New Zealand, North Island, continued

In Gulf Harbor and fell into the clutches of the local canvas maker (again).  We just can't seem to resist.  We're having a new dinghy bag made and some more repairs to the dodger.  It never seems to end.

Fendal, Lynn and Marian

After a few days, we moved down to Royal Akarana Yacht Club in Auckland.  Our friends Marian and Brian joined us for a weekend RAYC cruise the following weekend.


We saw old friends and made new ones.

Graeme Colle and Bill

We spent the following week on a RAYC mooring getting caught up on mostly online business.  Where did all the time go?

Charlie at the helm

Anyhow, Saturday, February 26th, our friends Charlie and Susie Stillman arrived for some cruising and land travel together.  We had a short cruise in the Harauki Gulf.

But bad weather limited our options.  We did make it to Coromandel town and the scenic Driving Creek Railway.  We first enjoyed this trip on a SYC-RAYC exchange years aga.  The line's been extended and ends at a spectacular scenic peak.

We thought the rough weather had ended before we set out for Gulf Harbor again.  But we had a very rough wet crossing.  We were all glad when it was over.  On Sunday, Bill, Charlie and Susie took the ferry to nearby Tiritiri Matangi, a native bird sanctuary island.