Most of our time in
Whangarei is spent on boat maintenance, and most of those projects
have been documented in previous blog posts from this time of year.
So for variety’s sake, here are some glimpses of 2019’s project
season, by the numbers:
3
weeks
house-sitting in a lovely rural home, though we still drove to the
marina for boat work
every day. While there
we cared for
22
sheep,
1 ram, 10 hens, and 1 rooster
 |
We gathered an average of 8 eggs every day,
happily consumed and shared with our friends
at Riverside Drive Marina |
 |
| Farmer Art (mowing, not plowing) |
178
screws
from overhead panels to remove—and not mix up—while searching for
leaks.
6
winches
to dismantle, clean and reassemble. 1 winch was disassembled for 5
weeks waiting for a replacement part; when
we were told it could be another 5 weeks before the replacement arrived, we
canceled the order and had a local
shop make the part, which they did in 1 day. The ordered part showed
up the
next
morning. Boat life!
8
days
sanding to prepare the hull for antifouling paint. We hoped for 3
days and planned for 5,
but
of course there are always obstacles. Boat life! (didn't I just say that??)
78
pages of documentation required to apply for a French Polynesia
long stay visa--which also
required a trip to
Wellington for a personal interview at the French Embassy.
 |
| My 'office' at the Whangarei library |
12
other
people living in the boatyard doing what we were doing: sanding,
painting and
patching
by
day, peeing
in buckets at
night...
4
of
those people have received international cruising awards for
completing extraordinary
voyages. This is truly a fascinating place to live.
710
stairs
(approximately; I lost count) as part of the ascent up 476 m (1,570
feet) to the
Te Whara/Bream Head summit. At
least the view was worth it!
8
stitches
to
close the 2” scar required
to remove a skin cancer (non-life threatening) from my leg—
almost certainly
caused decades ago. Kids, wear your sunscreen!
(you've been spared that photograph)
28,000
kilometers (16,800
miles) put on our 1995 Mitsubishi in 4 years, including camping
around
New Zealand and
loaning the car to friends while we were sailing.
128
our
combined ages while we’re doing all this.
 |
| at nearby Whangarei Falls |
