http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/seasun/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from seasun en-us Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:04:13 +0000 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:04:13 +0000 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 wonderf http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Nelson-Region/Nelson/blog-432532.html 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 nonalcoholic drinks. It was also an opportunity to see Nelson. It was great fun but cold The high was about 12C. Tod http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Nelson-Region/Nelson/blog-431780.html On Monday 24th August CarlMichael the two men and I left the Wyuna and decided to check into a hotel to get ourselves sorted out cleaned and laundry cleaned etc. We all shared the one room. It is amazing how after spending 3 weeks together on a boat how intimate one gets. You may be wondering who shared with who I will keep you guessing It was Sooooohellip. Nice to get a bath an http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Solomon-Islands/Guadalcanal/blog-431181.html 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 Solomonrsquos 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 othe http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Solomon-Islands/Guadalcanal/blog-430306.html We have spent the past 5days in Honiara not my favorite place in the world waiting for the rest of the guest to arrive which they did today Sunday we now have 6 onboard. The plan was to leave as soon as they arrived however the dingy had a mishap yesterday and we have to get the outboard fixed before we head out. Fortunately Brianrsquos fatherinlaw owns the Yamaha dealership and we wi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Solomon-Islands/Guadalcanal/blog-426816.html 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 supervisi http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Solomon-Islands/Guadalcanal/blog-425994.html Early Friday morning we left Honiara for AviAvi Marina about 24 mile away on Ngelic Island. We arrived at 11.00am picking a mooring outside the Pamlerrsquos house friends of Brian. The boat was situated so that the dinghy could be used to go backwards and forwards to the house by a pulley system. The Palmer family is affluent by the standards of outer islands Solomon people. They have ele http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Solomon-Islands/Guadalcanal/blog-425462.html We arrive in Honiara Monday evening after a 9 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 t http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Solomon-Islands/Guadalcanal/blog-423600.html We left Wallis island on 14th July at 3.00pm however not before I visited the dentist. All weekend and during the public holiday I had problems with my tooth. We decided to take the precaution and make sure everything was OK. It wasnrsquot. The dentist diagnosised a tooth abscess and gave me antibiotics for the trip. It worked a charm and felt a lot better however it puts an end to the d http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Solomon-Islands/Guadalcanal/blog-422847.html We have been diving night and days snorkeling touring the island with Ann and Franois 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 http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Tonga/Vava-u/blog-417946.html CHANGE IN WEATHERThe weather has been awful since I arrived in South Pacific in Tonga wet cold and windy wet warm and wind on the trip here. In Wallis Island it is still wet windy and warm very unusually for this time of year. Sunday there were blue skies It is really beautiful and I have to keep pinching myself to realize this is real and not a dream. Brian and I went for a dive Sunday http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Tonga/Vava-u/blog-413878.html Sorry about the lack of pictures on the last couple of blogs. On Friday we waited for the customs and immigration people to come out to the boat. They never arrive so we went in and were able to do all the custom and immigration on land. It was late but I wanted to check my emails and put something on my blog before they closed. I had 10 mins. not long when things are slow. I will put some http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Tonga/Vava-u/blog-413868.html June 22ndTONGAThe 3hr flight to Tonga was uneventful which is what I like. I arrived in Tonga and it was raining windy and cold. My flight to Vavarsquou in Northern Tonga was cancelled and I had to wait for the later flight. I sat in the domestic airport the equivalent of large shed the only saving grace was the restaurant which sold hot and cold drinks and food. I had numerous cups o http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Tonga/Vava-u/blog-412400.html Sorry about the lack of pictures on the last couple of blogs. On Friday we waited for the customs and immigration people to come out to the boat. They never arrive so we went in and were able to do all the custom and immigration on land. It was late but I wanted to check my emails and put something on my blog before they closed. I had 10 mins. not long when things are slow. I will put some http://www.travelblog.org/Oceans-and-Seas/Pacific/blog-413867.html June 22ndTONGAThe 3hr flight to Tonga was uneventful which is what I like. I arrived in Tonga and it was raining windy and cold. My flight to Vavarsquou in Northern Tonga was cancelled and I had to wait for the later flight. I sat in the domestic airport the equivalent of large shed the only saving grace was the restaurant which sold hot and cold drinks and food. I had numerous cups o http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Tonga/Vava-u/blog-412401.html I arrived in Auckland this morning on my birthday. What a long haul from New York. All the planes were full so no chance of lying down and sleeping. Is there really a recession on The plane from LA to Auckland was a double deck style and it was full appr 600 700 seats I managed to get some sleep so I wasnrsquot too bad when I got to Auckland. After checking in at the hotel I took a bu http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/North-Island/Auckland/blog-410669.html I have just finished a fabulous week volunteering as a liaison Officer for the tall ships. I was assigned to the ship Mircea a Romanain Navy training vessel. 184 men and 6 women. They were all delightful from the captain down. They we interested enthusiastic respectful and sense of humour. My team of 6 were to assist the ship in whatever they needed to prepare for the next leg of the race http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Bermuda/Southampton/blog-409229.html It was good to see Rowena and met the soninlaw and the parents in law. Yesterday we went shopping Rowena wantedneeded a pair of sneakers her feet are expanding. The mall is like any other one except there are men and women in Arb dress. It was Sunday equilviant to monday in the western world and the Mall was very quite. We bought the shoes and had a coffee at numerous Starbucks outlet http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Kuwait/Al-Kuwait/blog-399994.html I am sitting in Bahrain airport. It looks very similar toairports world wide except there are signs to male and female prayer rooms also there are 20 of people in arab dress. I am disappointed as I could not see out of the airplane or airport as there is a sand storm at the moment. The wind is quite strong as indicated by the flags just out side the window. My departure has been delayed a http://www.travelblog.org/Middle-East/Bahrain/blog-399331.html Today was the survival section of the course life jackets life rafts and sea survival. All very interesting and I hope that I never have to use any of it. It was rather depressing. For the practical part we were taken to dive pool and saw how the life rafts inflate then we had to jump off a 4 meter high board and get into the life raft. We ended with the mock abandon ship where we had to http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Hampshire/Southampton/blog-398987.html