About two weeks ago, Mark and I left the pretty reef
anchorage in Moorea, to move Irie into Marina Vaiare, on the same side of the
island. As always on boats, it was a tradeoff: we received unlimited water, pressurized
showers and easy shore access in return for non-stop sweating, very high
temperatures and lack of energy. The sun was beating on us and our boat, the
most productive time of the day – to do work, run errands or achieve anything –
was from 6am until 8am, and we couldn’t wait until the sun disappeared behind
the mountains and the temperature became bearable again. Luckily, the feared
mosquitoes at that time of the day were not too bad. We managed to clean and
fix Irie up splendidly. And, our boat now lays perfectly flat in a
well-protected, safe and affordable harbor, quite the difference with last
year’s ordeal and disaster in Tahiti’s Taina Marina!
On April 7
th, Mark and I took the ferry to
Tahiti, where we met the crews of SV Kril and SV Yum Yum for a few hours. It
was great to catch up with them, after many months, and in Kril’s case over a
year! In the evening, we jumped on an Air New Zealand plane and – after about 5
hours – arrived in Auckland, where it was already 9:30 pm on April 8
th.
It does feel weird to have crossed the date line and communicate with our
friends, family and most customers back in time!
The trip and arrival into the country went as smooth as
could be, and our old time friend Axel (from SV Gudrun, but now living on land)
picked us up at the airport and introduced us to the city’s Asian flair by
treating us to some yummy dumplings. All our senses were in overdrive and we
truly appreciated the comfortable and luxurious hotel room he put us in. Axel
is awesome, by the way!
:-)
Our first days in New Zealand were filled with friend
visits, locating some gear needed during our stay, reading up on tourist info,
researching our options to stay and move about during this visit, exploring
Auckland a bit, and mostly acclimatizing. The city was truly a sensory overload
and an incredible contrast with our lives in French Polynesia’s remote islands
– stores with fancy gear everywhere, affordable eateries, constant traffic
driving on the left side of the road, bus stops with accurate digital
scheduling information and low fares, fast pacing pedestrians and people in
suits, sky scrapers with mirror windows, and a chilly climate we can breathe
in.
After a few days in a hotel room the size of two Iries, with
a hot shower, comfortable king sized bed, our own fridge, kitchenette, and
washing machine, decent internet and room for both of us to use our computers
comfortably, it was time to move back to… a boat! Using Axel’s car, we are now
visiting our friends Fabio and Lisa on SV Amadla and Chris, Katie, Dylan and
Leili on SV Iona in the North Island. Catching up with cruising friends who we
haven’t seen in a long time, is exactly what we need, and we are
enjoying every bit of these fabulous social times. Soon, we need to head down
to the South Island, though, because – unlike in the northern hemisphere –
winter is upon us and we only have so many cold weather clothes!
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| Mark installing new hinges on our hatches - now they stay open without dog toys! |
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| Getting water during a dry spell has never been so easy! |
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| Irie in Vaiare Marina |
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| On one side of the marina: Tahiti |
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| On the other side: Moorea's dramatic interior |
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| Meeting with Ursula and Michael (SY Kril) in Papeete, Tahiti |
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| Axel meeting (and bringing) us in the airport of Auckland, New Zealand |
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| Meet Arno, the hit of the household! |
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| Mark and Arno are getting along splendidly |
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| Old Kindergarten in Myers Park, Auckland |
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| Dinner with Axel, Liz and Arno |
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| Going to the grocery store - mirrors everywhere! |
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| A big Asian influence prevails in Auckland |
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| Lisa taking a photo in one of the fish markets |
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| Auckland's skyline, seen from the big downtown marina |
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| The Sky Tower is visible from "everywhere" |
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| The origin for its name: Silo Park |
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| Retro sailboats in Silo Park marina |
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| Hungry fowl in Shakespear Park, Gulf Harbor |
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| A female peacock is called a peahen |
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| View of the bay from Gulf Harbor marina |
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| Delicious pancake brunch with Fabio and Lisa on SV Amandla |
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| Original picture frame in Shakespear Park - the rainbow is a bonus. Yes, it is frrrrreaking cold! |
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| Pretty bay in Shakespear Park |
Mark and I are a bit sad, but mostly happy that she will be
sailing again and that the burden of owning a sailboat on the other side of the
world is lifted. Of course, we will miss Irie;
she meant everything to us and was our home for eight years. She brought us all
the way from Annapolis, MD on the east coast of the United States, via the
Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean, to the northern regions of South America.
Then, she safely sailed us to our all-time favorite, the San Blas Islands in
Panama, before transiting the famous Canal, and entering the Pacific Ocean on
the other side. Before we decided to put Irie
up for sale, because other priorities arose, we had a great time in the
Galapagos Islands and lived two interesting and diverse years afloat in French
Polynesia.
We loved the cruising lifestyle and will always have fond
memories of Irie, our watery
surroundings – the beautiful beaches, the clear water, the amazing wildlife,
the colorful and peaceful snorkeling, the people we met (locals and cruisers alike) -
the intriguing sites and pulsating cultures, and especially, the peace and
solitude of exquisite anchorages. And we will definitely miss the tropical climate! 
While we totally enjoyed being one with
nature for so many years, appreciating what she had to offer and living a
pretty basic life, we are currently content with the quirks of “modern” living.
We indulge in daily hot showers, are aware of conveniences like unlimited
internet and electricity, and embrace the fact that we can just take the car somewhere or go for a walk. We are ready for some comfort and landlubber
“delights”!
