Phew.  It’s 1830 and we just got back from our long, hot showers.  Probably the last ones for more than three weeks.  Best case going forward: it will be a tea pot sponge bath in the cockpit if the weather is not too cold and the wind is not too high.

We were up at 0730 this morning, left Whangarei at 0815 (with many hugs from all of the friends we have made who came to say “goodbye”, waved to our new friend Tom (the Mighty Oz) as he let us through his draw bridge and headed the two hours (with the tide) downriver to Marsden, where we are tied up right now.

Some of our friends came out to say "goodbye".

Last time under the drawbridge. "Farewell Whangarei!"

Once at Marsden, it was work, work, work all day to prepare to be at sea for over three weeks in the Southern Ocean, one of the most demanding ocean environments in the world.  We of course, plan to not go so far south as to hit the really tough weather, but the lows that fly through our course can be significant and we need to be well stowed and well prepared.  Stay tuned to see how our storm avoidance plan works out.

So, it may seem like we have already been working for months – and we have been – but there’s still the final “going to sea” stuff that has to be done.  Today’s list (it was actually longer, but for brevity – here’s the big ones) was:  repack the v-berth, re-stow the main cabin, top off the water in the batteries, cook some of our first couple days meals and repack the lazarette.  OK, maybe it doesn’t sound like too big a deal, but the v-berth is our “garage” so we have to “shlepp” a couple hundred pounds of stuff out, put it in the main cabin and then carefully repack it in a way that “hopefully” leaves the stuff we might need on our voyage, accessible and they other stuff packed away.

The main cabin was pretty easy and it’s nicely stowed now.  Watering the batteries is a bit of a chore as I have to tear apart the entire quarter berth (where we sleep), pull out the mattress, lift boards, unstrap the battery boxes to expose the four lead-acid batteries that power Charisma.  Then I go through each one and add water as needed before putting the whole thing back together.

Then – the cooking.  Ann made:  a liter of yoghurt, pasta salad (for a week’s worth of night shifts), cornbread muffins, and two types of cookies for those mid night snacks.  In between that, I used the pressure cooker to make a ham hock/bean/vegetable soup that we leave on the stove for the first three days.  Dinner, lunch, dinner and then strained and made into burritos on the third day.  Each day we eat some, then close the valve on the pressure cooker and heat it back up, which creates a vacuum and keeps it fresh without needing refrigeration.  This way, there’s very little cooking time in the galley the first couple days out, when seasickness is most likely.

Along the way Ann did a final couple loads of laundry, completely repacked the galley and stored all the fruits and vegetables we bought yesterday – hint: they don’t all fit conveniently in “the fridge”.  Just repacking the galley is huge.

Storing the fresh veggies comes last. We're now almost ready to go.

We change the entire “kitchen” configuration from stuff needed to cook and often entertain guests  while “calmly sitting in a slip” to having the minimal stuff needed to make meals for two tired, grumpy sailors in 40 knots of wind and 20 foot seas – or if not make meals, at least heat something and keep stuff from flying all over the boat.

Finally repack the lazarette.  When we’re “in port” a lot of stuff that we don’t need at sea gets brought out.  The 5 hp dinghy engine, boat fenders, inflatable kayaks, dock lines as well as maintenance stuff like engine oil, the oil changing pump, large fish net (for catching those snapper!), our BBQ that bolts to the stern rail – I could go on because there’s a lot of stuff.  But…it all has to be put away.  Carefully stowed so it doesn’t get washed off the deck by a large wave, but at the same time doesn’t bounce around down below and jam the steering gear or break electrical wires, water hoses – OK, maybe you’re getting the picture.  It’s a tight fit!  Well, it took a couple hours to square everything away, plus I wanted to tighten the packing gland on the prop shaft that was dripping a little too much and access to it is underneath all the other crap down there!

So there we are.  It took a lot longer to do than to type, but we’re ready!  Now tomorrow – a day that’s anxious enough when you’re leaving on a 2200 plus mile voyage – we can be more relaxed and maybe enjoy a cup of coffee while we’re waiting for Bruce the local Kiwi customs guy to come and check us out of NZ for the last time.

A rainbow "waving goodbye" from Marsden.

Yup, we met the Great Oz, the man behind the curtain that controls the drawbridge in Whangarei.

We were out for a walk, got down to the draw-bridge and Ann said; “Let’s see if the bridge guy will let us in and show us around!”  Well, couldn’t hurt I thought.  “OK, you go first!”

To my amazement, “Tom” let us in and agreed to show us how the draw-bridge here in Whangarei works!

Here's Tom and his control board. What a nice guy - we had a great chat.

"...of course Tom, here's how I would do this..."

It's a real feeling of power. As the bridge goes up, in no time cars are backed up all the way down to the roundabout.

Another pleasure of cruising is the people we meet.  Most are true characters and Murray and Jan did not dissappoint.

They are the owners of a classic 1920 yacht Marguerite.  Built in NZ of Kauri wood by Collings and Bell, (you can “Google” the name/builder for more info) Marguerite has been lovingly restored by these two who live on Barrier Island and keep her moored outside their home.  Many stories were shared of their backgrounds, our backgrounds, etc, etc, but the bottom line is we’re all “out here” together doing stuff and that’s enough affinity that when Ann and I went past in our dinghy, they graciously invited us on board for a morning cuppa.

Charisma and Marguerite from afar.

You've gotta love a classic like this!

Our gracious hosts for the morning.

And then there were the hazards of Barrier Island.

Ann went “down” the trail after our hike while I headed out to do some fishing for our dinner.  Here’s what she found that brought her back sooner than we thought.

Probably one of the biggest hazards to New Zealand hiking is...The Bull. Yup, we've encountered a couple and this one was no exception. There was NO WAY he was letting Ann hike through his space. Hike over.

So, shakedown done.  It went well and we have a page long list of stuff we need to adjust before setting out on our voyage back to the US.

But, about Barrier Island, what fun!  We hiked, fished and met some interesting people (as always) and had some beautiful views.  What can I say?  I’ll let the photos tell the story.

As always, hiking around Kiwi islands, we are stuck by the beauty and solitude.

Yes, the moonrise looked just like this from where we were anchored!

Just in time for moonrise and Charismas I got back in the dinghy from fishing for dinner.

Nothing like fresh caught fish for dinner. We got snapper two out of three nights here.

OK, a few more hiking Barrier Island photos

The trails here as in all of NZ are exquisitely maintained.

Down in valleys, on top of mountains, the views just never stop.

Sometimes really little, unmarked trails connect with bigger ones. We're careful to leave a bit of a track telling how to get back.