Archive for the ‘New Zealand’ Category

How to land a crewing job at sea

How to land a crewing job at sea

My article was originally published on Meet Plan Go! As I knock, knock, knocked on the window of a sleek catamaran with a shiny teak deck, I wondered, is this appropriate behavior? Had I been visiting a house, I would have knocked on the front door, but climbing aboard seemed intrusive. No one emerged from below deck. […]

And we’re off! Setting sail for Tonga today

And we’re off! Setting sail for Tonga today

Today we set sail for the beginning of our South Pacific sailing adventure! We awoke to a beautiful rainbow which I hope is a sign for good weather to come. We are departing from the Bay of Islands, New Zealand for a 1200 mile, 10-day voyage to Tonga (could be longer if weather permit us […]

Evi in Wonderland

Evi in Wonderland

In my last post FEMALE CREW ONLY,  I spoke to the challenges we had in our search for a boat to sail to the South Pacific. We are happy to announce that we found our boat and have a cool lady captain! But before I tell you all about Wonderland (the 40 ft sloop yacht we will […]

FEMALE Crew Only!?!?

FEMALE Crew Only!?!?

I thought finding a boat to sail to the South Pacific would be easier than it actually turned out to be. My confidence  a result of receiving emails from captains who saw my profile on crew finding websites and were interested in me joining their boat despite the fact that I had very little sailing […]

Octopus Tales

Octopus Tales

After seven eventful weeks we had to say adios to Octopus. It was a fun ride, a cozy home, and he will be missed. Maybe it was for the best that we had to part ways as Tom and I developed some bad habits during our time living in the van. There were many of nights […]

Found a boat, but …

Found a boat, but …

it is not leaving New Zealand until early June as the engine is currently being replaced. The owners, a retired couple from England, have invited us to sail with them to Vanuatu. The boat is a 50 ft catamaran and we would have our own private cabin. Everything sounds great except the idea of having […]

Whangarei Heads Hikes

Whangarei Heads Hikes

There are many scenic hikes around Whangarei Heads. We enjoyed a fun climb to the summit of Mount Aubrey.

Cape Reinga – where oceans collide

Cape Reinga – where oceans collide

Photo of the week: Cape Reinga as far north as you can drive in New Zealand. *The Meeting Point – Cape Reinga marks the separation of the Tasman Sea (to the west) from the Pacific Ocean. For Maori, these turbulent waters are where the male sea Te Moana Tapokopoko a Tawhaki meets the female sea […]

How to make tuatua fritters

How to make tuatua fritters

Learned something new today … how to make tuatua fritters. What is a tuatua you ask? Tuatua is a shellfish that can be found in abundance on the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand during low tide. A local had suggested we find ourselves some tuatua and fry into “fritters”, a very […]

GBF: Kitesurfed a really cool spot …

GBF: Kitesurfed a really cool spot …

that should be kept a secret as it wouldn’t be so cool if other kiters found out about it and crowded the water! The Good: I finally got to go kitesurfing after being disabled for over 3 weeks with my bruised rib! For over a week we explored the beautiful Karikari Peninsula where no matter which way the […]

Craving fish and chips?

Craving fish and chips?

Head to the tiny coastal town Monganui, home to the “World Famous” Fish and Chips Shop … SO GOOD!

Sailing Freestyle in Opua

Sailing Freestyle in Opua

I had been feeling a bit anxious to get to Opua (Bay of Islands). We think we have our best chance of finding our boat in Opua as it is the marina where the majority of boats sailing to the South Pacific are currently docked waiting out the cyclone season. I was worried we could literally […]