Whangarei, Off Duty

We were almost always on duty, so this post is much shorter than the previous one...

Like most offshore cruisers, we worked on our boat every day; otherwise we wouldn’t get finished in time to leave for the tropics before winter arrives in New Zealand. That said, we often did lighter—or at least different—projects on the weekends for a change of pace. We also tried to take advantage of  the cultural and natural activities that help make Whangarei such a good place to be.

The Pasifika Fusion Festival, an annual event with dancing and food booths representing many of the South Pacific island nations:

We strolled one afternoon through the Quarry Gardens, 

 and another afternoon on an elevated walk through a thick forest of huge ferns and Kauri trees
(NZ's equivalent of our redwoods).

A biennial event that we greatly enjoyed two years ago was the Sculpture Symposium. Directly across the river from us (and the river is not wide), artists create large works from wood and stone over a period of ten days. In addition to hearing the saws, chisels and grinders at work, we visited a few times to watch the art take shape. It was a beautiful process!

1st visit

1st visit

Later visit

Later visit
(Second Wind's stern is visible
behind the metal post near the left of the photo)

The Regional Kapa Haka Competition was held in Whangarei this year, a fascinating and often moving celebration of Maori performing arts. The festival showcased 10 groups, most of them very highly polished, in both traditional and newly composed songs and dances. With powerful voices, soaring harmonies and exciting rhythms, the music was astounding! No photographs were allowed during the performances, though you can find Kapa Haka performances on YouTube if you want to check some out.

A bit of the atmosphere between performances

Some performers posing for photos outside the stadium

For a relatively small population, Whangarei has a thriving arts scene. This photo is from the annual Easter Arts Trail, where 42 artists displayed their works in individual studios and in groups at community centers for many kilometers along the lovely Whangarei Heads Road.

...plus there were the standard diversions, like the Saturday morning grower’s market and the Sunday evening BBQ potluck with the Riverside Drive Marina community. Living in a mini-neighborhood (and in very close quarters), where everyone knows everyone else and empathy abounds, made the challenges of boat work more than bearable.

And at the end of every day, we relaxed with a placid view down the river from our cockpit...