees they feed, so he was a big help in finding birds.

White-tailed Tropic Bird, 50
Polynesian Triller 30
Polynesian Starling 20
Brown Noddy 10
Pacific Pigeon 50
Purple-capped Fruit Dove 10
Lesser Golden Plover 100
Jungle Fowl 4
Feral Chicken 100s
Pacific Reef Heron 10
Bristle-thighed Curlew 2
Banded Rail 10
Brown Booby 1 mid passage from Niue to Minerva Reef


We only did one SCUBA dive at Niue this time.  Although the water is very clear, the amount of live coral is minimal so there were not very many fish.  There were only a few sea snakes, all the same.  It will take years for the cyclone damage to be repaired.  They say that on the east side of the island, the sea life is abundant.  However, there are no places to launch a boat and the water is rough, as it is the windward side.  When we dove here 12 years ago, the coral was good, we saw some huge lobsters and the sea floor was literally covered with three species of sea snakes.  Our dive consisted of following a wall for a while then entering a cave, surfacing in the cave, descending again, exploring side canyons before returning  to the dive boat.  I, Lynne, was just interested in surviving the SCUBA dive.  I could barely stand the pain in my right ear after descending  a second time after the cave.  One person, Axel,  was a technical diver and gave us some fantastic photos of us and our dive.  Thanks, Axel on Gudrun.
 

Sea Snake

One of the advantages of being on Niue a while is that we had fun talking with the many Kiwis and Aussies who vacation on Niue - the couple from Cormandel and the couple with the outboard motor in Hervey Bay Australia. We spent much time on Cormandel peninsula about 7 yrs ago so they brought us up to date on the news there.  The couple from Hervey Bay, Kevin & Heidi, said that the it is the whale watching capital of the world and he and Barry talked boat motors.
The night we were stranded in the guest house we talked to 2 men from Christchurch about their earthquakes.  The damage was much worse than we knew.  We asked about the time ball at Lytleton and they said flattened, like the rest of Lyttleton.  Now there are investigations finding things were not right in the building department and enforcement  of building codes.  The insurance companies pay for the reconstruction but change their minds about paying full amount when it comes down to it.  All the time were were chatting, Brian  kept interjecting "mate" (pronounced Mite).  He especially was sympathetic to me, Lynne, saying, "Don't be worried about your boat, mate, your mates will take good care of it. You should try and rest, mate".

Sept 16-21, 2012 Niue

16 September  The supply ship returns in the morning and reanchors.  We hustle ashore and get our dinghy out of the water and onto the wharf.  The rest of the morning and most of the afternoon is spent finishing unloading the ship and loading returning empty containers and fuel tanks to the ship.  

18 September  Only 3 places in the country of Niue take a credit card.  We had become ignorant about the amount of  cash that is needed to live because 95% of what we spend at home goes on the credit card (for frequent flyer miles); therefore, we quickly went through the NZ$700.00 that we brought.  There are no ATMs that work on the island. Therefore we were forced to go to the only bank to exchange our $US 700.00 for the local currency which is $NZ.  The bank is based in Papua New Guinea and nobody in Niue, including visitors, like it.  They pay very low wages, charge exorbitant fees and make 13% profit on currency exchanges.  Normally it would cost  about US$.86 to buy a NZ$1.00 but this bank charged US$.9515!  They can get away with it because it is the only bank in the whole country.  There are three ATM machines in the country, but they have remained in their crates for a long time.  We can understand why the bank would not like to have them operating.


19 September  We spent most of the day touring the northwest side of the island.  There are a number of paths that go down to the sea, often at interesting places.  We did about 10 of those today, although just visiting and taking pictures.  We did not snorkel at any of the sites, as the coral is just starting to recolonize the reef,  8 years after the cyclone//hurricane hit.  At one parking lot, we got high-centered on a rock and just barely got off.  Why they do not routinely put a lift kit on rental cars is beyond me.  This is the second time that we have needed a lift kit on this low-rider station wagon.  We also spent a lot of time looking for and photographing birds.  We finally got some pictures of the Banded Rail.  We have seen a lot of them, but they are very wary and flee as soon as they see a car, or the car stops, or the car door opens.  We finished up our time ashore with a hot shower at the Yacht Clubs facility just above the dock.  It used to be for the fuel tank farm personnel, but the Yacht Club took it over when the tank farm abandoned it.  After  dinner on the boat, it was time to clean out the frig.  EEEW!

Banded Rail

 
20 September  After we bought Sunrise, I decided that it would be useful to have a drain on the bottom of our aft fuel tank so that we could remove any water that might get into the tank.  Sunrise came with a plug on the bottom.  I had about a quart size tank welded up with a hose coming off the side at the bottom that would screw into the drain hole.  Unfortunately, it seeped a bit of diesel.  Well, after adding 15 gallons yesterday, the seepage had increased to a Drip, Drip, Drip.  DANG!  I tried to reach under the tank with a long bar to see if I could turn it a bit.  Instead, it broke off and diesel was pouring out at a prodigious rate.  DOUBLE DANG!!  Although our two 5-gallon diesel jugs were empty, they were in the car on the wharf.  TRIPLE DANG!!!  We had just emptied the water out of three of our water jugs, so we started pumping diesel into the jugs.  We will now have to buy new water jugs, as the diesel taste and smell is probably permanent.  We lost 15 gallons of fuel into the bilges and were able to retrieve most of it for use after we pour it through a filter. There is still a lot of diesel coating the area under the fuel tank and in the bilge.  Afterwards, we went to the gas station and filled the diesel jugs.  Because of all the extra effort to move the container sized fuel tanks after the 2004 cyclone, fuel is about $10 per gallon in Niue.  OUCH! This is a lot more than before the old tank farm was damaged in the cyclone.  They tell us that a new tank farm for fuel has been built, but it is has not been activated yet.

21 September  It is a beautiful sunny day with gorgeous clouds.  We are leaving Niue and headed for Minerva Reefs.  North Minerva is an atoll with no motus (sandy islands).  It has a passage into the lagoon on the west side.  South Minerva is a double atoll with the shape of the number 8 and a passage into the northern lagoon.  You anchor up inside the lagoon in relatively calm water in the middle of the ocean with nothing to see but a reef awash when the tide is out.  We have passed it 5 times before without stopping. This time, we are going for it.

Reef of Minerva

The good and not the bad news.

I found my driver's license!!!  And some $US.  Life is good.  We'll send the bad news later after we finish dealing with the fuel leak/gusher.

Whisker pole

Before the whisker pole broke;
when it was holding out the genoa for wing and wing. 

After, with the butt end hoisted up the track
on the mast where it is stowed and
the other end tied to the life lines.