A Birthday and More! I think I will make the ‘Week That Was!’ a weekly heading for the short recap of happenings aboard. A week of fantastic weather came to a sudden end as a predicted weather front arrived three days early. The lack of planes in the air is certainly playing havoc with the […]
Saliander officially became known as Australis 1 back in late March, but we had a six month window in which to ticks all the boxes required. This week was the week. The last of her old name ‘Saliander’ removed, the lettering denoting our girl as ‘Australis 1’ to all was adhered to the stern and […]
Solar panels are a major requirement on cruising boats in today’s world. Why? They are a critical source of energy for maintaining the modern systems on board. Fridges, lights, batteries, computers and so forth all utilise the energy the panels bring on to Australis 1 – and Gratis, too. When we took ownership, Australis 1 […]
It’s been another busy week aboard Australis 1. A new post from NZ is also online. http://www.gratisaustralis.com/a-walk-a-dinghy-ride-oneroa-bay-paroa-bay/
Orokawa Bay to Clendon Cove With winds increasing over the past few days, our delightful anchorage had become just a little uncomfortable as the fetch built. Already, one of the smaller boats had dragged – and rapidly! Fortunately, there were moorings for the single hander to grab hold of and attach a line to. As […]
Orokawa Bay, Bay of Islands: New Zealand Out in the bay trawling the line for a meal of fish to feed the hungry hoards, out of the blue a massive disturbance in the water ahead caught my eye. Two black fins, three, then four gracefully pierced the surface as their bodies rounded, then disappeared […]
New Zealand and its Bay of Islands continues to amaze. No swell, pristine, peaceful, idyllic. This bay is delightful. Awaking as dawn was breaking, on looking out the portal I discovered mist arising in the valley over the hill. Drifting westward, it wended it way out over the water, gradually engulfing the distant yachts resting […]
Having returned to Paihia, a dinghy ride into the township to stock up on fresh food led us to the local Countdown: how shopping had changed in a few short days! A Covid reducing Level 4 lockdown in New Zealand meant a guard stood at the shop entrance. A minimum of ten people were lined […]
A long sandy beach where holiday ‘shacks’ lined the shoreline, the perfect spot for a night’s stay. The silence was complete. Interesting Read https://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/research/index.html
The Corona Virus was taking hold in Auckland and the regions south of the city. Now at level four restrictions, a quick motor into Paihia for a restock. The last of our condiments purchased, it was time to find a more comfortable anchorage – the ferries and boat traffic make the Paihia mooring a little […]
With perfect weather, there was time for a sojourn ashore. Dinghy readied, and we were off. A loop around Australis 1. It looked like we weren’t the only ones! The tide was coming in…… There was a bit of a climb ahead! Oh, the views were so worth the effort.
