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Waitangi, Bay of Islands
We hadn't realised when planning this trip that we were going to be here in NZ on Waitangi Day, let alone 15 minutes walk from the Waitangi Treaty Grounds - but here we are. We walked along from the motel, stopping off to book activities for this afternoon and tomorrow. The setup was broadly one of a family fun day, as far as we saw: dozens of stalls selling all manner of stuff, punctuated by addresses from dignitaries, war canoes, marches and a 21-gun salute from the NZ Navy. Realising I had not brought any light footwear on the trip I picked up some cheap flip-flops.
We were flagging fast in the heat and humidity, and it wasn't yet noon. (It wasn't just us - we overheard many Kiwi accents grumbling.) Still, we had a few hours to rest, refresh and recuperate before we needed to be anywhere.
Mid-afternoon, we caught the ferry across to Russell - once proclaimed the "hell-hole of the Pacific" - to meet the tall ship R Tucker Thompson. This is not just a passenger ride (though I did partake from the bar, hence the title of this entry) - those who wish to help haul the sheets may do so, or even go out and stand by the figurehead or climb the rigging (with a safety harness, of course - times have changed). Yours truly took a temporary seat on the first of the upper booms. Getting there was surprisingly hard work and slightly disconcerting as the ship swayed (*nods to the climbers I know*), but ultimately very rewarding. It's a quiet secluded spot and I was in the shade of some canvas; I could have stayed up there all day. I'd like to namecheck our crew - Nick, Sophie and Michaela - as worthy of thanks and praise for a well-run, well-polished operation.
Out on the water you've got a cooling breeze - unfortunately while this takes the edge off the heat of the day, it affects the UV not one jot. Being close to the tropics and having such clear air[0], NZ regularly gets UV levels described as "extreme", 14 or so on the index whereby back home generally scores only a 5 or 6, even in the very height of summer. Despite using the local approved sunblock, I have caught the sun in places. I think this is my warning to use more of it, and more frequently..
[0] I had initially written "under the ozone hole" here, but apparently that doesn't affect most of the country - only the very tip of the south.
We hadn't realised when planning this trip that we were going to be here in NZ on Waitangi Day, let alone 15 minutes walk from the Waitangi Treaty Grounds - but here we are. We walked along from the motel, stopping off to book activities for this afternoon and tomorrow. The setup was broadly one of a family fun day, as far as we saw: dozens of stalls selling all manner of stuff, punctuated by addresses from dignitaries, war canoes, marches and a 21-gun salute from the NZ Navy. Realising I had not brought any light footwear on the trip I picked up some cheap flip-flops.
We were flagging fast in the heat and humidity, and it wasn't yet noon. (It wasn't just us - we overheard many Kiwi accents grumbling.) Still, we had a few hours to rest, refresh and recuperate before we needed to be anywhere.
Mid-afternoon, we caught the ferry across to Russell - once proclaimed the "hell-hole of the Pacific" - to meet the tall ship R Tucker Thompson. This is not just a passenger ride (though I did partake from the bar, hence the title of this entry) - those who wish to help haul the sheets may do so, or even go out and stand by the figurehead or climb the rigging (with a safety harness, of course - times have changed). Yours truly took a temporary seat on the first of the upper booms. Getting there was surprisingly hard work and slightly disconcerting as the ship swayed (*nods to the climbers I know*), but ultimately very rewarding. It's a quiet secluded spot and I was in the shade of some canvas; I could have stayed up there all day. I'd like to namecheck our crew - Nick, Sophie and Michaela - as worthy of thanks and praise for a well-run, well-polished operation.Out on the water you've got a cooling breeze - unfortunately while this takes the edge off the heat of the day, it affects the UV not one jot. Being close to the tropics and having such clear air[0], NZ regularly gets UV levels described as "extreme", 14 or so on the index whereby back home generally scores only a 5 or 6, even in the very height of summer. Despite using the local approved sunblock, I have caught the sun in places. I think this is my warning to use more of it, and more frequently..
[0] I had initially written "under the ozone hole" here, but apparently that doesn't affect most of the country - only the very tip of the south.