(no subject)

Hi everyone,
This will be a very short blog @cos nothing much to recount at this stage. We had Gina's son Perry on board for a couple of days over the weekend and went down to Oke Bay from Paihia - motorsailing most of the time because not much wind. Pleased to see the Soren Larsen is back in commission and bringing groups of people up from Auckland over the summer and apparently planning a voyage to the Islands during the winter.
We left Russell yesterday and are now at Marsden Cross on the Purerua Peninsula which is at the NW side of the Bay of Islands. This is where in 1814 Samuel Marsden preached the first Christmas sermon which is historically interesting but sowed the seeds for all the disension that ensued in subsequent years!! The missionaries (or at least some of them) actually facilitated the acquisition of muskets for Hone Heke with which he laid waste much of Northland and Auckland and murdered many of his own people, albeit members of other tribes.
At Marsden Cross the chief in Marsden's time was Rangiputa and he only allowed "his" Pakehas to live on the site where the cross actually is so that he could keep an eye on them and make sure that they weren't stolen by rival Maoris!! After their time at Marsden Cross which was fairly short lived the missionaries moved to Kerikeri (with Maori permission)and built what is now known as the Stone Store in 1836.
We are shortly going to go ashore and visit the Cross and then climb up to Rangiputa's Pa which still has clearly outlined against the sky the terraces by which the pa was defended against marauders. It is on a commanding headland which overlooks the bay. Just as well we brought along some muskets - we might meet an unfriendly reception!!
Tomorrow we plan to head north - might overnight at the Cavallis which are an island group between here and Whangaroa. Easterlies are forecast which will give us a good slant up the coast and also allow us to anchor at the Cavallis which are not tenable as an overnight anchorage in other wind directions. Then the plan is Whangaroa and then further north - maybe even North Cape weather permitting.
We'll keep in touch as always and hope all is well with everyone.
Lots of love
Jim and Jean (Gina)
P.S. After this we intend to sail to the Barrier and round the Hauraki Gulf before returning to Whangarei for our haulout around mid March prior to the big OE!

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