Island Time!

Hi Everyone,
I forget what I sent last. I guess we are starting to get into the "island time". We hardly know what day, or week, or month it is. Although every day seems to be filled with lots of chores and things to do. Like going to the local farmers market to get veggies and bread. Life seems to be filled with the basics of food and supplies and getting things done on the boat. Even with a new boat there are lots of little things that need upgrading, particularly after we have gone through the Tasman with 40 knot winds and 3 - 4 meter seas. Anything that could have shaken loose, or broken, or worn, did. But overall, we are still very pleased with the boat's performance. As I think we mentioned before, the most scary part was not the winds and waves, but the lightning storms. We fortunately skirted most of them, but one particular one had Carol sleeping with the EPIRB.
The life here in northern New Zealand is like the US in the 60's. The music on the radio. The cars, the way teenagers act. The more relaxed life and the way that everyone seems to be helpful. Every morning, the local net is filled with information and people who are willing to help each other. For example, this morning someone wanted ride to a nearby town, and someone else responded, "Sure we can give you a ride" The country side is rolling hills, very green with lots of cattle and sheep. The Kiwis love their Cricket teams and though we don't understand it, the games last for days. We will be leaving this lovely area of the Bay of Islands to visit the area between here and Auckland over the next few weeks. Our next port will probablly be Whangarea, pronounced Fongeray. Cheers mates,
Dan and Carol aboard Caprice.