Sailing the Bay of Islands

Tuesday, August 31:  It's the last day of August and the second week of mid-semester break!!  Wow time is flying! Today I caught a flight to Auckland with Christine, Meghan, and Chris.  We met up with Collin and Kevin after we got there and checked into our hostel.  I loved the hostel:  City Groove Backpackers!  It was tucked away off the beaten track in the heart of the city and was very friendly and homely.

Wednesday, September 1:  This morning we went to an awesome place for breakfast called Strawberry Alarm Clock.  I had delicious eggs benedict with smoked salmon.  When we returned to the hostel, a girl traveling the world from England gave us free clothes she was trying to get rid of!  Then we all gathered at the Apex car rental, rented 2 cars, stocked up on food, and went to find our boat!

Our boat was awesome!!  It was called Largesse, but we didn't like that name so Captain Kevin renamed it Shenandoah.  It was pretty compact, but all we needed.  It was beautiful outside when we departed - warm and sunny.  The view of the Auckland skyline from the water was so pretty, especially in the sunset.  We sailed out around the islands and anchored in a nice quiet spot near the Kaikohe volcano.  For dinner we used the grill to make delicious burgers.  After dinner we hung out on the deck watching the stars.  They were incredibly bright and I saw so many shooting stars!!  One was so bright and big and red!  I could also see the milky way very clearly.  We jumped in the freezing cold water but it was worth it because as we swam around we could see the bio luminescent plankton sparking in the moving water - just like what I saw in Abel Tasman.  These plankton never cease to amaze me - they are one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

Auckland in the sunset

Preparing to jump in the freezing water!

Thursday, September 2:  We had the worst luck with weather today.  We sailed all day through a gale!!  It was very windy and rainy and cold and so incredibly rough and rocky.  I thought the boat was going to tip!  It was cool that we beat the speed record on the boat.  It was crazy and fun until I got very seasick... We anchored somewhere that was very rocky while we ate dinner but eventually the weather calmed down and the stars came out.  We had an amazing night hanging out on the deck and listening to Kevin play the guitar.  It was amazing laying in the sails - that is where I saw the most shooting stars.

Friday, September 3:  I started off the sunny morning jumping in the ocean!  It was freezing but refreshing.  Then we made a nice breakfast - although it is not the best idea to cook scrambled eggs on a moving boat!  The weather was off and on rain and we got sprayed a lot by the waves but it was way better than the day before.  We saw a few rainbows and admired the beautiful islands surrounding us.  After returning the boat, we drove three hours from Auckland to the Base hostel in the Bay of Islands.

Earthquake

Saturday, September 4:  We woke up this morning hearing a 7.1 earthquake struck Christchurch at 5 am!!!  Read this article, it explains everything: Christchurch Earthquake ...  It is one of the worst earthquakes New Zealand has ever had!  So we spent the day talking to people back in Christchurch and assuring friends ans family we are all ok.  We drove around the countryside trying to plan the rest of our trip because the university is shut down for a week.  I decided that I would return to Christchurch and go on a road trip to Queenstown.

Sunday, September 5:  HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DAD!!! :) I love you!!   Father's Day always falls on the first Sunday in September in New Zealand.

This morning was incredibly stressful!  I almost missed my 8 am flight to Christchurch because we couldn't find the parking ticket to be paid, got lost in Auckland, ran out of gas, my phone died, and basically had the worst luck with every little thing.  But I made it on the plane just in time!  I enjoyed breathing on the plane but then I had a hard time returning to Ilam.  The city buses weren't running because of the earthquake so I caught a taxi.  Everyone is talking about the earthquake and I am still feeling the aftershocks!  Supposedly we are supposed to feel aftershocks up to magnitudes of 6 over the next week.  It's crazy!!  So now I am trying to relax and prepare for my trip to Queenstown starting tomorrow!