This
is our 3rd night on the boat and each night we sleep for a little longer … I
made it too 4.30am before I woke and then drifted in and out of sleep until
around 7am. We get up, not to be first
out of the passengers to get the muffins (which were lemon this morning) but
stiff from lying on a very soft foam matress!This morning from our top deck viewing platform the channel or harbour was very busy with ships coming in … this one is from Auckland and is carrying oil and goes all around NZ dropping oil off
Yesterday
Jane gave mum and Brenda a job to plant her herb garden …
Getting
excited now as we have just heard that the customs are coming early at 9am so
Neil had to go down to wake Sharon up as previously they were coming at
12pm. Since they were coming early that
meant there was going to be an early departure.
If we thought the O’Briens were getting excited – Brenda, Ariel and
David were really excited about finally going home!
I
popped back up to the top deck to see if they had finished loading and they had
and we going through and securing everything …
Today
is more cloudier than the previous days and also the wind was a little early so
being up on the top deck was very windy so we came down one level and watch
Darcy climb up the Crows nest to add a satellite beacon
Just
waiting for the boat to depart we decided to take a group photo – the guy
standing with his arm spread is David … not a relation thank god!
Ariel
took the photo as she is a little camera shy so I asked if she would sit with
the family and I wanted to take a photo not necessarily a serious photo but one
more to highlight something … can you guess what it is …
You
can tell an islander (with the exception of David) as they don’t wear shoes –
their feet are very broad and flat, not to mention dirty!
The
above photo is Ariel
Finally
we departed just after 12pm with a lot of fan fair! … mainly Brenda and Ariel woo hooing and
hollering that they were going home!
Approaching the mouth we are joined by the pilot boat as the Claymore II
had a pilot with us as Skipper Hamish is a new captain and this is the first
time he has skippered this boat through this mouth
Before
getting to the mouth Mum and Jane came up to us on the top deck with coins to
throw into the ocean at a Maori statue that is situated there for good luck …
Off
course Neil thinks he has to be different and wants to throw it in the other
direction but we tell him no just follow tradition and don’t bring us bad
luck! We did give him another coin to throw and we did tell him to throw it
in the Australian tradition of underarm!!!!
Once
through the heads the pilot boat pulls up alongside of us and the pilot just
steps off … didn’t get a photo of it but a movie!
wind
and is a pleasant spot to admire the coast line. In the distance we can see the orange barge
that is working the removing the remains of the ship called the Rena which
carelessly navigated onto the reef there by the Captain in either 2011 or 2012
(not sure which year!) and got stuck and broke up.
The
water it is in is controlled by 3 Iwi of which 2 want it removed completely and
the other wants the compensation money.
I chatted to one guy last night who was one of the crew of the tugs that
escorts the barges out to the shipwreck.
And after 2 years it had costed the government at least $300 million so
far with still at lest another 5 years work to completely remove it.Here is a photo of some railing on the boat …
Now
there is phone reception out at sea but only until about 1 hour out and Sharon
had a last minute flurry of text and calls of which for 1 hour she said
continuously that this is the last!
It
is now just after 4pm and all is quiet … the crew are in their routine, I think
Brenda and Ariel are in there cabins napping and unfortunately Mum and Sharon
are both in their cabins with sea sickness.
We all took our tablets this morning and Mum and Sharons’ haven’t agreed
with them, no puking yet! Surprisingly I
am fine and typing and reading away. I
can feel the sway of the boat and walk around in sporadic bursts, when I feel I
am beginning to loose my balance I stop and steady myself! Earlier on I felt a little funny in the tummy
and went and had a cuppa and banana and Neil suggested to switch seats and keep
my head either facing the bow or the stern and both seems to have worked …
thanks Nicola on the tip to keep something in my tummy … all the crew say to
eat small every now and then and also ginger is highly recommended!
Not
sure who is turning up for dinner tonight!Here are some photos of White Island an active volcano off the coast of NZ
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