We are just about to fly back to the UK for Christmas. Be back in New Zealand in February to finish some jobs and get back on the water. Plan for 2011 at the moment is to get around to Thailand via Vanuatu, Solomon, Sail Indonesia rally from Darwin through Indonesia.

We have had an excellent relaxing time since coming back to New Zealand. The Island of Tiritiri in the Hauraki Gulf is a must for anybody that remotely likes seeing birds in the wild. Volunteers and DOC have made an island free from introduced rodent predators and have established pre-European vegetation. Birds abound and many pose for their photo. Greg is the star of the show. We didn’t see Cloudesley Shovell – named by a warden with connections to the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, UK.

Got to have a birthday whisky with Larry and Lin Pardey on the Island of Kawau. The island has quite a few holiday homes but virtually no roads so nearly every house has a simple pier. We have their book on storm tactic and plan to follow their heaving to logic. It was fun understanding their thinking and sharing stories.

We thought we would spend a few days at the main anchorage on Great Barrier. First couple of days we even did some long walks – one to the highest peak (621m). Then we got talking with the community of Kiwis that come a lot out of season and enjoyed doing not much – catching fish, eating smoked fish, catching cockles, cooking cockles on a BBQ. What a great way to chill out.

Then is was back to Whangarei for the haul-out.

With luck we will get to post on the blog the story of late 2009 and early 2010 while in the UK. Late 2009 was fun seeing NZ. First half of 2010 was all work getting Giselle painted etc.