Warm Rain Ship's Log

Road Trip to Russell

Last Sunday we took the car ferry across the bay to the town of Russell with friends Linda and David, s/v Toketie. Russell is a quaint seaside town with lots of historical significance here in New Zealand.

The tiny Anglican Church, built in 1836, is the oldest church in New Zealand. We walked through the church graveyard and into the church. All of the wooden pews are lined with one-of-a-kind handmade pillows to ensure comfy bums during the sermon.

We walked The Strand, the paved waterfront walkway, admiring the Victorian-like architecture of the police station with its giant fig tree and the Duke of Marlborough Hotel. We had a terrific lunch at Tuk Tuk Thai Restaurant before heading up to Flagstaff Hill, another historical sight.  Apparently the leader of the Ngapuhi tribe had chopped down the flagstaff four different times over the years (1840’s), rebelling against the local government and authorities. The views from Flagstaff Hill were beautiful, even on the gray, overcast day that it was.

On the way back to the ferry we stopped in at Omata Winery for a bit of wine tasting. The wines were ok - not great - and a little out of our price range, but the scenery was worth the visit.

We really enjoyed our little road trip and look forward to returning to Russell another sunnier day to explore further and take some better pictures.

Merry Christmas from New Zealand

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends. We had a quiet Christmas Eve yesterday. I found a small turkey (7 lbs!) and fixed it and all the trimmings for the two of us. It was a free range turkey and was pretty tough but tasted good. Tom said that Tuffie (my nickname for the turkey) must have played rugby with his pals while roaming on the free range!

We've had a quiet Christmas Day as well. We took a little walk around the waterfront before Tom went down for his 2:00 nap. We'll have Christmas dinner with Glen & Sally on The Dorothy Marie.

For all our friends back in Seattle and BC having a white Christmas, just wanted to let you know that it's been partly overcast all day here but the temperature has been around 70 degrees F. I don't miss that white stuff one bit!

To all, have a safe & magical holiday!

Waitangi Treaty Grounds

This past weekend we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds again. We had been there at night during our first week here to see the play about the history of New Zealand and wanted to see it during the day. The grounds are beautiful and impeccably manicured. In addition to the meeting house where we saw the play, there are several other buildings of historical significance, including the actual house where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British and Maori warriors in 1840.

One of the coolest sights on the grounds is a Maori waka (canoe) that is 115 feet long and can hold up to 135 people! The name of the canoe is Ngatokimatawhaorua. Sorry but you’re on your own for the pronunciation of this Maori word! The waka was made from three massive kauri trees felled in the Puketi Forest and was launched as part of the Centenary Celebrations in 1940. It requires a minimum of 76 paddlers to handle it safely on the water.

We thoroughly enjoyed walking the grounds and look forward to visiting again to explore the adjacent nature trails. Click here to see pictures of the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. 

Holiday Observations

The Christmas holiday season seems very strange here in New Zealand. First of all, it's summer, so most days are sunny and warm (we're not in Seattle any more Toto!) and it stays light out until well after 9pm. Also, nobody decorates for Christmas. There aren't any Christmas lights or decorations on any of the houses or local businesses and no jolly old guys with white beards ringing bells outside of the grocery stores. It's making it very hard for us to get into the holiday spirit without our "normal" holiday visual aids.

What Kiwi's do at Christmas is go away on holiday, mostly to the beach for fun in the sun. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining as we sure don't miss the cold weather, it's just so different. We'll just have to suffer and make the best of it! :))

How Rigging gets Made

Sailboat rigging consists of fittings that connect to the mast or deck and 7/19 wire. Since the stay that failed was old I had all the rigging over 3 years old replaced.  Rob our rigger is shown below getting the hydraulic "roller pull swage" tool ready.

Here is a better shot showing the new rigging fitting prior inserting the new wire and "pulling the swage"

Here is a before and after shot. Notice the new swage is complete and the new fitting was pulled to a longer length over the wire giving great strength. It takes thousands of pounds of pressure to stretch stainless steel over wire.

Boating Mumbo Jumbo

Some sailboat rigging terms:
Halyard: Pulls up and lowers the sails
Sheave: Pully that the halyards run over at the top of the mast
Mast Head: Assembly that holds the sheaves and separators

Today our rigger pulled the mast head off to expose the parts that were broken.  I was aware of one sheave that has been cracked since Mexico. It turns out they all need replacement along with the pieces that keep the halyards separated while running over the sheave.  Warm Rain will be getting yet another early Christmas present.

Kiwi Camper Vans

In New Zealand there are camper vans for rent everywhere. The best thing about them is their paint jobs. They are all very colorful and usually have fun sayings on them, like the van that we saw at Matapouri Beach last weekend. Don't you just love the quotes? If you can't read the print, click on the picture to enlarge it.

A Visit with Sandi, Vernon & Family

This past weekend we drove to Matapouri to visit the home of our friends, Sandi & Vernon and their two children, Jayde (age 6 ¾) and Liam (age 4). Their home is a converted wool shed situated on 22 beautiful acres a couple miles inland from the coast. We spent Saturday afternoon attending an open-air concert at Tutukaka Marina. We hung out on blankets on the grass watching various musical groups, a juggler, belly dancers, etc. Sandi & Vernon are both members of a band called Shed and they also played on stage. They were great and we encouraged them to cut a CD. Their group is called Shed because they practice in the shed on Vernon & Sandi’s property.

Back at Vernon & Sandi’s house we enjoyed a fantastic dinner on the patio, then Tom & I retired to the “Love Shack” - a building large enough to hold a bed and desk – for a peaceful night’s sleep. We made use of the hot tub in the morning before heading out to Matapouri Beach for a look-see. We stayed long enough for Vernon & Sandi to have a quick swim and the kids and Roscoe (their dog) played in the sand. By then we were all starving and went to a restaurant near Tutukaka Marina for brunch.

We had a fabulous visit and look forward to hosting Sandi & family for a weekend aboard Warm Rain after the holidays.  Go here to see more pictures of our visit.

Blog Updates

Well folks, I've finally edited over 200 pictures and uploaded several to the blog. In addition, I've added a post or two to fill in some blanks during our travels. So, if you have the time, browse back through our posts beginning October 23rd through today to see some new posts and photo albums. If you just want to see the pictures you can click on the new photo albums on the left-hand side of our home page. New albums added are: Pangaimotu, Tonga - Nov 2008; Minerva Reef - Nov 2008, Opua, New Zealand - Nov 2008; and Kerikeri, New Zealand - Nov 2008.