Settled into the marina…   Saturday, 23/12/2023

Have settled in here well. Marsden Cove Marina is a pleasant place to be, in a largely rural environment. Twice in the past week I have hired a car and driven the 40 kilometres (25 miles) or so into the city of Whangarei – helpfully there’s a marine shop here that rents out a few cars at a reasonable price, so it’s quite easy to get a car for the day. Whangarei is a small city with a population of 57,000, but shopping facilities are very good. It’s helped by the wider district containing 105,000 people, and the fact that it’s the most northerly city in the North Island, meaning that people probably come from far and wide to shop. It’s easy to drive into and find parking.

I had a very pleasant surprise last Sunday evening. Suddenly there was a knocking on my boat and a voice calling my name… it was Tom from Skyfall, the boat I’d helped on as a line handler going through the Panama Canal. I knew that Skyfall was in the marina somewhere, but I thought that Tom and Annick were in Europe until after the New Year. But Tom had come back in order to get various things done on the boat – which is moored just past Manuka on the opposite side of B dock.  We’d followed each other’s blogs, but there was still a lot to catch up on, which we did over gins and tonics and a bottle of red Bordeaux.

This evening we’ve just eaten in the marina restaurant, and have been planning Christmas Day. Tom has searched for any restaurants open without any luck, so we are busy concocting a reasonable dinner to have here on Skyfall in the marina. It looks like roast chicken, roast potatoes and parsnips, Christmas pudding and ice cream, with cognac and wine!

I’ve been preparing for a lengthy trip around the North Island, ten days or so. New Zealand’s South Island is famed for its scenery, but the North Island appears to be pretty scenic too: mountains, forests and a dramatic coastline with some superb beaches. I have decided that I will camp – there are Department of Conservation campgrounds dotted around. They have only basic facilities – some kind of toilets and cold water, often not potable – but they are very cheap and many are in wonderful locations. Yesterday in Whangarei I bought a simple 2-person bell tent, big enough that it won’t feel cramped. I also bought a good quality air mattress to ensure comfortable sleep, plus a small gas stove and various meals in tins or packets that just require heating up. Camping will be something very different – it seems to me to be ideal to be right in the natural environment. I shall hopefully be able to post something when I have decent phone connection as I travel.

It’s amazing how quickly this year has gone by. I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas, wherever you are and whatever you are doing!