Year Two
Date: 20/5/2008 10:00
Weather: Cool and 25knts
Location: South Pacific Ocean (33 35.51' s, 176 11.78' e)
Author: Peter

Yesterday we set sail again for the Kingdom of Tonga. We left Opua after a very short 8 day stay. We hired a car for 2 of these days to help with provisioning and to do some local sight seeing. In total we probably only covered a semi circle of about 100km in diameter to the north of Opua getting as far as the very scenic Doubtless bay, a rather nice place to have lunch. We also visited some of the oldest buildings in New Zealand near Keri Keri which again reminded us greatly of Tasmania. Last but not least we drove to a nearby forest to see some Kauri trees. These trees just get so fat so quickly. Not so tall just fat. We can see why they were logged so much given the amount of timber one tree would produce. A small one we saw was quoted at having enough timber for over 10 houses.


Our hire car


Doubtless Bay

Back in Opua (a caravan park for yachts from around the world) we also picked up a third crew member for the passage across. Florian a 24yr old French man. Also for those fisherman out there, the sea life just at the marina was amazing. Walking down the marina finger at night you would just see schools of fish everywhere, and the snap crackle and pop you hear through the hull was the strongest I have ever heard. It just goes to show how over fished the east coast of Australia is becoming.

Jura V is now the most loaded she has ever been. Everything is packed so tight as we are trying to carry 5 months worth of food as we hear that finding supplies in Tonga is not good. In the wind strengths we currently have it does not seem to have slowed us down any.

Sorry this one is so short but we have not done that much given the time it takes to purchase and then pack provisions. And writing about that is rather boring anyway.

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