Bay of Islands Marina, Opua, North Island
Saturday 26 June 2021
The latest stage of our NZ20/21 adventure came to an end with Nicola saying her good-bye yesterday morning – off on the morning bus south to Auckland.
Today, it was Martyn and Annette’s turn, picked up by Gary and Theresa a bit after 7:00am to catch the bus to their home in Hamilton.
It was all starting to get very quiet aboard.
Linda woke to her first day, much rested after her big day of almost constant travel yesterday. A trip to Melbourne airport in the morning courtesy of Uber-Son Matt … then a direct flight to Auckland … followed by hours of sitting around in a transit lounge … topped off with the last flight to Keri Keri landing at 9:50pm.
Well, it was supposed to land at 9:50pm, but from what I can gather, it probably landed around 9:35pm, which was ample time, to paraphrase Linda … “… for everyone on the plane to be greeted with open arms by someone they loved, grab their bags and go, the aircrew to leave and for all airport staff to also go, including the lone security guard who looked like he was about to lock the front door as soon as I’d walked through”
Playing a tactical game, Linda wisely stood just inside the airport’s front door, enjoying the warmth it afforded, chatting with the man in the fluoro vest, hoping beyond all hope that John and I would “be there soon”.
Meanwhile, John drove his twin-cab ute as fast as he dared, the 30 minutes from Opua. Particularly after a month at sea which had him initially driving on the wrong side of the road for the first half-a-K – luckily the roads here are quiet at this time of the year.
We thought we’d done well to get to the airport at 9:51pm … just a minute late … surely, everyone would just be getting their bags, or maybe even just walking to the terminal by then. Not so, apparently.
Although, looking back, we were kind of put-on notice when we saw cars driving OUT of this very provincial looking airport carpark, as we drove in. Obviously, a sign! Ar-well, as dad used to say … “all’s well that ends well”…
Getting back to this morning … a big sleep and a glorious sunrise marked the start of a new day – although it was tonight that I showed Linda the photos of this morning’s sunrise, she’s not normally so good in the morning.
After breakfast, John drove Linda and me to the shops to do some grocery shopping, after which he headed off to catch up with family for a couple of days – specifically, today, to attend the first birthday of one of his youngest grandchildren; of which there are 15 at last count.
Back on board Chimere … it was then just Linda and me, sorting through bags, cupboards and boxes, rediscovering what had been stored away about 15 months ago. It seems strange to comprehend, but that’s how long it’s been since Linda, Matt and James were last on board – in Match last year. It was 14 March 2020 to be exact and at the time they left John and I in Milford Sound, with the intention of returning again a month or two later in the Bay of Islands (Read about it HERE)
As we all know, that never happened. But finally, Linda was able to make use of her Air New Zealand “Travel Credit”, and here she is, in the Bay of Islands, on board Chimere … with me … soaking up the vibe of the place. And her flight just happened to be 3 days AFTER the lifting of the latest Melb-NZ travel restrictions.
Now, if you think that’s exquisitely timed … then, would you believe that my son Matt and his wife Cathy arrived in Auckland this afternoon, with Cathy’s brother Doug and wife Em, arriving a few hours later, on a different airline around 7pm. (After a 20 hour in-transit delay!)
They have all hired a campervan, with Matt and Cathy joining us next Saturday here at Opua in the Bay of Islands. Well, after all the COVID cases in Australia and no doubt in connection with the decision-making uncertainty from one Aussie State to the next, the New Zealand Govt. has just, and I mean JUST, announced a freeze on ALL Oz-NZ travel for 3 days, from 7:30 AEST tonight … which is actually 9:30 NZ time. Consequently, Matt, Cathy, Doug and Em arrived with just hours to spare!! In keeping with the official statement, they will … “monitor their symptoms and regularly check Australian exposure sites”
As for James and his partner Eva, well they are scheduled to fly from A.C.T. to Auckland (via Melbourne now instead of Sydney) on Thursday next week. So, here’s hoping the 3-day travel suspension will come and go, and they will be permitted to travel. I was going to say … “and things will be back to ‘normal’ by then” … but “normal” just ain’t what it used to be.
In other news, Linda knocked up an amazing chicken and rice concoction in the galley this evening, and I secretly ate one of the last two remaining Magnum ice-creams (once Linda had gone to bed, naturally) that were ‘blocking’ up the freezer. Just doing my bit to help clean up.
Our plans for the next few days include … doing very little tomorrow (Sunday) … going for a day-sail with John, Gary and Theresa on Monday … keeping up the deck painting and other maintenance tasks, as the weather permits … and booking in a boat-service guy to have a look at the low-pressure pump for the water-maker system and the onboard air conditioner.
Yes, we have an air conditioner – very indulgent, I know – and we haven’t bothered with it for maybe 8 years or more – even when sailing in the tropics. But I’m keen to get it fully operational, since Chimere is officially on the market, and what’s more, the unit ALSO has heating, so when we run the generator to charge the batteries and heat the water, it can also be heating the cabin if it’s chilly. And I’m guessing it’s going to get a little colder over the next couple of months, before it gets warmer.
On the home-voyage-crew-front … looks like I may have a crew of four able bodies locked in to join me, from 10 July … no need to resort to good ol-fashioned press ganging tactics – subject to all the usual COVID travel restrictions and conditions. Which is reassuring! (not the COVID bit, but the finding a crew bit)
Smooth seas, fair breeze and the days of good-byes
Rob Latimer
NZ2020 