Fay Pankhurst gave us a great welcome to Auckland at her home in Milford, just by the beach, thank you Fay! We got the maps out and did some planning together.
Much restored after the long flights, we set off in Bailey the campervan, heading north to find Tintin at Marsden Cove Marina, Whangarei.
The drive took us through valleys and farmland with glimpses of both the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea. The trees are striking, so different from home: tree ferns, native flowering trees, bottlebrush and wattle.
By late afternoon we were back on board our home from home. Tintin was tied up in the marina, with everything very ship shape: thank you Nicki and Richard. She is coated in a fine layer of ash dust thought to have come from the Australian bush fires which turned the skies here orange last week.
We will spend a couple of days on board before setting out on our road trip, destination Fjordland at the bottom of South Island.