It has been a while since I’ve blogged. I guess I’ve assimilated into a routine that resembles the fact that I’ve been stationary for three months, but I still feel privileged to have quite a bit of free time in an awesome place. As Moana from the Marquesas would say in his broken English, “It’s good. I like.” The best aspects of being here for me are the sunny days on the beach and the nice people that I seem to meet nearly every day.

Robin, the new friend of the day, is a great example. She was warm and genuine and interested in hearing about our life aboard Pura Vida. She was surprised to meet an American cruiser due to her observation that as Americans don’t tend to value the “overseas experience” (OE) like they do here and in Europe. It’s hard to dispute her observation; after all, only about 25% of Americans have a valid passport and have been out of the country. Personally I think this is a shame since the OE can broaden one’s perspective, particularly if done at a young (18-25) age. However, I also understand that there is a lot to see and do within the U.S. and that American companies do not tend to offer a significant amount of vacation time (and definitely not a “career break” with job security while one is traveling) like they do in other countries. When I mentioned this to Robin, she said that kiwis tend to just take off and say, “alright mate, maybe I’ll be come and work for ya when I get back.” It’s a pretty laid back culture, I’d say.

The summer culture here in Tauranga is all about the outdoors. The brochures were totally accurate in portraying it as a haven for water sports recreation. I thought Southern California had a beach-oriented culture, but the kiwis here take it to a whole new level! It seems like nearly everybody is involved in some water sport, whether it’s surfing, kayaking, paragliding, kiteboarding, racing sailboats, or game fishing. With all of these recreational options, it’s no wonder that the people here are so friendly and down to earth.

Typical day on the beach at the Mount

Kiwi kids backflip off the rocks at McLaren Falls

Though I don’t really participate in any of these activities, I’ve been taking advantage of every opportunity to take a dip in the ocean. The water is pretty warm right now, but I don’t know how long it will last now that the nights are getting colder. I’ve tried surfing a couple of times but need to take a lesson before I get frustrated and quit. It’s not nearly as easy as they make it look!

Simple as

My favorite experience in the water thus far was over the weekend when I went with some friends to swim with Manu, the local celebrity dolphin that is in the wild but well known for hanging out with people. It took a while before we located him, driving around from bay to bay, but there he was, hanging out with his current favorite toy, a blue and white boogie board. He was a good distance from the shore, though, and there were some sizeable waves coming in, so getting out to him was probably my most challenging swim ever. It was well worth it, though, to get up close and personal with him. I was really surprised how large he was and how effortlessly he could jump and dart around us while protecting his precious boogie board!  

Looking for Manu

Hanging with friends at an outdoor concert

When I’m not in the water, I’m going to yoga or doing this and that on the boat. I finished varnishing all of the exterior woodwork (doors, rails), and I’m pretty pleased with the aesthetic improvement. I also advertised my cleaning services a while back on the local grocery stores’ message boards (people really use them here) and had one taker, an elderly Japanese, samurai-looking fellow who teased me most of that day in his broken English as I cleaned up cobwebs, cigarette ash, birdseed and feathers, etc. It wasn’t too bad actually, and I’m hoping for some more jobs. I also auditioned with Martin to play a gig at the restaurant here at the marina. I think they are going to try to get us in on a Sunday afternoon.

Spiffing up Pura Vida

It has been tough to be away from Dallas for so long, but we are now at the half-way mark in terms of the two month absence. Friends and family may have noticed that we just had our one-year anniversary. As I reflect on the first year of our marriage, it’s hard to believe how much we’ve experienced and grown as a couple and as individuals. Having this time apart and spending more time working (particularly Dallas) reminds us both not to take our experiences together for granted.

It also means that we are really looking forward to our next round of adventures. I’ve started preparing for our next passages by looking into the clearance formalities for the countries we will be visiting (Indonesia is particularly complicated) and trying to find items that we’d like to have (e.g., spearguns, cruising guides, vegetarian canned food). We are also making plans to bring our friend Colin Murphy on board in May! Colin is a great guy who we have known since college, and we are really excited about sharing his company and seeing Fiji and Vanuatu through his photojournalistic eyes.