Tacking

After an hour we headed back into the wind which involved tacking. This is a lot more complicated so Tracy and I stood at the back and watched the crew get on with it.

For the next hour the boat tacked one way and then the other with the boat tilting through almost 45 degrees. The low side of the boat was below the water line. We could see the sea breaking over the side. One woman was crying with fear but Tracy and I loved it. It was just the most exhilarating rush although completely knackering just trying to stand up at an angle and hold on to the side rails. 

Tracy at the Wheel

Once we got into the gulf, they let us take turns behind the wheel. At first I felt I was just holding it and not really doing anything but then the wind got up and the boat started to pull to the left. By steering against the wind I could feel the boat start to really take off, the sails puffed out and we were soon up to 13 knots. It was a terrific feeling to steer a 100 ft yacht and watch the speedo change as I caught the wind. 

Messing About in Boats

Once the spinaker was up we really started to pick up speed. Soon we were cruising along at about 11 knots which feels really fast as the sides of the boat are only about a foot above the waves.

The boat is huge. the mast is over 100 ft tall. The sky was bright blue and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The sun was shining on the green sea, the wind was in our hair, we were having a ball. 

The Daily Grind

The best bit of the experience is that we got to crew the yacht. This involves 'grinding' one of four winches which are used to raise and lower the sail. It took two people per winch, turning with all our might.

Our first job was to raise the main sail, it was easy to start. However, as the sail started to catch the wind it became incredibly difficult to move and we were soon sweating.

All at Sea

Today we treated ourselves to a trip around the Hauraki Gulf on board an Americas' Cup yacht. Some kiwis got together and bought the japanese boat from the 1995 competition and now they take people out for cruises. It costs $125: after all the boat cost 5 million!

It was a really fantastic experience. The boat has no seats as it is built purely for racing and the crew never get to sit down. They have installed a motor so we headed out of the harbour under power until we got out to sea and then they cut the engine and all we could hear was the wind. 

Viaduct Harbour

Today we were supposed to pick up our new (actually 2nd hand) car. Well we went to the garage but the car still needed some mechanical work so we had to wait till Monday.

So we went for a drive in our hire car instead. The weather took a turn for the worse. Auckland can be bright sunshine one minute and torrential (and I mean the kind that turns streets into rivers) downpours the next. We took a tour through some very nice suburbs and got a good idea of places to live.

In the afternoon we walked along the viaduct harbour to watch the Americas' cup teams at work. The competition starts in a couple of weeks so it is very active and all the boats have large skirts around their keels when they are out of water to stop competitors from spying on them. Apparently the design of the keel is crucial to the performance of the boat.

Russell Waterfront

Russell is a beautiful little village, but it was once the capital of New Zealand! It is full of lovely old wooden houses. Tracy went for a paddle in the Pacific Ocean (had to say that!) and then we wandered along the beach and checked out the visitor centre.

Captain Cook landed here back in the 18th century so it was the first meeting place between Maori (which means normal btw) and Pakeh (which means strangers, i.e. Europeans like me and Tracy!).

The Rata was in flower which is bright red and flowers at xmas so it is known as the xmas tree. We saw some tuis which are song birds with beautiful, electric blue plumage and the most amazing call. They sound like a synthesiser.

The air was so fresh, its like breathing pure oxygen. Tracy and I have both noticed our sense of smell has become sharper over the past week.

We took the ferry back, went to see some more waterfalls and drove back to Auckland in the dark. We grabbed a late supper from a kebab shop on Queen st which is the main shopping street. The guy who served us told us his life story: he is turkish but grew up in London and couldn't stand the place so he came out here and loves it. As we took a bite he said, 'pretty good eh, you don't get them like this in England do you?' and he was right they were fantastic. After that and a few beers we slept like logs.

Fish and Chips at the Seaside

The sun shined when we arrived at Pahia so we got fish and chips and ate them on the ferry. The ferry crosses the bay to the tiny town of Russell which is very historic in New Zealand terms, one of the buildings was built as long ago as 1889! (irony intended). The fish and chip shop was amazing, not like UK ones, no cod or haddock, but plenty of other white fish that I have never heard of. And they sell latte and espresso! You would not get that in Harry Ramsdens. 

Whangarei Falls

On thursday I thought we deserved some fun so we took a drive up to the Bay of Islands which is about 3 1/2 hours drive north of Auckland. The drive is spectacular; it winds around the cliffs and beaches of the coast and then inland through bush covered mountains and back again sometimes along very steep and winding roads and then for miles dead straight across farm land.

We had a quick stop in a town called Whangerei (pronounced fungaray - WH sounds like f in the Maori language). We did a nice trek through some bush to see a big waterfall.

Afterwards we carried on to the town of Pahia in the bay of islands. The weather was mad, one minute bright sunshine and the next a tropical downpour.

Monday and Tuesday we went looking for a car to buy. When I first visited New Zealand back in '92 cars were very expensive. You could buy a banger for a hundred dollars but a decent car cost a fortune. Since then the government has scrapped the duty on importing second hand cars and the country is flooded with 2nd hand japanese cars (fortunately the japs drive on the left). There are so many car dealerships here and competition is so fierce that you can get a great deal. We took several for a test drive (including a skyline which is a real boy racer car that I was so tempted to buy) before settling for a 93 nissan bluebird with electric windows and mirrors, CD player, air-con and automatic transmission (it is almost impossible to get manual jap cars). The car has 70,000 miles on the clock and a two year warranty on parts and labour and cost us just over $7000 which is about 2300 stlg! The car is being valetted and getting a service so we> are picking it up this afternoon.

Also on tuesday we left our nice expensive hotel (valet parking!) and moved into a bed and breakfast which is clean but very basic, more like a backpackers really. Oh well it is an incentive to get a job I suppose. We also got quite a lot of official stuff sorted. We have a PO box address and my mobile has a new lease of life with a Vodafone New Zealand pre pay sim card so you can phone me (though it might cost a bit) . We also have a bank account and I have a contact at an IT recruitment firm who is trying to find me work. 

Piha Beach

In the afternoon we drove further on into the bush along windy roads till we came to a cliff top overlooking piha beach. This is a black (volcanic) sandy beach about two miles long with perhaps a hundred holiday homes on the cliff sides and next to the beach. It was almost deserted as it is still early spring and a bit fresh.

There is a huge rock called lion rock in the centre of the beach which we climbed and then we had a paddle in the tasman. The water was quite warm and a crab scuttled across my feet! It was not very windy but the waves were real surfing waves (apparently it is full of surfers in summer). The spray off the ocean was teriffic and the air smealt so clean.

We got back to Auckland in the dark (the skyline is amazing at night) and for the first time since we landed I didn't feel sick (I picked up a bug on the journey) so we had pie and chips in an irish bar in town. I don't know if it was the sea air giving me an appetite but it was the best steak and ale pie I ever tasted. 

Waitakere

Today (sunday) we had a lie in and then went for another drive. Just west city is waitakere park which is a large area of bush land. The national parks all have visitor centres, a bit like the national trust but run by the government. The visitor centre is high up in the mountains and has viewing platforms with incredible views. One way you can see down the mountainsides which are covered in ferns and trees all the way to the tasman sea and the other way Auckland glistens in the distance. It was so quiet, quite a change from the city centre. 

Hello from New Zealand

Well what a week we have had. We landed at Auckland on the morning of the 5th on a drizzly spring day, not what we had expected! We checked into the Heritage hotel which is very nice and just £50 a day (thanks for the recomendation Mark). On the saturday we hired a car, $39 a day fully inclusive for a four door, electric everything automatic! It was good to have the freedom to travel so we headed across the harbour bridge to devonport which is a small suburb across the water. It was very pretty, shingly beaches, tree lined promenade, wooden jettys etc. Most of the houses here are wooden and they are painted a variety of colours so the whole town is very colourful. Across the water was a great view of the Auckland skyline. It is a really pretty modern city, all skyscrapers of glass and steel, surrounded by green trees and the ocean. The harbour is very busy with cargo ships and loads of yachts, motorboats and jet skis. The Americas cup teams have been out a lot trialling there boats so that is fun to watch as well. Despite being such a big city it can be really relaxing and peaceful. The sun was shining and we have quite good tans now.