We left Auckland Harbour and headed out for an island with property owned by our hosts Bill’s friend, who was also with us along with his wife. So on the boat we the four of us (Ky & I, Ethan, Henry), Bill, Bobby & Regan & Ronald (Bill & Melanie’s sons), 4 of Bobby’s friends, Bill’s friend & his wife.
Left to right: Bill’s legs, his friend’s wife, his friend, KyEthan and Henry and their devicesDowntown Auckland from the HarbourI don’t know what this building is, but it looked pretty neat. Perhaps a customs house?A sea plane and Auckland Harbour BridgePort crane stuff (I don’t know what to call them, clearly, but I like taking pics of the practical/not-so-pretty side of things)A nice big ship!A sail boat in Auckland Harbor
Our wake after passing through the channel between these islands; I think the one we stayed on was part of a ring of islandsNear where we anchored to fishNear where we anchored to fishNear where we anchored to fishKy & Ronald fishingA keyhole cave (at least that’s what it looks like to me) in the rock near where we fished.Near where we anchored to fish – the big rock on the right is the one with the keyhole in itI didn’t notice this until the chips were nearly finished, but there are too many fowl on this bag for me to really trust any of them – chicken, penguin, bluebird. For the record, the chips taste like chicken, but maybe bluebird and penguin do too.
Rounding the corner into the cove where we anchored; I liked the gnarled tree trunksA small island as seen from where we docked for the nightThe same island, after the shadow of our island crept up on it and made it stand out. What’s so fascinating about tiny islands? I want to explore them and pitch a tent for a night. Visit one instead of a church. Set a story there.The other side of the cove from where we dockedThe boatLooking out of the cove where we docked; the tree on the right has a rope swing on it and boards nailed onto the trunk to use for swinging into the water at high tide.Can you spot the stingray?Stingray from the dock. Notice the, uh, algae growing on it; makes me wonder if they clean them at Sea World & aquariums.
Then another stingray appeared – I’ll always think of these two as an old married coupleThe house on the island where we dockedLavender blossomLily budSome kind of lily; there were lotsHydrangea BudHydrangeas with the house & an anchor in the background – possibly the best picture I’ve taken on this vacationFuchsiaRusty anchorThe living room/lounge in the houseView of the cove from inside the house; notice the cut-out detail around the top of the porch – so prettyA flying fish. We caught 2 with a net around midnight from the boat, which has underwater lights. Bill also spotted a baby squid, which made him wonder if any bigger squid were around, so he switched out the lure on one of the fishing poles. A few minutes later, he caught an adult squid, which hissed & inked all over the place as he reeled it in. I think we’re eating these guys as part of dinner tonight or tomorrow.
I only have these pictures from the 1st day of fishing (day 4 of our trip) because I tried to keep pace drinking wine with Bill and his friend over dinner. I’m not supposed to drink on the medicine that I take, so the next day didn’t go well for me at all. I spent most of the day between the bed and the toilet on the boat (3 bedrooms, 2 toilets, a small kitchen-table-lounge area, then the upstairs with the controls & a lounge area). I do know that at one point Ky caught a small shark and someone has a picture of him with it, but other than that the fishing wasn’t that great. When we headed back to Auckland, the seas got really rough. So rough that I could no longer lay on the bed without worrying about hitting it hard enough to feel the platform beneath it. I dragged myself to the table, had some toast, and tried to keep it together for the 2 hour trip back to Auckland. Today, the day after, I still kind of feel like I’m on a rocking boat when I close my eyes. Lesson learned: don’t drink too much when you’re out on a boat with no other way back to land.
I knit, crochet, spin, and have done some experimenting with weaving and natural dye. I’m also a technical writer, mom to 3 boys, and enjoy gardening.
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2 thoughts on “NZ Days 3 & 4: The Boat”
I thought the ‘keyhole’ cave was a shark shape, perhaps man made, as a joke!!
It does look kind of shark shaped! Definitely not man made though. Maybe a warning from Mother Nature? Although our hosts did go diving and didn’t see any sharks …
Little Golden Notebook 
I thought the ‘keyhole’ cave was a shark shape, perhaps man made, as a joke!!
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It does look kind of shark shaped! Definitely not man made though. Maybe a warning from Mother Nature? Although our hosts did go diving and didn’t see any sharks …
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