Our days are winding down in Whangarei.  That means that I am torn between completing the provisioning / packing of the boat and enjoying the beauty of the area.  Fortunately the weather has helped this choice for many of our days.  That means rain. Lots and lots of rain.  And I am tired of it!  So when a sunny day came along and our friend Robin suggested a hike, I was all in!  (Bob needed to change the oil.)

So I grabbed Lisa (Orcinius) ) and off we went to Smugglers’ Cove with Robin. This hike ended up being the hike I saw from Charisma as we first tried to anchor as we headed toward Whangarei.

The hike we took started at Urqharts Bay, where we had been diving for Day 2 of our certification, up over the hill to the point that we rounded coming into Whangarei.  And the rain was gone and the sun shone!

Beautiful trees with a beautiful bench!

We hiked up to a point where we could see the Pacific Ocean and the infamous Smugglers’ Cove.  Glorious!

Lisa and Ann at Smugglers' Cove

No one would believe it rained all day the previous day.  Today we saw pukekos, the New Zealand purple swamphens and one of my favorite birds. Kind of a cross between a hen and a roadrunner.

And if you looked really close you could fine the Hobbit Holes.  We did!

We found a Hobbit Hole!

Okay, this is Ann writing this so I need to show you more views….

Smugglers' Cove

Kinda of looks like Petaluma, doesn't it?

Oh, and did I tell you about the cool mailbox we saw on the way to the hike?

Only in New Zealand does and old outboard become a mailbox!

As you can tell it was a fabulous hike.  But reality calls and if we are going to leave for Fiji we need to finish packing the boat.  See what is left to get put away?

Where is all this stuff going???!

Heck, let Bob figure that out, I hear there is a quilt show at the local Art Museum!  True! So I rallied Lisa and off we went again! The Reyburn House, right here in Town Basin is home to wonderful shows and this month it features quilts!  Look at what we saw!The theme was “Connections” and these ladies created some amazing interpretations. My heart sings!

The Challenge Theme was Connections and these ladies did it well!

The Reyburn House

I know it seems like I play a lot but after this fun interlude I did go back to Charisma and Bob and I finished sorting and packing the V-berth.  This is huge.  This is our garage and stores everything!  Paddleboards, sails, extra clothes and food!  Can’t leave for Fiji until it is organized!  Now we are a step closer and looking for that weather window!