Yup, we finally see a weather window.  At least we think it is.  There’s a low bombing through here right now.  We went to the Farmer’s Market this morning and stocked up on fresh veggies and fruit.  We’ve been cooking and vacuum packing meals that our friend Rand has kindly put in his freezer to turn them into “bricks” that will hopefully stay cold in the fridge.  Doing some more random provisioning and heading down the river to Marsden tomorrow.  We’ve notified customs and we’ll check out of the country Monday morning and hope we timed the back side of the low to get some south(ish) winds to help us sail east of here before the next storm comes through.  Stay tuned to see how it all works.  The plan is to go east between the 30 degree south and 35 degree south parallels, then at around 152 degrees west longitude head north.

It’s 2200 miles or so east to Tubuai in the Australs in Southern French Polynesia.  We hope to be able to get there in approximately three weeks, but who knows.  We’ll go where the wind lets us and would like to eventually make it to Tahiti which is north of Tubuai.  Then after resting a bit, going on north to Hawaii and eventually take the trade wind route north and ultimately east to Washington state.  Once there we’ll see what time of year it is and whether we’ll stop there for this season.

So for now, it’s “farewell” to New Zealand.  Thank you and your people for treating us so well and thanks to all the friends we’ve made here!

A final hike up Parahaka for a view of Whangarei, our home away from home for the last three years.