seasun

I am in New Zealand getting ready to come home. I am getting used to the colder weather - it was real shock to the system. We have been out walking most days. Some beautiful countryside near here. We took Rita - Marion's daughter to Picton on Saturday and had a lovely drive through the counryside. We stoped and had a picnic near where they used to stay in the Marina in Picton. It was wonderful. Rita wanted to visit Nelson Market before she left so off we trotted early Saturday morning. It was great fun. There are lots of cottage industries here from food to herbal creams to crafts, cloths etc. Fasinating!! Sunday the weather wasn't great so we had a short walk in the morning and then checked out a few stored in town. ... read more

I arrived in Nelson yesterday after overnighting in Auckland. I didn't realise I could be so cold!! My friend Marion and her husband were at the airport to meet me. Marion had to work in the afternoon so I tagged along. She gives wine tasting tours of Nelson - I tasted the non-alcoholic drinks. It was also an opportunity to see Nelson. It was great fun but cold - The high was about 12C. Today Marion Rita and I went on a Tramp in Nelson National lakes. A tramp is long walk. There are huts dotted along these trails in the mountains and people can stay at them and continue on the next day. We jsut did a 2 hr tramp up a mountain. We had lunch in the hut and then walked back down again. ... read more

Yesterday, we have arrived back in Honiara and the adventure here in the Solomon Islands is coming to a close. We had 10 glorious days diving and swimming in the Russell islands (group in the Solomon’s Islands), Salvo Island and in Mboli passage between big and small ngaela Island. Most days, there was an afternoon dive followed by a night dive. Some of the dives were spectacular and other were totally different to what I had ever experienced but all with the aim of finding shells. My most impressive dive was a small cave dive which was on a sea-wall. The wall was breathtaking with loads of fish, saw a turtle and a few sharks. There were loads of different types and colors of coral, sea anemones, fans etc. I wish I could capture it on ... read more

On Tuesday morning I walked with the children to school. What an adventure and again another insight to their culture. We started our walk to school about 6.20am as school at 7.30am. Madu called me at 6.15 to leave for school - we headed out over a well worn path. To set the scene - it is light but the sun is not up yet, three children 8, 9, 10, yrs head out on their own- no parental supervision. On our way there were a few streams which we crossed by walking on a 6” plank or a long log. To the kids it was hop skip and a jump but when I was confronted with it I hesitated and very gingerly crossed the stream - once I actually walked in the stream rather than on ... read more

We arrive in Honiara Monday evening after a 9 ½ hr journey from Marail - southern end of Guadalcanal. Again we were going down wind averaging 6.5 - 7k. It was a peaceful sunny with a few squalls very pleasant. Brian has mooring buoy about 50m off the Honiara Yacht Club. The plan was just to pick up the buoy and we would be set for the evening - We arrived just as it was getting dark at 6.30pm to find a catamaran had attached a sunken vessel next to Brian’s mooring which was no where in site. After a few choice words with the owner of the cat, running aground on the reef near by, we went on another mooring for the evening. Mike (a yachtie who had met Brian 3 years ago) came over ... read more

We have been diving (night and days), snorkeling, touring the island with Ann and François - generally having a great time. The past two evening we have been doing night diving - 2 days after the full moon is the best time to find some of the shells Brian and Carl are looking for. It has been good to conquer my fear of the ocean at night. We did a fast drift dive thru a narrow passage from the outer reef inward where there was lots of current - scary exhilarating and fun all at the same time. The weather has settled to SE trades blowing 15-25k gusts to 30k and sunny. Last Saturday, Ann and François came out on the boat. Unfortunately that day it was cloudy & rain. We experience a severe thunder ... read more