May 2013
Once we were done with the haulout and back in our slip, time went by pretty quickly. We still had boat work to do, and now it was time to start provisioning. We weren’t in a hurry to leave as our six-month visa didn’t run out until early June, but it was time to start wrapping things up. We got our medical checkups done, started provisioning, did a few more boat projects (here’s a link to Rich’s favorite store and second home ) and managed to fit in a couple of sightseeing excursions. We had a very nice gathering of cruisers at Phil’s Place one night. People were heading off in various directions (going to other jump-off points or shipping their boats back to the US), and it was nice to be able to say good-bye before they left, especially those we wouldn’t be seeing again.
Meanwhile, the weather was getting colder. We were now running our heater first thing in the morning and at night. Our lunches at Phil’s were increasingly taking place in front of the fireplace. It was changes like these that made it easier to think about leaving and mentally prepare for the passage ahead.
On May 16 we signed up for a weather routing service and started waiting for a weather window. By now the cruisers we knew in Tauranga had gone, but we were having frequent weather discussions with cruisers in Whangarei, comparing notes and sharing information and opinions about possible weather windows. There was a promising window coming up and we all braced to go, but as it neared it just didn’t look so good. A couple of people went, but the rest of us opted to wait for something better. We made the right decision as they had a rough trip. In the end, no matter how much advice and weather routing you have, you have to go with your gut. The weather between New Zealand and the tropics is like the stock market, always a gamble.
Meanwhile, while we didn’t manage to climb the Mount again, we did enjoy some walks around its base. What a treat to have a place like this so close. Below is a gallery from a walk around the base of the Mount.
There is also a lovely little park in Mount Maunganui: Mount Drury Reserve, with a path that winds amid pohutukawa trees to the summit of a hill. It’s like a miniature version of the Mount and another great place to walk. Below is a gallery of the reserve. (As always, with both galleries, click to enlarge and scroll.) –Cyndi
