Hi

Just had to let you all know - Jim is a grandfather for the 3rd. time. Elsie Jane Wright was born to Charlotte and Jon at 2238 on 20/12/2010 9lbs. 8oz. in Christchurch NZ.  A new life enters the world - a very humbling feeling.

Jim and Gina

 

Seasons greetings

Well, it's that time of the year again. Hopefully you are all surviving it in great style. We are on the boat in the Whangarei Town Basin Marina wishing this pesky rain would stop and awaiting the best Christmas present of all - another grandchild for Jim. Hasn't happened just yet! She was due on the 14th. but like most women likes to take her time! We're going to Tuakau south of Auckland for Christmas with Gina's sister Heather and her husband, Magan. Then back up here and hopefully away on the boat somewhere for a week or so. All depends which way the wind blows!

We hope you all have a happy Christmas and that 2011 is everything that you would wish for.

With very best wishes and lots of love,

Jim and Jean (Gina) 

 

Almost home again

Tonight we are in Urquarts Bay again after a very pleasant, albeit slow, sail down from Tutukaka. The wind never rose above 10 knots except for the last half mile or so and so it was a good chance to try out our UPS again and it worked well. In those light conditions it probably gave us half a knot more speed but anything is worthwhile. And we practised gybing it and it all worked a treat. Last night we had a meal ashore at Tutukaka Marina (we weren't berthed in the marina) which was average but at least a change from eating on the boat. We'd had a good trip down from Mimiwhangata the day before but it was only 2 hours under power and as we needed to make water and charge the batteries we motored all the way.
The weather has been great the whole time but now showing signs of some deterioration - the farmers need the rain. We'll top up our fuel at Marsden Cove Marina in the morning and then make our way the 12 miles up to the Town Basin on the flooding tide. That gives us an extra 2 knots over the ground in places.
We're signing off now but will be back on the air again with more nautical news as soon as we set sail again. Lots to do between now and next April (only 5 months max.) before we leave for Vanuatu and ultimately Malaysia. NZ is undoubtedly beautiful but doesn't have a monopoly on beauty. We are looking forward to the next big adventure in our lives checking out parts of Indonesia, then Malaysia and Thailand. Seems very daunting sitting here in NZ but it's just a matter of one step at a time.
Once more watch this space!
Cheers,
Jim and Jean (Gina)

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Tiare Taporo III Homeward bound

We have had a very relaxed time in Mimiwhangata; we've swum (albeit with serious goosebumps!) and generally just enjoyed the tranquility and the scenery. We've walked ashore but not too strenuously and now about to have dinner before an early start south in the morning. NW winds up to 35 knots are forecast for the afternoon so should be interesting if we decide to carry on south of Tutukaka! Keep watching this space!!
Thanks to Russell Radio for their listening watch. We've enjoyed renewing the contact.
Stewart - are the subs for 2010/2011 now due? We haven't had any notification; just what we've heard. If so we'll post a cheque or can we put directly into your bank account?
Cheers

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Mimiwhangata 8/12/10

We are still in Mimiwhangata tonight - just moved around the corner into Helena Bay and found a delightful landlocked bay which would only accommodate 3-4 boats. The usual sundowner and pasta for dinner in the cockpit while watching the sun go down. What a life!
Gina bought a nightie in Malaysia with "Georgeous" on the front but it is far too big - don't know how that happened. It looks hilarious! We went ashore this morning and had a walk to make sure the blood was still circulating - all in all a quiet day. Weather forecast seems to be quite obliging - going NW on Friday which will be good for getting back to Whangarei.
More news of riveting doings tomorrow.
Cheers,
J & G

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More nautical wanderings

After a slow start we eventually left Tutukaka and headed north under power and the trusty reefed main. We struck all sorts of conditions within minutes of each other. We had winds from the SW 5-20 knots and even NE 20 knots down to 5 again in as many minutes. We took our time and sailed as much as possible and finally rounded Rimariki Is. and headed into Mimiwhangata. It's a beautiful unspoilt place as DOC owns a big tract of it and there's a long white sand beach facing north which is ideal for walks. We are anchored in a small rock protected bay on the western side as SW winds are forecast tonight and it is more sheltered than the beach although at the time of writing this we are only experiencing a gentle rocking with no wind at all. We are going ashore in the morning for a longish walk and then we will head north again for Whangamumu. More walks are scheduled there to get the old limbs back to a semblance of fitness after the inactivity and food in Malaysia!!
NW winds are forecast for Sat/Sun so should be good for wafting us back to Whangarei. But we'll believe it when we see it!

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Back to sailing

Certainly different from motoring through Malaysia!! We left Whangarei on Sun. 5th. and motored down the harbour in a glassy calm. Beautiful morning but no good for sailing. Anchored in Urquarts, then the next day a reasonably strong westerly sprang up. We left under staysail and reefed main, then at Bream Head deployed the Genoa and doused the staysail. Had an excellent sail up the coast from there full and bye on the port tack. Made Tutukaka in good time and anchored in 12' of water just under a little headland which gave us some lee from the westerlies which were still fairly strong. Sundowners and dinner (chops and roast potatoes and veges) and fell into bed exhausted after our unaccustomed nautical voyaging.
We are now in Tutukaka and it's Tuesday morning. Windless and flat calm. We are leaving shortly for Mimiwhangata - only 12 miles up the coast. Hoping we might get some wind to get the old girl going but not looking promising at the moment (0745). Still, we need to make some water and power. Right at this moment Gina is chasing a blowfly around the boat in between doing her Pilates exercises on the cabin sole - the joys of cruising!!
Cheers from us
Jim and Gina

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Langkawi Island 20/11

The day dawned fine and clear although had been raining at night. This pattern characterised almost our entire stay in Malaysia and we were very lucky as the NE Monsoon starts in November. We were picked up at 0900 and taken into the ferry terminal where we arranged to hire a small Proton car for 100 Ringitts (NZD 42) for 24 hours. We went to the local chart agency and arranged to collect the next day most west coast Malaysia charts as well as some Indonesian ones. Also bought courtesy flags for Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. All much cheaper than here.We then embarked on another island circumnavigation. Once clear of Kuah Town the scenery was beautiful. Soon after we found a boatyard and called in. There we found a Scotsman who said he couldn't live anywhere else because the price of beer would ruin him!! Had a discussion with him and his boss re our deck re-caulking problem and it appears we could put the boat into their shed with the mast in place. And labour costs half the price of NZ. So that's what we are going to do. We are keeping in touch with them.

Saw many beaches and resorts which would be great to come and stay at when next we are here. Some really outstanding places. Had lunch at another marina and continued on our way. Stopped at a wild life "park" but less than impressed with the conditions under which animals and birds were held. However found a "duty free" store and bought a bottle of Highland Park whisky (from the Orkney Islands) to replenish our diminishing supply!

Then happy but tired it was back to the Royal Langkawi still in time for happy hour and another very pleasant dinner overlooking the water and sunset.

21/11

Picked up our charts and flags and paid the bill. The owner "inadvertantly" had forgotten to credit the 50 Ringitts we had paid the previous day but once that was sorted all was well! Then back to the ferry terminal to return the car. We had a relaxed day before catching the ferry back to Pulau Penang at 1715. Spent the day in town having a leisurely lunch at a Chinese sports bar (!) and shopping for more clothes for the children. Beautiful sunset on the way back and then into Penang at 2030. Dark by then but Georgetown looked beautiful from the water all lit up. Good to be back at the Cititel.

22/11

Last full day in Malaysia! Feeling quite sad about that. Wandered the shops up and down Jalan Penang, lunch at a cafe and then took a taxi to the  marina at Port Swettenham. Very swept up facilities but suffers somewhat from the wash from the ferries - however, they are building a breakwater to hopefully fix that problem. We were dropped in Little India and then walked back to the Cititel by degrees including a refreshing Tiger at a backpacker on the way.  Checked the internet also while we were there.

After another siesta (we are now very mindful of Mad dogs and Englishmen!!) we enquired as to where we might find a very good Chinese restaurant. We were directed to the Foong Wet Heong, only a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Apparently at times there are queues in the street waiting for tables but we were lucky and arrived only about ten minutes before the rush. We had what was definitely the best Chinese meal we have ever had anywhere without question and our 6 dishes came to approx. NZD35 for the 2 of us. Another example of the value encountered in travelling in Malaysia. Unbelievable. Fully sated we then wended our way back to the hotel through the delicious warm tropical air, conscious that this was to be our last night in Malaysia. We savoured every moment.

Jean then fell into washerwoman mode again and washed all our sweaty clothes as she had been doing pretty much every night during the trip. She was great about this and in that regard it was no different from living on the boat except for not having to wash the sheets. We have lots of jokes about the "washerwoman" thing and now that we are back on the boat it's full swing again. We are moored right in front of the ablution block and it's a great social mecca when washing day is in full force.

But we digress.............

23/11

Again wandered up Jalan Penang and bought some gifts for Heather and Magan and our friends Hamish and Sara. Had a look at the Fatt Tze Mansion where one can stay - at a price. It was built by a wealthy Chinese merchant in the late 1700's and that had been a real rags to riches story. He became very wealthy and built this wonderful house which has now been restored to a very high standard. He was also a well known local philanthropist.

We left early for the airport hoping to secure the same seats as we had coming up on SQ to Auckland but were too early for the check in! We then found that they were taken so had to settle for what we could get. Had a good flight (1 and a half hours) on Silkair to Singapore and then an interminable transfer to another terminal by Skytrain and walking travelator to the SQ gate. That process took about 30 minutes and we weren't dawdling. Just as well there was enough time between flights. An example of security gone mad was water Jean bought just outside the departure gate and then we weren't allowed to take it on the plane. We had to tip it all out and then refill the bottles from a water fountain in the departure lounge. Seeing as how it was bought in a secure area in the first place we couldn't fathom that bit of logic!! Jean got a bit vocal with the security guy who in turn became quite stern!!

We took off at 2115 local time and then had nine and a half hours to Auckland. For some reason nowhere near as good a flight as going up but we landed on time at just after Noon NZDST on the 24th. (5 hour time difference). We followed quite a different route coming south too. When we went north we crossed Australia from somewhere north of Sydney and left Australian airspace near Broome in the NW. Coming the other way we crossed the coast near Perth and then came across the Great Australian Bight and Bass Straight before heading to Auckland. Probably travelling against the sun going this way was the main cause but we were exhausted and slept like the dead at Heather and Magan's. Jim didn't wake until 10 the next morning - still on Malaysia time!! 

All in all we had a wonderful time and it has gone in a flash - looking back it almost seems that it never happened. But that's air travel for you; when we travel back there on the boat at only one hundredth of the speed we're sure it will all be much more real!!

We hope you have enjoyed reading about our experiences and we are hoping to have some photos on the web site very soon. We just have to overcome our technological phobias!! It is now 0045 on Dec. 5th. and we are sailing later this morning for about a week where ever the wind blows us.

 

Land circumnavigation of Pulau Penang 17/11 and arrival Langkawi

We decided that the best way to see the island was by car while we still had it. We set off from Georgetown in an anti-clockwise direction and initially had a very scenic drive along the coast. Then we came to Batu Ferringhi where we bought some fruit and walked about. A very pretty and upmarket sort of place. In fact that seemed to sum up our entire stay on Penang; it seemed to have a more prosperous air than many other places but that's not to say that that others weren't attractive as well. Our whole impression of Malaysia was of general prosperity and an air of purposefulness. The roads were better than NZ's and housing variable but we saw some mansions as well as very modest dwellings, but no slums and no beggars as you see in India.

At times on Penang the road was very windy passing through some rugged country. We stopped and did the tourist thing with buying clothes for the grandchildren and also visited a butterfly farm. The had all manner of butterflies, insects and reptiles and snakes. The camouflage of the insects was amazing - like our stick insects only much more so. Then what looked like a collection of dead leaves was in fact a heap of frogs! Nature is truly amazing.

We came across some road reconstruction near the southern end of the island and it is going to be an amazing road. Just like Switzerland where in places the road is built on piers around cliff faces.

After a fascinating day we returned to Georgetown and then went for a walk and found a great Indian restaurant for a memorable dinner. All in all a day not to be forgotten and we hope that we can return in the very near future to experience Pulau Penang again.

18/11

Today we spent exploring old Georgetown. First we arranged to return the car 3 days early as we weren't going to have any further use for it. Then walking in the blistering sun. Soon decided to return to the hotel for our umbrellas and then, feeling like the British Raj we sallied forth once more. The umbrellas made all the difference and must have lowered the tempaerature underneath by at least 5 degrees. We decided to be really touristy so took a rickshaw ride to the ferry terminal to get acquainted with where the Langkawi ferry would leave from in the morning. Bought a small magnetised pewter chess set for the boat from a great shop not far from the hotel. They have a great sales technique - you see something for (say) 700 Ringitts (NZD 300) and you think (and say) "that's too dear". The shop owner then offers you a 66% discount and of course the tendency then is to think - what  a bargain!! In fact the "discount" should probably be more like 80% but you buy it anyway. Never mind, we were pleased with the chess set and it will while away many a long night on the boat swinging around an anchor somewhere.

Tonight we were lured into a definite tourist area to try one of the restaurants but should have known better. Very mediocre meal indeed. Stay with the locals should always be the maxim.

19/11

Up early. Breakfast at 0630 and left some of our luggage with the hotel where we were returning after Langkawi. Then taxi to the ferry terminal and eventually onto the ferry. These are about 80-100', twin-engined and do about 20 knots. They carry just over 200 passengers. They are airconditioned inside but do have a limited amount of deck space aft where one can actully see the scenery provided the exhaust noise doesn't deafen you! We were travelling light but the amount of luggage most other people had was mind boggling. There were all sorts from a couple of Dutch girls backpacking on their OE to an Iranian couple on holiday, a Malay/Indian couple on their honeymoon who insisted on having their photo taken with us and an obviously Moslem family with the mother in a full black Burqa and face covered. Apparently this is only worn if the husband insists on it - bit hard for us to accept in our society. But they were laughing and joking and  she seemed quite happy.  In fact in Malaysia this was quite rare although there were many women wearing headscarves which in most cases actually seemed to be fashion statements being quite elaborate with diamante decoration, etc. One wonders whether there is much religious significance, especially among the younger women.

After 3 hours across a very calm almost windless sea we arrived at Kuah Town on Langkawi Is. On the way over we had noticed several formations of long sticks floating vertically in tthe water in a circular pattern which must have been supporting a system of nets - all very well but definitely something to be looking out for at night when we are here on "Tiare". Approaching Langkawi reminded us very much of the Bay of Islands with many offshore islands and tantalising looking anchorages and beaches.

Langkawi is about the same size as Great Barrier but has a population of 70,000. We eventually managed to get a taxi. They have a peculiar system where you have to go to an office which allocates the taxi instead of just going to the head of the queue. Still, it was only 10 Ringitts to the hotel which proved to be another good internet find. It was the Citin Hotel - recently refurbished, very comfortable and room rate approx. NZD45! Many costs in Malaysia are so cheap by our standards. We checked in and then walked along the road in search of somewhere to eat as we were famished - there's no food on the ferries!

Then a siesta in our air conditioned room revived the flagging spirits. A couple of whiskies from our duty free stash improved things even more and then a taxi to the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. We found the bar with no trouble (!) and gratefully availed ourselves of their happy hour with drinks unbelievably cheap. The bar sits on stilts over the beach and water and overlooks the marina with breath taking views to the west and the setting sun.It will be a great place to be on Tiare Taporo III. We met some of the locals - a Swedish guy living on his yacht and an Australian lady who ran a yacht brokerage among others. Then had dinner in the restaurant area also overlooking the marina. Copious quantities of very good Australian red wine!! Should point out at this stage that Langkawi is duty free to anyone - locals living there and visitors alike so alcohol prices are low. Probably not a good thing if one is addicted to red wine!!!

 

 

Lumut to Georgetown Penang 16/11

0930 departure on the ferry back to Lumut - early for us!! A very pleasant sojourn on Pangkor Is. but time to move on - as Helen Clark says! No problem in retrieving the car which had been in a secure carpark (unlike the Whangarei Town Basin!!) and we were on the road. We should say at this stage that apart from a few heavy showers some evenings the weather has been generally fine contrary to expectations of floods etc. There had been floods in northern Malaysia a few weeks earlier but nothing occurred during our stay.

We drove north on the usual minor road through more oil palm plantations and had decided that in order to get further north a bit quicker we would need to get onto the toll road which runs from one end of Malaysia to the other - a distance of some 8-900 kms of at least 2 lane motorway - puts our goat tracks to shame.

We joined the toll road at Changkat Jering and the speed limit is 110 kph. But most traffic was doing much more than that! Shades of France and Italy! Feeling a bit peckish so we pulled into a motorway pitstop but couldn't find anything palatable except fried eggs!! Had a couple but almost immediately wished we hadn't as they were very oily and not hot! Further north we found our way onto the Penang Bridge which joins Penang Is. with the rest of Penang State. It's a most impressive structure covering at least 8 kms with a raised suspension bridge in the middle  over the ship channel. There was a special toll to pay for the bridge but one wouldn't quibble with that and it was cheap anyway. Everything was well signed and we proceeded with confidence and aplomb towards Georgetown. Georgetown like Melaka is a very old settlement with centuries of history. One imagines still some sort of sleepy colonial outpost but it's far from that. Motorways and skyscrapers are the norm. But Georgetown on Penang Is. (Pulau Penang) still has a great deal of charm with it's Little India and Chinatown. More authentic and redolent of everyday life than Singapore. We would have liked to have booked into a heritage type hotel, but while they are there, they are expensive. We had settled for a modern high rise hotel, the Cititel and certainly weren't disappointed. We had a room on the 10th. floor with a view to the north towards Langkawi (out of sight) and the venerable Eastern and Oriental Hotel in the foreground.

Jim's mother had visited Penang in years past more than once and always spoke fondly of the place and we quickly began to feel the same. There was a spectacular thunderstorm that evening which was quite a sight from our 10th. floor eyrie!! As usual it soon subsided and we found a very acceptable Chinese restaurant next door to the hotel - then again early to bed. Perhaps it's the age, but we certainly didn't feel like going out on the town after all the travelling!

 

island time

We decided that we needed to give ourselves a bit of a break from all this incessant driving and have some time out actually sitting on a beach!! So, we took our leave of Kuala Selangore without much regret and once again sallied forth. Easy and flat country through more endless oil palm plantations but with one difference in one area - very big rice paddies - in one place almost as far as the eye could see.

We were heading for Lumut which is the ferry terminus for Pangkor Is. We had read about Pangkor and it sounded a pleasant place to visit especially as it would be an anchorage for us on the boat. Lumut is a very bustling upmarket sort of place - sort of overblown Paihia! We were accosted almost immediately by an agent of the accommodation venues on the island but he was pleasant and gave us a number of places to choose from. We chose the Puteri Bay Resort which, though somewhat old, was reasonably priced and we weren't disappointed. We parked the car in one of several carparks for visitors to the island. The ferry ride was about 30 minutes by fast ferry - all inside and air conditioned - don't know how we would all have exited in an emergency! The ferry wharf is on the eastern side of the island so it was a 5 minute taxi ride to the resort on the western side. Easy walking distance from a small touristy village and right on the beach. Had a look at the beach and the shops and found a very good Chinese restaurant for tonight. You might be forgiven for thinking that food was something of an obsession with us!!

After a bit of a siesta during which we watched a very old film "Anna and the King of Siam" (forerunner of "The King and I") we went out once more and had an excellent meal at the restaurant. Chatted to the owner and his wife for a while and thence to bed.

15/11

First thing about 7 we went for a swim in the Andaman Sea. Nothing like here; the water was like warm silk and a great way to wake up. As things turned out this was to be the only swim we had in Malaysia so it was memorable. Didn't want to get out but we had things to see and do so after another filling buffet breakfast we strolled down to the village again to go on the net to book our Penang and Langkawi accommodations. That took about 2 hours!! We then enquired about hiring a motor scooter! Took Jim back to his days on Rarotonga in 1968!! We must have made a comical picture as we wobbled unsteadily off - first back to the ferry wharf to get some fuel as they hire them empty. A good ploy - they must make a bit on unused tanks filled up by visitors. Then further up the western side of the island. Over one steepish hill into the next bay. Not sure which was worse - going up wondering if the overworked little engine was going to get us to the top or down the other side wondering whether the brakes were going to hold out. Anyway we made it to Daddy's Cafe again right in the sand on the beach and soothed our nerves with a Tiger beer! We had been advised not to attempt a complete circumnavigation as the road was apparently quite rugged (more so than the one we had been on already) so we decided discretion was the better part of valour and after a not bad lunch we wobbled back to town.

Another siesta and then back into town for another Chinese meal. This time the place was bursting at the seams with large family groups at large round tables. The general hubbub made conversation difficult. Another good meal then we said goodbye to the owners who had been flat out. But they do it without any fuss or panic.  

Another long day so early to bed as we have to be up early for the ferry and the drive to Georgetown, Penang. 

 

Port Dixon - points north 13/11

We woke up this morning looking out over the Malacca Straights and the continuing procession of ships. Still amazed at the coincidence of meeting Robbie yesterday.

After a good buffet breakfast (all included!) we bravely sallied forth once more.  Our abiding feeling on leaving any place is one of regret that we haven't more time to explore but our time is limited and we wanted to spend the most time up north in Penang and Langkawi.

The roads in Malaysia are generally of a high standard being mostly concrete paved. And they have a concrete motorway the full length of the country from Johore to the Thai border. 2 lanes each way - sometimes 3. It's a toll road but the charges are very reasonable and you don't mind if it's a good road. Unlike here with our goat tracks! The other welcome contrast from NZ was the price of fuel. 95 octane (they don't have 91!) worked out at around 80 cents Kiwi per litre.Obviously subsidised and/or no tax. While on the subject of motoring, cars are very expensive. They have a local car manufacturing industry where they make the Proton is several model guises. These are made in collaboration with Mitsubishi. They seem to be of reasonable quality (we hired a small one on Langkawi Is. for a day) but don't altogether match the imports. But there are heaps of them on the roads. Anyway the duty on any imported car is high in order to protect the local industry.

We had a pleasant drive north with Jean navigating - sometimes with difficulty as signs are difficult to interpret and highway numbers not always as logical as the map would suggest! Still, that's all part of the fun - so they say. All went swimmingly passing through several towns about Whangarei size until we approached Klang. Klang and its port, Port Klang is Malaysia's biggest port and quite close to Kuala Lumpur. So there is an abslolute tangle of motorways and interchanges and if you make a mistake which is very easy you're committed for some distance. This is what happened to us and we found ourselves on the motorway to KL! We didn't want to go there - at least not in the car. We managed to find an exit, then had to pay a small toll and headed back to Klang. Then decided to get off the motorway and ask directions to Kuala Selangore up the coast. Fortunately we struck a young woman wearing a Moslem head scarf in a service station who spoke very good English and we were able to get onto the right road - apart from taking a wrong turn a bit further on and we had to barge through the unforgiving traffic to get turned around and on our way.

Remaining drive fairly uneventful and arrived at Kuala Selangore which was fairly nondescript place. Had a mediocre lunch in a Malaysian cafe as we were ravenous by then (about 2.30) and then drove a short distance out of town to a resort we had heard about. Not somewhere we would recommend!! It was the La Palma Resort and had cabins in a lacklustre garden. Took us 3 goes to find a cabin where the air conditioning worked and the staff singularly unhelpful. But there wasn't anywhere else and it wasn't expensive.

We had heard about a fishing village on the banks of a nearby river which had good seafood so off we went. Met a young Dutch girl who works in KL so had a drink with her and then ordered some food. Well, it was revolting. Jim had squid which was uneatable with a very strong unpleasant odour!! Jean had a whole fish which, although not looking particularly appetising, was at least eatable. The village itself was a collection of rusty roofed hovels on the muddy banks of the river. It evoked memories of stories of the ferocious pirates who used to inhabit this coast and no doubt operated from lairs such as this. Arrived back in town in a disgruntled state and found some fried chicken to assuage the hunger pangs!

All in all not a great experience in Kuala Selangore but all part of the experience.

 

at Melaka 11/11

This morning we walked the ancient streets of Melaka and saw various old buildings including the Statdhuys which had been the centre of Dutch administration. There had been a tropical downpour when we woke this morning and it continued drizzling for most of the morning. Unfortunately the Maritime Museum was closed which was a disappointment but we saw the Portuguese caravelle outside which looked so ungainly in boggles the mind to imagine how they sailed these vessels from Europe.

We took delivery of our rental car this morning (a Suzuki SX4) and simply parked it in the hotel carpark! Walked the streets incessantly for most of the day including the old Dutch street (Jonkers St.) Jim saw a sign advertising massages and thought that a nice shoulder and head massage would be just the thing! However, it was anything but relaxing. She straddled him and pummelled him and then almost took his head off!! Still, there was surprisingly no damage and all was well - although no better than had it not happened in the first place! Jean thought it was hilarious. Had a Portuguese dinner tonight (seafood with malt flakes). On the way back to the Puri feeling very mellow in the silky tropic night air we met a very interesting couple (also staying at the Puri). He was Korean/American and she was American and they had been involved in the American aerospace industry for many years - now retired.  Had a pleasant long chat and swapped addresses - as you do! Then early to bed in preparation for our first experience of Malaysian roads!

12/11 - on the road. Took our leave of the Puri very reluctantly; the place was beautiful and everyone so friendly and helpful. But you have to be a bit careful of Malaysian directions. They are inclined to mix up left and right and tell you anything to get rid of you - very much like the classic Irish directions!! We had decided to only go as far as Port Dixon which would be an easy drive and we wanted to check out the marina there. Also Jean had been there 40 years ago so was keen to see it again. We had a pleasant drive on windy rural roads and bought some fruit from a roadside stall. Oil palms everywhere again. Weather was overcast but had stopped raining. We arrived at Port Dixon early in the afternoon and checked into a resort which overlooked the marina. Very upmarket but NOT expensive which characterises everything in Malaysia. Introduced ourselves to the marina manager. When you look out to sea from here you are looking at the Malacca Straights which is one of the busiest waterways in the world and it had to be seen to be believed - just a procession of ships - some very large. Our conclusion was that the best defence on a small yacht would be to stay well inshore of the main shipping lanes. The inshore one is northbound.

Then began a series of coincidental events which led to the most incredible meeting for Jean. We decided to drive up the coast into PD proper to see how it had changed and it was a typical Malaysian coastal town - bustling and retail everywhere. But quite attractive. Nothing like Jean remembered of course. Then on the way back to the marina we began discussing where to eat tonight and Jean said she had noticed a sign saying "Coconut Grove" which was right on the beach  and looked promising. Jim said we should stop in and check it out which we did. The restaurant was closed just then (about 1600) but Jean spied a guy sitting at a table working on his laptop. Jim didn't immediately pay much attention but Jean thought she recognised him. She went up to him and said "Robbie?" He said "that's me" and it turned out that he had been a Cathay Pacific captain who lived next door to Jean and her ex husband (also a Cathay captain) in Hong Kong. She hadn't seen him for 20 + years!! It was a real long lost reunion and made all the more poignant by all the seemingly unrelated random events that brought us all there at that moment. He was retired now and lives mainly on Bribie Is., Queensland with his wife Jeya who is of Malay/Tamil Indian descent. Her parents live in Port Dixon and they keep an apartment there for when they are there visiting her family. We then had a great evening with Robbie and Jeya and had dinner with them almost sitting on the beach - very memorable and very nostalgic for Jean.

Much more to come...........................!!!!!

 

crossing the border - by train

Hi again,

We arrived all bushy tailed to catch the train to Tampin, Malaysia. We were at the station at 0700 which of course was far too early but we bought a Malaysian breakfast in the station cafeteria and the abiding memory of that was that the floor seemed to have had some sort of oil spilt on it because it was like a skating rink - particularly with our new orthotically designed sandals!! However, it was a very pleasant filling breakfast and we didn't break any old bones!

We left on time at 0800 and headed for Woodlands on the Singapore side of the border. Slowish trip but we saw another side of Singapore - more the everyday life of Singaporeans with a variety of houses - but certainly no slums. Some very upmarket and many high rise apartment buildings. We eventually arrived at the Causeway across the narrow straight to Johore Bahru, Malaysia. From the train we had an excellent view and it was difficult not to imagine the scene when the troops of the Japanese Imperial Army crossed the so-called impregnable barrier in amphibious boats into Singapore in early 1942. Reading of the atrocities committed by the Japanese at that time including the massacre (mainly by bayoneting) of over 300 staff and patients (including patients lying on operating tables) at the British Military Hospital makes grim reading. This was only a small part of the loss of life perpetrated by the Japs after Singapore had surrendered. That all this happened only 68 years ago is sobering and one wonders whether some similar occurrence could not happen somewhere else in similar circumstances again.

Anyway, enough of all this; we're supposed to be on holiday!! We stopped at Johore Central for Customs and Immigration which was typically bureaucratically inefficient and then we were on our way. We were in a  1st. class air conditioned carriage which was extremely comfortable but the quality of food on board left a lot to be desired. We felt grateful for that breakfast at Singapore station! We began to see what was to become a repetitive feature of our journey north over the next few days - oil palms. This is obviously a very major industry for Malaysia and has been responsible for massive deforestation over the years. The oil palm is a native of west Africa but has been planted extensively throughout SE Asia and among other things is a source of stock food. NZ is a major importer of this commodity which is used in great quantities in our dairy industry. One wonders what we are doing to the planet - here we are polluting our own country in the pursuit of ever more dairy production and using oil palm stock food to acheive this production which in turn is being exported in rapidly rising quantities to countries like Malaysia in order to feed the seemingly insatiable demand from Asia generally. Jean makes the comment that she remembers travels throughout southern Malaysia in the early 1970's when the predominant crop was rubber trees. Oil palms have now largely supplanted rubber but ironically the price of rubber is rising at the

moment and rubber planting is apparently seeing a resurgence.

We stopped at a few larger centres on our way north and began to notice another phenomenon which we would see time and again and that was the number of buildings which had been started (some of them apparently some years before judging by the state of deterioration) and then just abandoned. We never did find out the reason. The other thing we saw was the Eastern and Oriental passenger train parked on a siding. This is a very luxurious train which for up to approx. 6 thousand Australian dollars can take one in absolute luxury from Singapore, through Thailand and on into Laos. The carriages had originally been purchased new by NZ Railways as the Silver Star passenger service between Auckland and Wellington. It is yet another example of a great loss to NZ that they were sold at a knockdown price to the operators of the E & O for luxury conversion into one of the world's great train trips. It could have all been done in NZ and once again represents a lost opportunity for this country. 

After an uneventful trip we arrived in Tampin about an hour late about 2 pm. Managed to find a clapped out taxi and headed for Melaka (Malacca) 45 minutes and 80 Ringitts (NZD33) later. Got our first sight of driving Malaysian style and the antics of motorcycle riders are the main problem. Something to look forward to when we are to have our rental car delivered on the morrow! 

We eventually arrived in the old historic part of Melaka and our hotel, The Puri. This hotel had been a Peranakan merchant's house built in 1822. It has been delightfully restored and is built round a cooling plant filled courtyard. Peranakan refers to the original Chinese settlors who intermarried with Malays and in the main started successful merchant/trading businesses. The male descendants of these marriages are known as Babas and the females, Nyonyas. There is a whole culture built around the Babas and Nyonyas including their particular delicious cuisine. Chinese history in the region had begun many hundreds of years before European settlement with Chinese trading vessels having reached as far as East Africa across the Indian Ocean. The history of Melaka is fascinating with European settlement beginning with the Portugese in the 16th-17th. centuries followed by the Dutch as part of their spice empire of the Dutch East Indies. The British arrived in the early 1800's as part of the British East India Company's expansion. Stamford Raffles was probably the best known of the early British entrepreneurs and Raffles Hotel in Singapore is named after him. You can walk around the historic precinct of old Melaka of which the Puri is a part and easily imagine that you are back in those days were it not for the incessant motorised vehicles of today.

After a ravenous lunch we wandered the streets admiring the old buildings but it had been a long day so fairly early to bed tonight.    

 

Singapore/Malaysia

Well, this is the start of the long awaited chronicle of the travels and musings of your two intrepid travellers! The stories of wild adventures should all be treated with the proverbial grain of salt!

We drove down to Auckland on Nov. 7th. and stayed with Jean's sister Heather and her husband, Magan. They have always been so hospitable whenever we have needed a place to lay our heads and we thank them very much for that. The next day we were due to take off at 1335 on SQ 286 and arrived at the airport 3 and a half hours early so we could get some good seats. We found the exit row seats were already taken but we managed to get just 2 seats by themselves right at the back of the aircraft.

The flight was generally good with fine weather but we struck some severe turbulence over the middle of Australia and, being down the back, the movement was intensified. Probably something to do with the hot air rising from the ground - whether that has anything to do with the population at large on the West Island we couldn't possibly comment! Saw many of the islands of Indonesia with prominent extinct (hopefully) volcanoes on many. It all gave a sense of what it could be like when we are up here on the boat next year. Dusk was falling and there was a lot of cloud as we came into Changi but it was a smooth landing and we were glad to get ashore after nearly 10 and a half hours.

Had a very friendly taxi driver who gave us all the latest lowdown with new buildings etc. It was fascinating and very nostalgic for Jean (Gina)as she had lived on what was in the early 1970's Changi Air Force Base with her then husband who was in the RNZAF. Apparently it was very beautiful with lots of old trees and bungalows to live in on base. There was also the interraction with the local people in the Kampongs but all of that has gone and Changi now is one of the busiest, largest and most modern airports in the world. The same sort of thing has happened throughout Singapore and it was unrecognisable for Jean(Gina). However, through Wotif we had booked a room at the Inn at Temple St. and the hotel was situated in the old Chinatown which is largely as it always was, albeit somewhat sanitised for the tourists. It was a very old authentic building with a tastefully modernised interior. It was spotlessly clean but the rooms were a bit like shoeboxes; however, it didn't worry us as accomodation generally is very expensive in Singapore and the Temple St. Inn was reasonable at $S108 per night.

As an aside, in the 1970's 1 Kiwi dollar bought approximately 4 Singapore dollars; now we are at par. A measure of how far Singapore has come and how far we have declined.

At least the air conditioning worked fiercely and we slept well!

The next day we had an early start and we optimistically set off in intermittent rain to find the station in order to buy our tickets on the train to Tampin, Malaysia. We had been unable to buy them on the internet. It had been our intention to walk but everyone we asked directions from misunderstood and thought we were asking about the local Singapore underground! So, after a frustrating half hour or so we took a taxi (they were hard to find too) and finally arrived at the station. It's a relic of old Singapore having been built in the British colonial days and is a very grand old building. However, before the end of this year the rail terminus is being moved to Johore Bahru in Malaysia and so it will no longer be possible to catch a train which originates in Singapore and which ultimately ends up in Bangkok. We therefore felt privileged to have experienced the last of old colonial travel from Singapore. After we got the tickets we were dropped off in Orchard Rd. and found a Swiss Restaurant (of all things) which was very good. We then walked along until we came to the old Raffles Hotel - one of Singapore's iconic landmarks. We felt the need for an obligatory drink in the famous Long Bar but two drinks cost us in excess of $S30 and not only did we not spy Somerset Maugham sitting in a corner, but we also discovered that the present Long Bar is not situated in its original location. Typical of Singapore where they do an excellent job of preserving important and iconic items of history, but they do it in a way that is almost better than new!! Apart from that the new buildings and the infrastructure are breathtaking. One development that especially caught our eyes was one of three towers which was joined across the tops by a boat hull easily the size of a medium size ship. Apparently it contains restaurants among other things and one can go up there but we didn't have time unfortunately. One can stand and look at that amazing building and then turn around and there is the old Fullerton Hotel dating from the same era as Raffles and arguably a better example of the period. We also paid a visit to the SE Asia Museum which has fascinating displays of the various cultures that make up modern Singapore. One could spend hours. We had an early dinner in Chinatown that evening as we had to be at the station by 0700 the next morning for an 0800 departure.

More coming!!!!!

 

Langkawi

Hi

Another short note - we are now on Langkawi Is. which is approx. 50 miles NW of Penang Is. It is about 20 x 10 miles in size and has a population of 70,000. Yesterday we hired a car for the day and drove round the island which was a very pleasant experience. Lots to see and beaches and resorts galore. Have had 2 dinners at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club and have taken liberal advantage of their "happy hour" where bar prices are unbelievably cheap. Not so cheap to berth the boat here though - about the same price as Whangarei!! We stopped at a boatyard and they could handle our deck recaulking requirements at about half the labour cost than that of NZ. Also they can put the boat in a modern shed with the mast still in place!! Looks like that is what we will do. In the meantime will just put up with a few minor leaks in the foredeck area and then she will be just like a new boat!!

Bought some Malaysian and Indonesian charts during our visit here as well!

Hard to believe that we will be home again in just a few days now - it's been a fascinating experience and will all be chronicled on this website after our return.

It is now 1220 and we are about to go in search of a meal. We catch the ferry back to Georgetown, Penang at 1715 and then fly from there to Auckland via Singapore on Tuesday.

Cheers,

J & J

 

Just a short blog,

We are now on the island of Penang after a fascinating trip by car up the west coast of Malaysia. We are going by ferry to Langkawi the day after tomorrow and then back to Penang before flying home to NZ on the 24th. Hope all is well with everyone

Jim and Jean (Gina)

 

Spray Tanning

Spray Tanning

 

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Continuation of southern odyssey

Hi again,

More riveting accounts of our motoring progress follow!!

First thing to say is that in the previous enthralling blog we got some dates wrong. We didn't leave Tuakau on Monday as that was Labour Day; we left on Tuesday and spent Tues and Wed nights in New Plymouth - then Thurs night in Wanganui.

We now take up the tale once more.................We were very lucky with the weather all the way and the trip up the ParaPara was no exception. Very scenic and the country looked great, helped no doubt by the fact that it is Spring. All the rural areas that we have passed through have looked equally as good in their own unique ways. We have already mentioned the lush bright green of Taranaki.

It was getting close to lunchtime by the time we arrived at Raetihi and we were somewhat disconcerted when we drove down the main street. At least 75% of the retail shops were shut and empty. Obviously nearby Ohakune has stolen the local limelight and one would have to say that Raetihi's future looks fairly bleak. However, we did find a cafe that claimed home made pies as its specialty. As we were fairly hungry after the arduous progression "up the ParaPara", we decided to risk it. Well, what an unlikely find. The pies were absolutely the best we had ever eaten anywhere, although pies aren't normally a regular part of our diet. But they were certainly good and very good value, unlike most of the meals we had had so far. Repleted we started the final part of today's journey to National Park - or thought we did! In fact we had inadvertantly (due to a very confusing road sign) taken the road to Pipiriki on the banks of the Wanganui River! We only realised this when the road started narrowing and steeply descending at the same time. Our nautical navigation skills certainly deserted us that time! As we were running short of time we reluctantly turned around as it would have been interesting to see the Wanganui in these remote parts. In fact the Wanganui follows an intriguing path. It begins as a snow fed stream on the northern flanks of the Volcanic Plateau mountains then flows north to Taumarunui and then changes its course to flow south to the sea at Wanganui.

We eventually made it back to the road north and after about 35 kms arrived at National Park - just over 800 metres above sea level. This is the site of several accomodation venues which service the Whakapapa skifield on the slopes of Mt. Ruapehu. Included in this is the venerable old National Park Hotel which is now owned by Jean's nephew, Darren. He and his wife Joeline bought the old place about 2 years ago and really have their work cut out knocking it into acceptable shape to attract their share of the ski crowds. However, it was very comfortable in a homely way and we were accorded a very warm welcome. They have a collection of woofers (young foreign backpackers who earn their accomodation costs by working a set number of hours each day). Malaysia, the U.K. and Germany were some of the countries represented. While there was still some of the day left, we decided to take a quick trip up the mountain to the Top o' the Bruce. More nostalgia for Jim who recalled the stays at Tongariro Ski Club with his family of 3 girls who are all accomplished skiers with Rozanne having been a member of the Ruapehu Ski Patrol. On one memorable occasion when the then Prime Minister, Helen Clark visited the mountain she was taken to the summit and then elected to ski down. Rozanne was given the task of escorting her down and on the steep bits was literally hanging onto her by her waist band. Not many people can claim to have had the Prime Minister by the seat of the pants!! Then there was the 50th. Jubilee of TSC in 1981 when another Prime Minister, R.D. Muldoon, attended in his past capacity as the first Treasurer of the club. God knows how they got him up what was colloquially known as Heart Attack Hill to the lodge! In those far off days in the early 1930's (and before the lodge building had been built) the members used to travel down from Auckland by train disembarking at National Park in the middle of the night. Then they would be taken to the Chateau Tongariro where they stayed. The skiing consisted of walking up the mountain road for approximately half its present length carrying heavy long wooden skis on their backs. As the snowline was generally lower in those days they would then be able to ski, albeit gently by today's standards and would have been lucky to get more than 2 runs per day as initially there were no chair lifts, Pomas or even rope tows either! That was definitely doing it the hard way.

Then after a quick drink and a snack in the downstairs bar of the Chateau it was back to the pub at National Park. A very convivial time then followed with a BBQ involving all the woofers as well as Darren's family. Us old codgers went to bed fairly early as it had been a long day but the party, which was also a farewell for some of the woofers, went into the early hours.

There were some fairly quiet individuals the next morning (!) but we spritely old whatsits went for an early walk down to the railway station where Jim indulged his railway fantasies! A quick cup of coffee at another venue and then back to the pub for breakfast. The mountains looked grand with their snowcaps and a pristine blue sky. Then it was off to Ohakune to stay with Perry (Jean's son) and Tracie in Tracie's house which is a modern and very well equipped bach almost at the base of the Turoa road which leads up to the Turoa Skifield. Ohakune has evolved into a delightful village with a proliferation of more accomodation venues (some very swept up) and other ski related businesses.

More nostalgia for Jim who recalled the old Produce Markets Ltd. days in the 1960's before the Turoa Skifield even existed. Trips down there on the overnight train and being woken by the Guard 15 minutes out of Ohakune in the middle of the night; then out of a warm sleeper into the freezing winter night air and being met by PM's agent and delivered to the Ohakune Hotel. The next 2 days or so visiting the local growers, many of whom were Chinese whose forebears had come to NZ in the 1930's from the Canton area and cleared the native bush by hand. The Chans were a well known local family and some years later Jim remembered arriving in Ohakune by car about 9 one Sunday night a few years later and they were out digging carrots and parsnips under floodlights to catch the Auckland and Wellington markets before the next snowfall which had been forecast. Very industrious and friendly people. There were more than a couple of local Chinese weddings which were attended in various years. One of the elder Chans (Wai Chan) told Jim he remembered being in Canton in 1937 when the Japanese were bombing the city. He was lucky to get out and live in NZ for the rest of his life. 

We drove up the mountain road to Turoa and admired the views! Certainly the installations there are more impressive than Whakapapa which is older and has grown more like topsy. But like Whakapapa the snowline had receded and there was no snow at the base of the main chair lift. We drove about halfway down the road nursing the brakes as it is very steep near the top and the previous day they had become very hot on the descent from the Top o' the Bruce! We stopped at the start of a walk into some falls and had a very scenic walk for a couple of hours including a boardwalk over an alpine swamp. As it was then getting late we returned to the car and carried on down the road into Ohakune again. By then Perry and Tracie had returned from their snow boarding and we all enjoyed one or two vodka and ginger beers!! Had a great catchup with them and a very enjoyable BBQ.

The next morning (Sunday) a leisurely breakfast and then took our leave of P & T and headed back to National Park to pick up Kayne who is Darren's son. He is 17 and was trying to get to Kerikeri to attend a selection interview at the Culinary Institute just out of Kerikeri to gain admittance to their 2 year course to train to be a chef. There was a tearful farewell with some of the woofers (!) and then we were heading north. Another good day and we stopped at a cafe at the northern end of Taumarunui. Enjoyed the company of a number of aged bikers on their highly polished Harleys. Then an uneventful trip to Huntly where we bought some food for dinner and on to Heather and Magan's at Tuakau again. They were there when we arrived and we had a chat with them before they left for Auckland. We stayed the night, then left the next morning for Whangarei. We took Kayne as far as that and he was catching a bus the next day for Kerikeri. We have heard from him since and he reckoned the interview went well although he won't know the result for a few days.

We had an important mission in Auckland on the way through. We had taken the old tiller originally from Jim's Dad's old 18' launch "Jado" (built in 1958) on our travels and intended to give it to Kerrin Worsfold (by great coincidence a relative of Jean's) who is restoring the old boat and is fanatical about keeping her as original as possible. So we stopped in Westharbour and presented him with the tiller. He had also just in the last few days been presented with their 3rd. child - another boy. Not sure which he was more excited about!!! Then continued on up SH16 and stopped on the outskirts of Wellsford and had some homebrew with Keith and Eileen at their small farm where they are raising some 50 calves. As always a fairly hilarious interlude!

It's good to be back on the boat again and she was fine. We are now getting ready for our next adventure. We leave on Nov. 8th. for Singapore and Malaysia and will return on the 23rd. We fly to Singapore and after 2 nights there we are catching the train to Tampin which is near Malacca and is where we are picking up a rental car. Then we are winging it to Penang and Langkawi to have a good look around in preparation for when we will eventually arrive there on the Tiare Taporo III. We don't know exactly when that will be be but hopefully not too far in the future - at our age we tend to get a bit obsessed with "the future"!!

Well, that's it for now. We'll try and keep in touch from Malaysia but won't have lots of time so it may have to wait for our return and another book sized blog!

Cheers for now,

J & J(G)

 

Taranaki and the Central Plateau

Hi

This is the blow by blow account of our recent land peregrination to see how the other half lives. Actually it's more than half; only a very small minority of lunatics actually live on boats - oh well.

We left Whangarei in the trusty Hyundai on Saturday the 23rd. of October and had an uneventful trip to Magan and Heather's farm at Tuakau on the Port Waikato road. We had to get our land fix so Gina bathed the eyes of the albino donkey and put sunblock on her ears. As well as that she washed the tails of some of the miniature horses and clipped daggs which had accumulated. Jim in the meantime got excited about weeds as he is wont to do and weeded gardens of oxaylis and thistles. Magan and Heather left for home and their Montessori School on Sunday afternoon and left the menagerie in our tender care! We do thank Heather and Magan for giving us the opportunity to get the rural fix out of our systems!!

Then on Monday morning we set out on our southern odyssey. It was a beautiful morning and we got completely carried away with the rural scenes we were passing through - so much so that we finished up in the wilds of Glen Murray and Rotowaro before rejoining civilisation in the form of SH1 at Huntly. We bypassed Hamilton (who would want to go there?!!) on SH39 and had lunch at Otorohanga at the Thirsty Weta Cafe. We then continued south through Te Kuiti and instead of taking the familiar road to National Park, we carried on towards New Plymouth. A long drive but very picturesque through the Awakino Gorge and out to the west coast. We walked on the black sand at Awakino Beach and carried on south. Stopped at a boutique brewery north of Bell Block and sampled the local ale which was pronounced very good indeed. It was getting late in the afternoon by now so we headed into New Plymouth in the rush hour. First stop was the Information Centre where we established that the Cottage Mews Motel and Backpackers was the ticket. Indeed it was and we spent 2 nights and a day there.

The following day we decided to walk as much as possible to see the city and have to say we were very impressed with the cleanliness and general air of prosperity. We walked along a waterfront walkway which stretches some 10 kms north and south along the wild Tasman Sea waterfront - although it was anything but wild this day. We entered the walkway at a point roughly along half its length and headed south to Port Taranaki where 2 ships were berthed with another 2 anchored off and waiting. Certainly lots of activity. And of course there's the offshore oil and gas extraction and exploration. We had lunch at a cafe near the Port but couldn't see much evidence of pleasure boating although inside the breakwaters of the Port there was a small mooring area so definitely a place where one could enter for a time. However, it's unlikely that we'll be down that way in Tiare. We walked back into town and rested up for a while after our 7-8 km walk!! Had dinner that night at an Italian Restaurant which was very good but expensive with small servings. This was an aspect we noticed time and again during our travels and certainly adds weight to the feeling that NZ is a very expensive country to live in. It will be interesting to see how Malaysia compares when we visit in a week's time - we have a feeling that it will be much better value.

The next morning (Wed.) we set off again for Wanganui. We drove along the coast through lush Taranaki dairy country and soon spotted a very insignificant sign indicating Cape Egmont. Being nautical at heart, we headed down a narrow road and soon came to the lighthouse at the westernmost extremity of Godszone. As a cape it seemed quite unimpressive as the country is all flat dairy farms with a fringe of boulder strewn coast. Certainly nothing like the majestic grandeur of Cape Brett. But we saw it and took a photo of the lighthouse.

Soon after that we came to the surfing capital of Opunake (all black sand beaches) and then turned inland towards Stratford on the way to Dawson Falls on the slopes of Mt. Egmont. More lush farmland and then thick bush giving way to more alpine bush as we gained altitude. We walked briefly through the bush at the Falls and it really seemed very Hobbit - like country. We almost expected to meet Frodo at every turn but he must have been feeling shy that day!

We descended the mountain slopes again and headed towards Stratford where we had lunch. Then south to Hawera (much bigger than Stratford) where we replenished the Hyundai's meagre thirst. Certainly different from driving a V8 Mercedes in Jim's previous life - in more ways than one!! Along the coast again to Wanganui (note no "H"!) where as usual our first port of call was the information centre. We looked at the old Grand Hotel for nostalgia's sake as Jim remembered staying there with his parents when still at school but unfortunately, as is so often the case, it had lost much of its original grandeur so we looked around for something different and found it in the form of  Tamara Lodge - a lovely old house originally built in 1904 and commanding an excellent view of the river. We had a large room upstairs and the old place was still largely original. Apparently it had been a nursing home for 30 years of its life. Backpackers these days are great places to stay and relatively inexpensive. The following day paid a visit to Wanganui Collegiate where Jim's father went back in 1928. We then left Wanganui and  headed north "up the Para Para"! Lovely scenic drive and next stop Raetihi. That's all for this installment - it's 1 in the morning and time for some sleep! Keep tuned in to this space.

Cheers,

J & J

 

Home again

We are now back in the Town Basin and are berthed on a fixed jetty (because it's substantially cheaper!!). However, that means that we have to get on and off the boat at the bow and when the tide is out it's an awkward climb up a small vertical steel ladder. Still, we haven't fallen in yet!
We are getting ready to leave on our land based trip at the end of the week and looking forward to getting away for a while. We'll let you know how we go.
Cheers,
Jim and Jean (Gina)

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(no subject)

Well we did intend to get as far as Urquarts tonight but had a slow start with almost no wind and then it did start but very light. Consequently we were well behind schedule when the wind did finally start in any significant strength after we had finally passed Rimariki Is. We then polled the genoa out and prevented the main from gybing and sailed wing and wing with the wind dead astern. An uncomfortable point of sailing because it requires more than the normal amount of concentration and Mrs. Fleming wasn't capable of anticipating quickly enough so it required hand steering which gets a bit tedious after a few hours. Then the wind came up well beyond what had been forecast (25-30 knots) and we had to retrieve the pole and get the boat snugged down in a gale of wind with yours truly on the foredeck and the crew steering and obeying the occasional yelled command!! We were almost off Tutukaka at that stage so decided to call it a day and headed in through the entrance to drop anchor in calm water and have a well deserved cup of tea!! The weather forecast for tomorrow is foul but tonight it's a clear sky although clouding over a bit now (2100) and hopefully early in the morning we might have a reasonable passage to Bream Head and up the harbour to the Town Basin. Total of just over 30 miles and at our normal cruising speed that will take about 6 hours. Hard to imagine such snail like progress in today's frenetic lifestyle. We are glad we are old enough to remember and appreciate it!
More fascinating accounts of our voyaging tomorrow!!
Cheers,
Jim and Jean (Gina)

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Homeward bound

We are tonight anchored in Whangamumu; a slight roll coming in but otherwise beautiful and tranquil. Position latitude 35 degrees 14.971 minutes south longitude 174 degrees 17.889 minutes east. We are anchored off the old whaling station but didn't go ashore for a haircut this time!! Met a guy sailing on his own up from Auckland who turned out to be an old Cape Horner. What an acheivement to have on one's CV! We didn't get very far today because the winds were very light and against us but we are hopeful that tomorrow the winds will be behind us and we should get down to Urquarts Bay inside Whangarei Heads in reasonable time. As always it's impressive coming around Cape Brett with Piercy Island and the massive rock formations. We came through the gap between Piercy and Brett this time in contrast to our earlier sail north when we were some miles off.
Yesterday, while in Opunga we went ashore and discovered a track through beautiful native bush to the top of a nearby hill - great to get off the boat for a while. Then wandered around the old Frater cottages which probably are still the same as they were getting on for 80 years ago - possibly even older. Not sure whether they're still owned by the Frater family now but it's certainly nostalgic to see them so well preserved in their original state.
We are looking forward to a good sail tomorrow and will be leaving fairly early to take advantage of the northerlies that are supposed to be starting.
Cheers,
Jim and Jean (Gina)

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(no subject)

Well, it's been a miserable few days with gale force SE winds and rain - and cold!! We have been swinging around the anchor in Opunga Cove which is one of the few good anchorages in SE conditions. This was where the Fraters and Newcombes had baches for many years and where the RNZYS had their annual New Years Eve parties on the beach with a bonfire in the 50's and 60's. We always came down from Paroa Bay in "Jado" at New Year to celebrate with the Newcs!
Anyway, enough of the nostalgia. This morning the wind is negligible and is forecast to go to the SW later which will suit us for getting back down the coast. So, at this stage the plan is to leave early tomorrow morning and hopefully we'll be back in Whangarei by Sunday. We've been listening on the SSB to boats coming back down to NZ and they have been having a fair old time of it. At least one (a catamaran) has deployed a drogue and is being steadily blown back north by all these strong southerlies. They're all reporting 30-40 knots which is absolutely no fun at all if you trying to beat into it. One boat still in Noumea reported 35 knot south easterlies there! All generated by a huge high in the north Tasman which together with a low off the North Island E coast is squeezing the isobars tightly thus generating the winds. To have endured all that for the sake of 2-3 weeks in NC wasn't sensible and we are pleased we followed our instincts and abandoned our voyage.
We are looking forward to planning for April next year when we won't be constrained by any time considerations. In the meantime we are intending after our arrival in Whangarei to take an overland tour and get away from boating and boats for a while. We are thinking of heading south and maybe staying with Jean's relatives at National Park and then returning via Wanganui (note no "h"!!) and Taranaki. Then it will be into re-caulking the decks, hauling out for anti-fouling and generally getting ready. At least we have goals!
Hoping all is well as always,
Jim and Jean (Gina)

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Weather

Well we've been getting our share of all sorts lately. Yesterday was quite benign and we went ashore at Te Ti Bay, Paihia to stock up at Countdown which is just across the waterfront road. It's really only possible when the wind's offshore as it's an open rolly anchorage and quite shallow with indifferent holding and landing on the beach in a small inflatable would test anyone's skills except when it's calm. Because it's shallow, we have to anchor at least 200 metres off the beach and even then at low tide we'd only have about 2' under the keel. Anyway, using backpacks and carrying the maximum that we could we made it back to the beach and then back out to the yacht. Then we went up to Doves Bay Marina at the entrance to the Kerikeri river to refuel and were pleasantly surprised that we had only used 89 litres of diesel. This had included some hours motoring away from Whangarei in windless conditions when we left for New Caledonia and then later when we turned around east of North Cape we motorsailed back to the Bay of Islands for about 14 hours in fairly bad conditions before we arrived at Opua. Then there has also been a bit of motoring around here so we didn't do too badly.
Later yesterday a fresh NW started and so we decided to sail from Doves Bay down to Waipiro Bay as it turned out because on the way we heard a new forecast talking about SE up to 40 knots over the next few days and Waipiro offered good protection. We had a very pleasant sail down with the wind just aft of the beam. We had started to think that maybe this is what it would be like from now on but no - in the early hours of this morning as forecast we had 20 - 30 knots in the anchorage and then after daylight even a hail storm! We were getting a bit stir crazy by then so decided to come back up to Paroa Bay. We battled mostly 35 knot headwinds all the way and are pleased to be here in sheltered water. Had another hail storm this afternoon!! Just heard the latest forecast talking about 55 knots from the SE! Have just let out another 20 metres of chain so now have 150' feet of chain deployed in only 12' of water.
There is one thing we can definitely say though and that's how pleased we are with our Rocna anchor. When anchoring and going astern to dig it in it pulls the boat up like it was chained to a building and then when getting underway again it comes up with half the bay on itself so it gets well and truly dug in. We'll be leaving holes the size of India all over the place! And the last 24 hours have been a good test.
Hope all is well and looking forward to your news.
Jim and Gina

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Paroa Bay

Hi
Just a short blog - we are tonight anchored in Paroa Bay (BOI) where Jim's family owned a property for 40 years and today went ashore and had a pleasant time with their old neighbours the Solomons ("young" Charlie and Pam) who are still living here. Lots of nostalgia and childhood memories. Also talking with Charlie and Pam about their children who used to play with Jim's children all those years ago. Where has the time gone?!!
The association with the Solomons goes back to 1943 when Jim's grandfather originally bought the property. Then a couple of years later he had a heart attack one night and in those days there was no means of communication - no email, radio or cellphone and the landline didn't operate either because the exchange in Russell which was a manual party line system was switched off at 6 pm. Mrs. Solomon Snr. rowed their dinghy about 2 miles along the coast to Long Beach in the early hours of the morning and walked over the hill to Russell to fetch the doctor. She rowed him back to Paroa Bay but it was too late and grandfather had passed away - before yours truly was born! Jim's father never forgot those heroic efforts and the Solomons always occupied a special place in our affections.
We are thinking we may sail up to Whangaroa in the next day or two and then by degrees back to Whangarei - maybe via the Barrier. After that we would like to forget about boats and boating for a while and are intending to take a land trip south and see how the other half lives! Then it will be back to Whangarei and re-caulking the teak decks. All with a view to a leisurely cruise to Vanuatu and New Caledonia commencing in April 2011.
But right now it's bedtime. We are perfectly sheltered here in a light SW breeze and the yacht is moving almost imperceptibly - just right for a gentle rocking to sleep!! This is what makes cruising all worthwhile.
Cheers,
Jim and Jean (Gina)

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(no subject)

Well we have been exhausted since we returned from our abortive foray northwards and on reflection feel that this just shows that we were not really ready to set out. There is no doubt that the boat was and the provisioning and meticulous attention to detail on Gina's part was great. We've swung around our anchor for the last 24 hours sleeping like there was no tomorrow but today had a boisterous sail down to the eastern end of the BOI from where we plan to leave tomorrow for Whangaroa. We're feeling a bit like sailors again!!
Still one or two little teething troubles with the boat but nothing serious. The main thing is that "Mrs. Fleming", our wind vane self steering has worked flawlessly which is very satisfying. She does what she is told, doesn't need feeding and doesn't answer back. What more could you ask!!! Even off the wind as we were the other night on our passage up the coast to North Cape there was no problem. This is the same system that Jessica Watson used on her recent circumnavigation so that is very reassuring.
We'll let you know how we get on as the days go by.
Love
J & J(G)

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(no subject)

Well it is with sadness that we have to report that for a number of reasons we have decided to abort our planned voyage to New Caledonia. We are now at Opua having cleared back in here late this morning.
We left Whangarei Harbour at 1230 on Friday the 1st. and had virtually no wind for a while. We motorsailed as far as Ngunururu when a reasonable south westerly kicked in. We then had some very enjoyable sailing and passed Cape Brett at 1 the following morning. All was well and we continued to make good progress on our journey north. It had started to feel that we were going to make a fast passage although it's always dangerous to make these sorts of predictions too early! Peter Blake used to say that the race isn't won until it's finished.
Then it got close to midday on Saturday when the wind started failing as we were just at the latitude of North Cape. We were concerned, but not too much so at that stage. However, time was important to us. After all the delays we had had this year including probably 2 months of waiting for a favourable weather window we had finally identified such a window and decided to go. But, in retrospect we probably should have flagged it altogether because leaving early in October means that we would only have had about 3 weeks in NC before having to leave again to avoid the cyclone season which means the possibility of cyclones increases incrementally from then on. It was always going to be pressured because of that and pressure of dates and boating can be a dangerous combination. However, we did decide to go and there we are.
After being becalmed for some hours (which is quite unpleasant in an ocean swell with no wind) the wind then started from the north! Exactly what we didn't want and thought we had avoided. Our spirits were not at their best at that moment. Anyway we decided to make the best of it and started motoring again but things didn't change. We then made the fateful decision to turn around and make back for NZ with these time limitations looming large in our minds. If time hadn't been a consideration we would have just persevered but we felt we couldn't take the risk of a slow passage. For 2 hours our decision seemed vindicated and then wammo - at about 8 last night we were hit with a SE blast which by then was straight on the nose. Exactly as forecast! However, we felt committed by now and ploughed on. It was a slow rough and wet trip back - and very cold. Things improved slowly as we moved further into the lee of NZ though and we arrived off the Cavallis just north of the Bay of Islands at 5 this morning. We then proceeded to Opua where we cleared back in. We are feeling quite let down and disappointed but we also feel that overall we made the correct decision all things considered.
Our plans now are first to catch up on sleep and then to cruise up here for a time and maybe again a longer passage to the Barrier. All good practice. Then back to Whangarei in late November/December followed by the deck caulking job. Then next year we will go at the right time (end of April) and visit Vanuatu and New Caledonia with next to no time pressures.
As always we will keep you posted!
Love
Jim and Jean (Gina)

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(no subject)

Hi, A quick update. We have been having a good run - now almost up to North Cape. Position Lat S 34 degrees 38 Long E 173 degrees 48. Time now 1048 NZST. Were visited by dolphins several times last night; they looked amazing with their phosphorescent trails in the water - just like someone was firing torpedoes at us!! Bit tired today but settling into the routine. All's well and hope same with you.
Cheers,
J & G

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Tiare Tapporo III

Well, some of you probably thought we'd never sail and you'd never see the back of us and we were starting to wonder that ourselves.  However, the best weather window for weeks has finally shown up. Touch wood we should have fair winds for New Caledonia from Friday onwards. So, the plan is to leave the Town Basin tomorrow afternoon and go to Marsden Cove Marina near Whangarei Heads to top up fuel and clear Customs on Friday morning. Then it's off into the great blue yonder. We would hope to arrive at Noumea around the 10th-12th October.

Then our plan is to stay put for a while (maybe down to the Isle of Pines for a few days) and sail back here hopefully to arrive around the end of November. A very curtailed trip this year as it's turned out but it will be very useful for us to get used to doing ocean passages on Tiare.

After Thurs morning you will only be able to communicate with us on our sailmail address which is ZMQ5985@sailmail.com In addition we will be posting blogs on our website www.tiaretaporo3.blogspot.com for your delectation and edification!

We hope everything is well and we'll look forward to being in touch as we progress.

Cheers and lots of love,

Jim and Jean (Gina)

 

Hi again,

Forgot to mention that last week, in order to give ourselves a break from all this pesky weather watching, we took off for 2 days and a night to Russell and stayed at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel. This is the site of the oldest liquor licence issued in NZ in 1840. That's probably a dubious distinction!! We booked it through Wotif for $100 - normal cost $495!!

However, we had  a pleasant time and renewed acquaintance with Stewart at Russell Radio. We had driven up via the coast road (i.e. not the Opua car ferry) and it is a spectacular drive with wonderful sea views of the wild rock bound coast just south of Cape Brett.  Didn't take too much longer than the conventional route up SH1 and over on the ferry and well worth it. And there's a wonderful cafe at the top of the Helena Bay Hill (nearer to Whangarei) which is run by a young German couple. We had the best croissants we've ever had anywhere - including France.

All in all a very pleasant interlude.

Now we are back in the marina and it's 0730 and we have inadvertantly allowed both gas bottles to run out so can't even make a cup of tea much less cook Jim's Kranskys! So it's off to the gas place to get some more.........................

Cheers again 

 

Stormbound

The weather is insane and unbelievable. This last weekend has seen widespread flooding and destruction throughout the country including the complete collapse under snow of the roof of Southland Stadium in Invercargill. This is a 10 yr old $10M building and is probably demolition material. The winds from between SW and NW have been horrendous with Gale Warnings out for the entire country. For us this has meant winds between 20 and 40 knots mainly from the NW which is the direction we want to go! Then, just as we thought things might have been improving, we see that the forecast for this coming Thursday is for NW (again!) 40 knots.

We had thought that we might go to the Bay of Islands to wait for better weather and then clear Customs at Opua but it isn't even remotely sensible to consider going up there in this wind direction. We hoisted the trysail today on the marina to make sure all was well with that as it's our heavy weather sail and might be needed! As this is being written (2200) we have just had a wind gust of 30 knots right here in the Town Basin Marina and you couldn't get a more sheltered anchorage than this. That would probably translate to 50 off the coast.

So, here we are and now starting to seriously run out of time to get up to Noumea and back before the cyclone season starts. If we can't leave by the first week in October then we won't go. This will be extremely disappointing, especially for Gina, as she hasn't yet experienced an ocean passage, much less visited any Pacific Islands. This is in spite of the fact that she has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong at various times and has travelled the world including 6 months backpacking in India about 10 years ago. It is especially poignant as we were all ready to depart late in May but then Jim's Mum passed away and we had all the estate business to settle. That was almost 4 months ago and we've been ready to go for the last 3-4 weeks but the weather has been our nemesis.  It's almost as if someone upstairs doesn't want us to sail offshore at all.

However, we can't control the weather and can only hope for a break soon. As always we'll let you know.

Cheers,

Jim and Jean (Gina)

 

Finally about to leave

Hi everyone,

Well, it's now 2 years and 3 months since Jim and Jean (Gina) became an item (after having met at the Russell Boating Club before the Classic Invitation Yacht Race in January 2008) and work started on the refit of the yacht at the Norsand Boatyard, Whangarei. Jim brought the yacht from the Bay of Islands down to Whangarei in June 2008 thinking that it would only be about 3-4 months to have various alterations done but alas, there was so much wrong with the so-called refit that was done at Kerikeri ,that the work required, which included replacement of 4 hull planks and a complete rebuild of the mast and fittings plus a whole lot of other stuff that we won't bore you with here, took forever with a launching  half way through so that the hull wouldn't dry out. We eventually launched last November as a wholly rigged boat again and cruised north but found a number of teething problems and gradually worked through all those. The notable one that is still not fixed and probably will never be totally satisfactory is the freezer/fridge. This was due to shoddy manufacture at Kerikeri and although there was one attempt to fix it the effort has not been satisfactory so, unless we spend a vast amount getting another freezer built, we will probably just have to put up with it. The yard at Kerikeri doesn't have the expertise to fix it and probably wouldn't anyway.

Since the boat came to Whangarei we have lived in a variety of places. First, we babysat a rural property south of Whangarei at Otaika for 4 months while the owners were in Alaska running their salmon fishing business up there and then, because the boat was still uninhabitable at that stage, we lived in the flat at the Norsand Boatyard for another 5 months. During this time it was decided to change the yacht's name from "Reflections of Wellington" (she had been built in Wellington over 32 years and launched in 1979!) to "Tiare Taporo III" after the original Tiare which was a 110' trading schooner and which had been built in 1913 by Charles Bailey in Auckland for Jim's great grandfather for his island trading businesses in the Cook Islands and Tahiti.

Since then we have lived on the boat both in the water and on the hard while further work was carried out. Living on the hard was a somewhat unique experience with climbing up and down via a ladder with the deck some 12' above the ground. When one needs to visit the loo at 3 in the morning climbing down the ladder in a dressing gown with a gale blowing it up around one's ears and raining as well is a character forming experience!! The bathroom (head) on the boat cannot be used  when out of the water of course!

We launched again in May this year and berthed at the Town Basin Marina while completing preparations for our forthcoming voyage to Vanuatu and New Caledonia and in fact were within 2 days of leaving when we received the sad news that Jim's Mum had passed away on June 1st. in her 90th. year. So, we were of course then involved in all the things that must be attended to in these sad situations and have only recently been able to see the end of all this. Then there was the earthquake in Christchurch  a few days ago where Jim's youngest daughter lives with her daughter and husband. Fortunately their house appears to be undamaged and they weren't hurt but the damage is widespread with the repair cost estimated to be over $4 billion. The yacht has been ready for months but we are now only just ready too and are now waiting for a weather window to depart. Ideally we need to leave on the back of a low pressure system to get a lift from the southerly quarter winds which usually follow. The trick is to find a gap behind the low of around 3-4 days to give enough time to get clear of these southern waters but right now such a gap is looking very elusive. But we live in hope and next week looks promising.........!!

When we leave we will go down the harbour (about 12 miles) to the Marsden Cove Marina where we will top up our fuel, collect any duty free booze and clear Customs. Then it's a short distance out past Marsden Point Oil Refinery, around Bream Head and we will then be on our way. Because we are so late leaving, we have decided to just go to New Caledonia because we will only have 2 months available before we have to return due to the risk of tropical cyclones from about 1st. Dec. onwards. Course to steer on leaving  is 330True and we can't wait. The distance is under 900 miles so we should be there in 7 - 10 days depending on wind srength and direction.

We'll let you know when we are leaving and hopefully it won't be too long now.

With lots of love

Jim and Jean (Gina) 

 

Fw: Save our Farms Campaign

Hi  you good Kiwis.This is from my Scientist friend Catherine.From the G.E free movment days.Put in a support vote. big hug to yu all.(Big hug to Jenny and Geraldine in the U.K.also.Love Aunty Jean. oh and Mum Perry.  

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Cath Pioletti <cpioletti@yahoo.com>
To: Catherine pioletti <cpioletti@yahoo.com>
Sent: Mon, 23 August, 2010 1:38:00 PM
Subject: Save our Farms Campaign

Foreign buyers are lining up from all countries to purchase our land. In the last five years New Zealand, through the Overseas Investment Office has approved the sale of 150,000 hectares of agricultural land to foreign owners. We believe the Government must take urgent steps to address foreign ownership of our lands. The first step to place a moratorium on the sale of Crafar farm and other sensitive agricultural land to foreign ownership until there has been informed public debate and suitable protections incorporated into a review of the Overseas Investment Act 2005. New Zealand must retain ownership of our primary resource, the land and waters of Aotearoa New Zealand. Foreign investment can bring positive economic benefits to New Zealand and there are a number of examples, equally there are examples where those benefits quickly move off-shore. Much of our prime wine growing areas are now in foreign ownership. Can we afford to sit back and let this happen to our large farms and the communities they support? The culture of New Zealand is one of partnership with the land and the waters of Aotearoa. As partners we ask for the chance to be heard and the opportunity to best protect our land for future generations.   Show your support by going to the following website and sign the petition   http://www.savethefarms.org.nz/