October 2, 2009

Life in Opua
Wow. We’re only been here 5 days and we’re almost completely settled in to life here. For the first time ever we are living at the dock. How amazing to just step off the boat on to dry land. The showers and laundry are a short walk at the end of the dock. We are plugged in to power and I have a new electric kettle for instant hot water. We also have a water spigot right next to the boat. The local dairy sells freshly baked bread and pastries for a delicious early morning treat. And this week we will walk up to the Community Hall for yoga classes on Mondays and Thursdays. We have a couple of phones, internet access right from the boat, and a post box at the dairy. We also bought a car this week; a 1993 Mitsubishi Eterna for just over $2000.
Our very good friends Janet and Von met us here on our arrival and were instrumental in getting us settled in. They drove up from Waiheke Island to greet us and spent a couple of days driving us around. It was fantastic having them share our joy of being home. Sequester was just about out of food, so now the pantry is well stocked. We are spending this rainy, cold Sunday reading the paper, writing on the computer and eating well. Ted got our diesel heater running nicely, so we are warm and dry.
We both agree that this passage was our LAST offshore run. From now on we will sail in the beautiful Bay of Islands and other gorgeous New Zealand locations in settled summer weather. After 18 years we’ve had a good run with lots of wonderful memories, but this offshore stuff is a young person’s game. We’ll be happy to tell sea stories by a roaring fire at the yacht club!!
More news later, as we visit old friends and look for work. Karen