Morning sunrise in Whangaroa Harbor, Far North, New Zealand. photo by Beth Davidow
The weather here in the Far North this summer has been quite windy, keeping Doubtless Bay choppy under mostly sunny skies. Summer rains have made the hills emerald green but those same rains brought heaps of run-off down streams into the bay. The water has been awfully murky!
We're getting the new (to us) boat all squared away though. The 35' Caribbean flybridge is a very comfortable vessel, rides well, and will be a great dive & filming platform. She's loaded with plenty of SCUBA tanks (until Tom gets his closed circuit rebreather over here), enough fishing gear to catch dinner (though we've not been too successful at that pursuit!), and a watermaker that will let us stay out for days at a time.
The Whangaroa Marina, where the boat (named ORCA) is berthed lies in a stunning part of New Zealand: a long harbor leads to the open sea with many bays on either side. Dropping anchor in a calm, quiet bay is a great way to just hang out on the boat. Listening to the gentle slap of water against the hull, hearing fish jumping at dusk & dawn, and listening to kiwi & moreporks (owls) calling at night under starry, starry skies is a perfect way to spend time "camping!"
Doubtless Bay, New Zealand. photo by Constanze Krause