This is a holiday weekend in NZ. A celebration of the day the Waitangi treaty in which the Maoris and British agreed to rub along in this part of the world. The reality has not been so simple or without resentment since the signing in the Bay of Islands but who cares this weekend? Monday is a holiday for all. Everyday is a holiday for us.
Yesterday we joined the Waikawa yacht club which allows us to use the club house facilities and the 50 mooring balls they maintain in conjunction with two other yacht cubs in the Queen Charlotte and Pelorus Sounds. You can anchor but these fjord like bays are deep all the way up to the shoreline.
This morning we're heading out to East Bay to join a local boat Gary and Jackie met for scalloping. There are no mooring balls in this bay. Gary anchored and Feelin' Nauti a 36' cabin cruiser with Greg, Anita and Greg's parents, Beth and Noel on board tied up to Inspiration Lady.
The wind is from the south today, south equals cold, Antarctica, NZ's southern alps, and the water is only 17c for our dive. Greg, David and I kitted up and Gary took us in his dinghy to a spot off the beach and in we plopped. OOOhh! It was fresh but the upside was plenty of large scallops for picking.
Cold water is not kind on my toes. I'd lost all feeling in them by the time we surfaced and it took a hot shower and hot tea before I stopped shaking. So now it's official – I'm a warm water wimp.
Still wearing two polar fleeces we went over to Feelin' Nauti to gorge on our harvest of mussels and scallops.
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