Sailing to New Zealand

The first four days after leaving Minerva Reef we beat southward.  Chris barber hauled the genoa as close to the spreader as possible so we could point really close to the wind.  No pics of that grim stretch.  

 We decided to stick close to the rhumb line and managed to sail most of the way, at least while the wind blew.

As you can see from these photos, the wind died and we motored the last 200 miles.  It really was quite beautiful...

Rourke caught a Skipjack Tuna for lunch!

The cloud formations and reflections on the ocean were mesmerizing 

The southern royal albatross (toroa) is one of the great albatross species, with a wing-span in excess of 3 m and weighing approximately 9 kg, we spotted these a good couple of miles offshore.  No land yet in sight.

A couple of hours later a breeze kissed the sails and we were on the home run...

The Land of The Long White Cloud, home for the next 6 months.

We are really looking forward to exploring New Zealand's beautiful North and South Island, as well as experiencing some Maori culture while we wait out the Pacific cyclone season here...