Sailing Blog
Loving New Caledonia
Unlike most islands we’ve visited so far in the South Pacific, New Caledonia has a large boating population. The marina we call home at the moment is massive and 99% of the boats here are owned by locals. And, this is just one of many marinas. What does this mean for us? The short answer […]
We’re in New Caledonia
After the last post, I think I need to make sure this one is slightly more upbeat. We happily put Fiji in the rearview mirror and made our way to New Caledonia. This is a French Island. Lately, there has been a lot of civil unrest here due to a minor group pushing for independence. More […]
Violated in Savusavu
As you read this, I will ask you to keep in mind that we are always very polite and accommodating to officials. We understand they have a job to do and we are respectful of their job. During our almost 10 years of full-time cruising and in our previous part-time sailing life, we have […]
Birthdays on the Ocean
I am happy to say we finally have Nawi Island in the rearview mirror. We wound up waiting for our part longer than expected. Fiji customs held up the windlass part for 9 days for no apparent reason. Cindy found a senior contact at DHL and asked them to investigate the delay. Fiji customs said […]
Frustrated in Fiji
I’m really starting to have a love/hate attitude toward Fiji. Ok, it really is tilting more toward the hate side. Our experience in Savusavu so far is definitely not up to snuff as we compare our experiences in Fiji last year at Denarau and the surrounding islands there. At this point, I can’t wait to […]
We’re Back in Fiji
We’re back in Fiji, the land of happy people (mostly). We were very pleasantly surprised to find a couple of friends who we hung out with during our last trip to Fiji and also in New Zealand. We knew they were in Fiji somewhere but to find them in the same port as us was […]
Two Cents from the Crew-New Zealand
When we first stared this adventure, I was surprised to learn that in the boater/cruising community it is common to call people by their boat name. We are no longer Mark and Cindy. We are collectively called “Cream Puff”. When we lived on land our friends knew our personalities were divergent. I find in the […]
Minerva Reef
We finally escaped the clutches of New Zealand weather. We staged the boat at Marsden Cove Marina just down the river from Whangarei, our home for the past few months. After waiting for 3 weeks, we finally had what appeared to be a decent window to head northward. Not a great window, but doable. At […]
Now What?
After our trip to the South Island, we hauled Cream Puff at a local boatyard for routine maintenance. Well, it was a little bit more than routine stuff. We decided to have all the old antifoul paint removed and start over with a fresh coat. In addition, we had a long list of other items […]
New Zealand – South Island – Part IV
Our next adventure is Picton at the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island. From Christchurch to Picton, we took the coastal scenic train. Like before, we upgraded to first class so to include drinks and food. We almost had the entire car to ourselves. It was just us and one other couple. The train […]
New Zealand – South Island – Part III
I think it is fair to say, the further south we moved the friendlier the people became. When was the last time you filled your car with fuel and the person behind the counter started a friendly conversation? This happened not just once. At lunchtime, we entered the smallish town of Ashburton, Canterbury and Googled […]
New Zealand – South Island – Part II
When we left off from the last post, we’d taken the train from Christchurch to Greymouth and began exploring the really cool little beach town of Hokitika. We needed to head south as our plan is to go walkabout on top of a mountain. More specifically, a walk on a glacier. Heading southward, we drove […]
New Zealand – South Island – Part I
Going to New Zealand’s South Island for 4 weeks put our planning skills to the test. We had to line up or figure out airplanes, Ubers, multiple trains, a helicopter, rental cars, a ferry, buses, places and places to stay. During this trip we saw 84 towns, used one taxi and five Ubers. We rode […]
Another Road Trip – Part II
Continued from Part I The second time I was in awe this week was during a visit to Hobbiton, located in Matamata, New Zealand. Matamata was about a 40 minute drive from our AirBnB condo in Hamilton and is a world-renowned tourist destination that brings the enchanting realm of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth to life. As […]
Another Road Trip – Part I
Here’s something funny; in French Polynesia and Fiji, we fell in love with a brand of New Zealand made ice cream called Deep South. In French Polynesia like all things there, it was expensive and we splurged only once in a while for a tub. In Fiji, it was a regular treat as a store […]
