Tag Archives: kara

Merrymaking with a Kiwi and a Scot

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We invited our friend Kara (Kiwi) and her friend Emma (Scot), who is visiting from Scotland, for a weekend onboard Sugar Shack and boy did we have fun!  These two lovelies have been friends for decades and are simply a joy to be around.  They bring delight to all those around them!  

Kara and Emma drove 2.5 hours from Whangarei to Maratae (just south of Auckland) to meet us.  We dropped the hook on a very exposed, shallow beach for a quick day stop.  We grabbed some provisions and headed back to the boat.  Our first stop was West Bay on Ponui Island.  We had visited Ponui a few days prior (blog post on Ponui with their rare donkeys) but this time we anchored on the other side of the island.  The first thing the girls did was jump in the water which was a nice 23C!  Nature was showing off with a gorgeous sunset and we took full advantage!

A truly beautiful sunset

Man O War Vineyard

The next day we headed to Man O War Bay as we planned to visit the beautiful vineyard for their Summer Happy Hour events.  It was going to be a “rose all day” event for us.  It started out with just Matt, Emma, Kara and I and then our friends on Yum Yum (Daniela and Mirko) joined us. Later in the afternoon some more friends came for the tail end of our celebration.

We tried to take a photo after each bottle was finished but that did not exactly happen the way we planned. Not sure what Matt and I were thinking…we could not keep up with the Kiwi and the Scot!

Things got a little crazy and silly at times.  Our new friends Adam and Sarah showed up with some Award Winning Texas BBQ guys towards the end of the day.  Probably not the best first impression we’ve made, but we sure did have fun hanging out with them.

Two Americans, Swiss, Austria, Kiwi, and a Scot – an international table!

Owhiti Bay (Waiheke Island)

The next day we had a lovely motor sail over to Owhiti Bay.  We wanted to show our Kiwi and Scot our beautiful sails but the wind was not fully cooperating.  We were able to sail for a bit which was lovely but soon the noise makers came on to get us to our destination.

Drinks were served on the lido deck.

We took an excursion to Garden Cove and Carey Bay by dinghy to explore some beaches and do some shelling.  Emma had the luck of the Scot and found tons of treasures.  Kara is showing off her “Kiwi” feet by walking barefoot on the rocks!

I just love this old tree with all of its bends and curves growing out of sand and rocks.

The beaches are so very beautiful and unspoiled on Waiheke Island.

Celebratory Dinner

We invited Daniela and Mirko over for dinner.  Matt made his famous pulled pork and Emma made a tasty Spanish rice.  Super delicious.

And we were blessed with another beautiful sunset.

Events may be out of order as a wee bit of wine was consumed during the visit.  Overall it was a spectacular weekend.  The next day we had a beautiful sun halo to lead us back to Maraetai.

So grateful for our friends – what a blessing they are!  Thank you for playing onboard Sugar Shack Kara and Emma!

Events from this blog occurred mid February.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  Did you catch our last blog where we take you to the drunk island?

Kiwi Fun

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It is difficult to live and work on the boat while she is on the hard in the boat yard.  We wake up and start working right away (0700) and then work until the sun goes down (2000).  We work on the weekends on projects that don’t get in the way of the contractors.  Work work work.  So, we periodically have to blow off some steam with a little Kiwi fun.

The Seaside Sirens

There was a flyer on the bulletin board outside the boat yard office that caught my eye. It was an advertisement for a one night only show of the Seaside Sirens.  Intrigued I googled it and to my surrpise it was a cabaret.  Oh ya, sign me up for this type of Kiwi fun!  I called a few friends and dragged them along with us.

We stopped by the Quay for a cocktail prior to the show.  Daniela, Mirko (on Yum Yum) and Kara joined Matt and I.  Check out my pretty drink (lower left) called the Autumn Sun.

The Seaside Sirens are mer people and the two sailors have been caught under their spell to do their bidding.  The live band called “The Otherlies” were land based but worked with the mer people in exchange for favors.

And then the show began!  It is not a strip show per se, but they do strip down to pasties.  They had performers dancing, singing, performing on a pole, silks, large ring, and with a hula hoop.

It was serious fun with great laughs and loads of entertainment.  The performers were lovely and put on a great show!

It ended at 8:30pm and we were all starving.  We stopped by several eateries which were open but their kitchens were closed.  Finally we found Loco, a Mexican place that fed us and wrapped up our night.  Kiwi’s know how to put on a good show but they need their restaurants to stay open past 8:30pm!

Welcome Cruiser Party

Whangarei throws an amazing party each year to welcome the new cruisers to Whangarei, NZ!  This year I had the pleasure of assisting (albeit very little) Kara from Town Basin Marina.  The party was held at Aqua Restaurant located at the Hundertwasser Museum.  It was great fun seeing old and new cruiser friends.  Upper left is Kara and I and upper right are two of the amazing performers.

The most spectacular Maori group, Hatea Kapa Haka Group  performed and they did not disappoint!  They take my breath away, brought me to tears with a Maori version of Ava Maria and showcased their local traditions and songs.  It was spectacular.

Christmas Tree Farm

It was nearing Christmas and our friend Kara from Town Basin Marina asked us to come along to get her Christmas tree.  We went to an actual Christmas Tree farm called “Crane Road Christmas Trees.”   The family had a beautiful ranch style home overlooking their gorgeous farm!

Oh how I wish I could have brought home a tree to the boat!  But even though they were “small” in American standards (between 4-6′) they were way too big for our boat.  But they smelled devine and they keep all of their trees in buckets full of water.  

Kara found a beautiful, round tree that we gently stuffed into her car and brought to her house.  She did a fabulous job decorating!

After our tree farm we went to Parua Tavern for a tasty lunch!  Check out this super fun mailbox.

Me having a little fun with a NZ phone booth in Whangarei.  I don’t know how to actually make a call from this phone.

I purchased a wooden vase in Panama for cheap and have been using it on the boat on the rare occasions I get flowers.  It has cracked in several places so I commissioned a new vase out of Rewarewa wood (native NZ tree) and it came out beautiful (the darker vase).

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This show was 22 November.  Our last blog post documented our rudder rebuild, did you read it?