Bay of Islands

This weekend we headed North to the Bay of Islands and hired a sail boat for a few days. The Bay of Islands is a truly special place with historic significance and unparalleled, unspoiled beauty. The backdrop to our adventure was stunning despite some mishaps with fuel and accommodations!

Mat was the captain of Kea, our boat, as I am still learning to sail. It would be kind to say that Kea was a bit dodgy ... compared to some of the amazing boats we saw, we were definitely sailing economy! Although Mat may disagree, I think sleeping on top of our sea latrine in a very small compartment with no pillows and towels as blankets is roughing it. The true crown jewel of our experience was coming within a half mile of the dock and running out of gas. (We sat for an hour until we gave up on the wind and called the company we rented from to come and bring us gas!)

Despite these setbacks, I think the pictures speak for themselves; the Bay of Islands is a must see when coming to New Zealand. As we watched the sunset and drank our NZ wine on night two, we lamented how much we miss everyone at home and how much fun it would be to sail again with our friends and family on board. Hope this finds everyone well, you are in our thoughts

Here is link to our pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/megan.leanderson/SailingTheBayOfIslands