End December 2010
Already two months since the wake of Jangada joined the coast of New Zealand.
past few days, it's been at odds with France.
(Indeed, at Christmas, Oliver had a pretty hat farmer from New Zealand. Barbara And a new pair of sunglasses, the latest being continued on a beach in Tonga ...)
Part our stay in New Zealand has increased to dock pontoon at Town Basin Marina in downtown Whangarei, the main city of northern North Island. A peaceful place anyway, with water and electricity at will. A luxury we had never tasted since leaving La Rochelle. We've paid off the boat and started a list of maintenance work that the Captain had made before arrival. We have also established our first contact with New Zealand, very welcoming, and discover how they live, fairly attractive, in a well preserved natural environment in which they are attached.
We have also rediscovered the abundance of food, after the relative shortage encountered in the Pacific Islands (the Captain was 79 kgs, against 91 initially, and the children were not very fat), but also excessive consumer society, with an amount of cars (including many 4 x 4) bloated.
Then we released the boat from the water with a hydraulic trailer to the River Shipyard NorSand Whangarei, stay a little over a month. Cowling, propeller disassembly, installation of new stainless steel deflectors under the car, repairing scratches suffered Limu Island to the bottom of bowling, removing rudders, lower levels of replacement, removal of winches, installation of new pumps, new antifouling and a thousand other little things ...
Amidst this technical visit, we took 10 days of real vacation (!) in Rotorua, south of Auckland, in a very spacious house that Barbara's parents shared with them to allow us to return after 18 months of simple living, often basic, with absolute comfort: swimming pool, Jacuzzi, king size bed with double goose down duvet, but especially abundant space, ... giant barbecue and fashion New Zealand! (Marin and Olivier did run at full speed for a memorable grilled lamb accompanied by a delicious wine of Marlborough.) Return on board was then starts a bit difficult!
Then Mamina and Tomana, who had a first brief visit to Auckland and early December (for the occasion by playing the Sherpas loaded with lots of footage, from the 4th CNED over to the new water pump waste through batteries of computers or the latest French magazines ...) before spending 10 days in Tahiti, returned mid-December for a stay two months in New Zealand, in three different houses (exchanged, always). So we spent Christmas with them in a nice house in Parua Bay, about twenty miles east of Whangarei. A Christmas without cold, no frost and no snow at the beginning of austral summer. The Yule log was replaced by a "pavlova, a meringue cake with whipped cream and red fruit, very popular with kiwi Christmas.
Barbara and Oliver take the road to the south island tomorrow for 3 weeks December 27 to ride with the Land-Rover. Program, with hikes backpacks, camping and reunions with friends from across the world!
children for their stay in the North Island with their grandparents, changing home Dec. 30. They settled for a month to Opua, a charming little place like southern Brittany, situated in the Bay of Islands, Bay of Islands in the beautiful home (full of ship models) of a commander ship, which sails currently in the Indian Ocean. Everyone ends up in Opua on 17 or 18 January.
Finally, while we wait Jangada wisely in the Marsden Cove Marina, we will stay from 1 to February 15 on the side Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, South Auckland. After the departure to France of Mamina Tomana and we will return with the children in the South Island for a great stay last three weeks.
There will be time to regain our edge in Jangada rearm and prepare our equipment from New Zealand to the north. The hurricane season in the Western Pacific will reach its end then, and it is time to go find the trade winds and tropical sun.
This will give us the start of the second part of the world tour, the way back through South Africa, one that will bring us closer slowly, gradually, La Rochelle, where we plan to arrive in late June 2012.
Where will we be next year at Christmas, end of 2011?
With the grace of God, Cape Town, South Africa.
In the meantime, we went up the east coast of New Zealand (Great Barrier Island, Bay of Islands, Cape Reinga), and affected Norfolk Island and in New Caledonia. Before heading to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and touched the side of the island continent of Mackay. We go up the region of Queensland, will stop in the Whitsunday archipelago, then we will forward gradually, always within the Great Barrier Reef island to island, to the Torres Strait, which marks the end of the Pacific Ocean and the entrance into the Indian Ocean. Road to Darwin before leaving Australia, then heading to Indonesia. Program: Lombok and Bali. A new road off then shift to Christmas Island and Cocos Keeling Islands. At the heart of the Indian Ocean, stopping in the Chagos Archipelago (avoiding the famous military base of Diego Garcia, used for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan ... ").
After?
Well after, there are two options.
One north, which would be the preferred of the Captain, a discovery point of view, but requires the union of two random conditions: obtaining authorizations visiting these islands scattered on the one hand, no too much exposure to other risk of piracy, an activity which unfortunately tends to develop in this region. This road passes through some remote islands, like Farquhar, Cosmoledo, or Aldabra.
The southern one more classic by Rodrigues, Mauritius and Reunion, where we have friends. But we already know these islands.
be chosen later the road ahead, according to the information available.
The two roads meet in northern Madagascar. Then it's the west coast of the Big Island, Nosy Be first, then the center and south.
In November, he must think to win South Africa, near Durban, before embarking on a fine game of hide and seek with the depressions of the forties who can lift a sea very dangerous south of the Africa, where meet the Agulhas, which is the opposite. Weather forecast and hopping from port to port chip will then be maintained to cross the Cape of Good Hope in good conditions.
Arrival in Cape Town just before Christmas 2011 for a stopover of at least a month.
We hope you all had a merry Christmas, and you send our best wishes for 2011!
Crew Jangada (Olivier, Barbara Marino and Adelie) in New Zealand.
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