I mentioned The Black Ball Yacht Club in my last blog, well the organisers decided that the black ball that you see above the marina office should be put back into use and to that end they would make a recording of the daily event so as to draw folk forward to check their wrist …

Can’t sleep? Don’t count sheep, talk to the shepherd.” I read on a church billboard in Taradale suburb. Or pop up to the Mission cellar door for a very generous sampling of seven wines and a free engraved glass for $5.00 (£2.50) instead, which is what we did, enough to ensure a good night’s sleep …

It’s Nice to have a Plan Tui was quite literally blown and washed into Gisborne by land just as Cook and his crew were after two months at sea, but for him it was the natives who gave him a turbulent time while for us it was the weather. The initial interaction between Cook and …

6th April 2018 South to Tauranga We were sitting on the veranda of the Warkworth Riverview Café when I realised I forgotten to bring warm, waterproof jackets for either of us. We left in brilliant sunshine but now the sky was grey, so maybe that was why I omitted to pack the essentials. So we …

Nature’s Palette in the Pukenui Forest There are two loops of forest track in this remnant of native woodland just behind Whangarei. One meanders at low level alongside a little river for 8.2km while the other branches off it and climbs, steeply in places, to ‘the rim’, follows the rim right around and back to …

Post Cyclone Gita we leave the Main (land) for Great Barrier Island ‘Self-Evacuate’ (sounds like a meteorological enema doesn’t it) is a term that has been used as advice to folk to leave their homes in the path of Gita for a safe haven before the storm arrived. Six thousand folk found themselves trapped in …

Fire and Fury around the White Ship Zoonie A tongue in cheek title since I have just finished Michael Wolf’s fast paced and perceptive book about the first year in Trump House. Rob is ‘enjoying’ it at the moment. Following on from the storm Eleanor in the UK the cyclone season in NZ was filling …

Off with the Diamonds and on with the Denims Three days back in Broadstone gave us time for a breezy Sunday walk along the promenade between Branksome Chine and Bournemouth Pier with our southern family, time to write some thank you notes and post them, time for haircuts and time to get right up to …

A Greater Contrast? Yesterday on January 24th we took Zoonie downriver for her first excursion since November 2016 when we arrived on these shores. With us were Ben, Marine Manager of McKay Electronics, who has supported us all through Zoonie’s re-fit, and young Mark who straightaway put his electrician’s skills into practice to fix the …

Christmas Preps and Early Presents Like my late father I have always loved the coming together of families at Christmas and certain traditional preparations including making festive food like Christmas cake, mince pies and Sloe Gin. Preferring to shop for presents through the year as the ideas come to mind and we come across perfect …