My Big Adventures
Currently: kiteboarding Western Australia
Guest Speaker at Meet Plan Go!
Archive for the ‘Octopus Tales’ Category
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 …
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
There are many scenic hikes around Whangarei Heads. We enjoyed a fun climb to the summit of Mount Aubrey.
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
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 …
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?
Head to the tiny coastal town Monganui, home to the “World Famous” Fish and Chips Shop … SO GOOD!
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 […]
Searching for a guy named Mary …
Several people told us we should stop in the town of Whangarei (pronouced Fangaray) on our way north as many yachties get their boats repaired there before sailing to Opua. Opua is the marina closest to the Bay of Islands many boats will be departing for the South Pacific. While in Whangarei we got to […]
Crew Available
How are we going about finding a boat to take us to the South Pacific? First we have to let as many people as possible know that we are available to crew and want to go to the islands. We have registered on all the crewing and sailing websites. We roam marina docks and ask […]
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
It is common practice these days that I enjoy an ice cream lunch. My new favorite ice cream is New Zealand made Kapiti raspberry vanilla ice cream covered in white chocolate (not real chocolate says the Swiss who is a bit of a chocolate snob : ) ) YUM YUM!
Counting Sheep in Tawharanui
Photos of the week: Adorable sheep in Tawharani National Park. Twaharanui Regional Park is an open sanctuary with lush green farmland running along an awesome coastline. It is a great place to camp and hike among Kiwi wildlife. I couldn’t decide which photo was better to be “photo of the week” … which do you […]