(by Ann) AKA “Kaila Vosa spills the beans!”
We are happily tucked into Whangamumu, about 15 miles down the coast from Bay of Islands. On our way to Whangarei. We stop here for several reasons: it is a quick trip here from the Bay of Islands and breaks up the trip down the east coast; there is fabulous hiking with views looking over the bay (more about this tomorrow); there might be fish to be caught; and most importantly- it is fun to say!
Of course none of this has to do with telling secrets so I will “spill the beans” again. The last morning that we were in Opua I spotted a couple walking down our dock. The guy was wearing a SF Giants hat. I almost ignored it but after passing them I turned around and asked if it was a souvenir or if he was really from San Francisco. Turns out he was really from the Bay Area. Or more accurately, from Concord! Wow the world is so small! As we talked (you see Kaila Vosa warming up here) we found out that we had lots in common based on the Bay Area. I mentioned that the cute young girl working at the Marina Café was also from the Bay Area. Turns out….this cute young girl is their daughter!
I had gone through the same line of “where are you from; really, I am from SF too; well, really the Bay Area….etc, with the young girl. In further conversations I asked how she ended up in Opua and she shared that she had come to New Zealand with a friend and now had met the man of her dreams and was engaged to a Kiwi! How exciting. So I innocently ask, “So are you here for the wedding then?” And I was greeted by stunned expressions. The man removed his hat and let out a long, slow breath. The woman’s eyes filled with tears. She knew something was up, but not what. Apparently Kaila Vosa had just spilled the beans! The cute young girl was engaged but had not shared the exciting news with her parents yet. The woman knew that her daughter was afraid to share the news for fear of hurting her parents, who she is very close to. How nice that I could cross that bridge for her, right? Wow! Who would have thought that the world could get so small that I could uncover secrets half a world away. The mom assured me that all would be fine. I wish them all joy.
So we left and headed out to the Bay of Islands. Fishing, hoping to catch, and lots of hiking. Love it. Look out Whangarei – we are getting close!
From Bob: The little bay at Whangamumu is only ¼ mile across and has a very narrow channel inside, so it’s the perfect “quiet little bay” even when it’s windy and rough outside. Tonight, the fog rolled in for a while and it was fun to be snugged in our little spot. But now the stars are coming out. I think it’s going to be a glorious night. I just taught Ann a new trick. Writing her name in the water. The phosphorescence in this bay is really bright. When you splash the water, it glows. I can now hear her on the deck waving the boathook in the water endless writing; “A”, “N”, “N”. Swishing the boathook back and forth in the water. Giggling. Fun.