Blogs from Whangarei, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 10

Some photographs from Hakura's trip from Whangarei to Auckland on 23/24 December last year. I was captain, and crew was Campbell Nicol and Sam Morrison (from Wales now on Ianthe in Tonga). Set sail from the Town Basin Marine in Whangarei at 1800 on Wednesday 23rd for an overnight trip to Auckland. Not the best start as I managed to ground Hakura in the mud three times in the first couple of miles of the trip. The last grounding was the best. We were stuck for an hour and a half, so I cooked dinner for the crew. Only a slight lean. We cleared Whangarei Heads just before midnight. No wind to speak of so a stead overnight motor. We took shifts on the helm and in the bunks. A very pleasant night. With the sun ... read more

Abbey Caves are a series of undeveloped limestone caves just outside town. We’re not sure how many caves there actually are, but there are three signposted that you can enter. The plan of the caves we got from the library only shows the three caves, but they all have various passages and entry/exit points. The first is Organ Cave, the largest, and then there are Middle Cave and Ivy Cave. You are meant to be able to walk through the latter two, or at least, exit at a different place than where you go in; we’re sure you don’t get to walk through the whole cave. The plan is a little vague to our untrained eyes. All the caves have stalactites, stalagmites and glow worms. There is also a “Rock Forest” around the caves with some ... read more

Well - Flying out of queens was worse than in!! The 360 thing reversed was even scarier when flying out in gale force winds!! It was nice however to land in warmer climates, and after another 5 hours of coaches and coffees, I arrived in Whangarei, North island to go to a real life home for xmas!! My excitment was beyond belief to get to my best mates sisters house, see familiar faces, get my own room, a double bed AND A MASSIVE SHOWER! You forget these home comforts very quickly when in and out of hostels. Kath and Darren have recently moved into the most beautful place, a 5 bed chalet on 8 acres of paddocks with horses and the most amazing views! There are also the most beautiful two girls here waiting in the ... read more

Things picked up around the farm for a few weeks as Louise had her gallbladder removed and was in the hospital for a few days. Noel was busy on the farm so Matt and I got to step in and get the kids organized and fed. Louise was home before long, but wasn’t feeling 100% and couldn’t lift anything so we were still busy for a while. This made time fly by and we are now packing up to head out for our 3 month long road trip. We have also just recently changed our flight dates from March 11th, to February 21st, 2010. Both of us have a full time job lined up in Kitchener starting at the end of February so have to get back in time for that. Our parents arrive to travel ... read more

A man looking remarkably like Feral Mike has been spotted lurking (see exclusive pictures) in cafes in Ponsonby, Auckland, leading to a claim that his solo bike ride of Northland never happened. Did Feral Mike Ever Set Out? An unreliable source says Feral Mike didn't leave the city, but has been lying low until the past few days and making up his blogs by stealing information and pictures from the internet. The source claims Feral Mike's confidence is growing because he believes he's got away with the scam. As a result, he's become brave enough recently to appear in public wearing a yellow cycle helmet to help hide his identity (pictures in the past have shown him wearing a black one). Feral Mike Defends Himself Feral Mike broke his silence late this afternoon to deny the ... read more