Wednesday 1 June Feeling like real cruisers once more

We feel like real cruisers once more sitting at anchor off a palm frond beach, a leisurely breakfast, reading, a break to do boat jobs so we don't feel entirely lazy. David had some m nor tweaking to do to the water maker which we hadn't fully tested since before we went into Whangarei in mid February. I cleaned up the town messed cockpit. Where does all the dirt and hairs come from? Is there a stray pack of dogs who come quietly in the night to deposit the mud from their paws?

JM Cousteau dive resort

Our reward for all this hard work was to go snorkelling on the reef. It's our first time back in warm water, NZ water was bracing, since Tonga last October. Our first impression of the house reef wasn't encouraging, sandy, not a lot of colour, and then we worked our way in and over and the fish appeared. My favourites the masked puffer fish, big eyed porcupine fish, a moray, the usual anthias, butterfly, angels and a small pink frog fish which is a rare sighting anywhere except the Lembeh Straits in Sulawesi.

Our evening meal was a romantic meal for two and two hundred bugs attracted to the light. As we went to bed the plan is to leave for harbours east from here.