May 29, 2020
Hey, that’d be a good name for our boat… “Sudden Changes.” Wednesday we were talking about our immediate futures. One of us suggested spending some time in Auckland. One of us sent off a couple of emails to marinas in Auckland. About 7PM, we got an affirmative response from one of them telling us they have a spot for Legacy and welcoming us.
One of us checked the weather forecasts and much to our surprise, it looked good. By 9pm, we’d walked to the grocery store for a provisioning trip for the first two-day, 300 mile passage from Nelson to Napier. By 7 AM Thursday morning, we were on our way.
Here’s our last look at the South Island, where we’ve spent so much time during the past year and a half. This is Cape Jackson at the tip of Queen Charlotte Sound and the lighthouse right off the point.
And our first glimpse of our destination – the North Island…
Our decision seems spur-of-the-moment and maybe reckless, but not really. It doesn’t look like Australia will be opening up anytime soon and it’s really cold in Nelson in the fall and winter. By getting out of the 40’s (latitude, as in Roaring Forties), it looks like the temperatures might be a little more survivable for the softies on Legacy. Also, we like Auckland and always like new restaurants and new scenery.
We’re underway now. One of us is sacked out in the bunk and one of us is typing this nonsense. We hope to be in Napier tomorrow about noon, with the high tide. It looks like we may have to spend a week there before we get weather to go an additional 300 miles to Auckland. That’s OK: There are restaurants in Napier that both of us like! -Rich
