Safely arrived in Opua, NZ

We finally tied up at the Quarantine Dock in Opua at 9.00pm local time after a voyage of 1170nm in just over 8 days.

 

The final pilotage up the river in the dark was fine and we are one of three boats to have arrived within half an hour of each other, so we congratulated each other and then repaired to our respective boats for a celebratory drink. It feels odd to be completely still (there's not a breath of wind here) after 8 days of constant noise and motion so we think we'll sleep well tonight.

 

We're preparing for a spaniel to come aboard tomorrow with the bio-security team – the dogs are trained to sniff out fruit (there was a big scare here when an Australian Fruit Fly was discovered in nearby Whangarei and it's thought possible it came as a stowaway on a yacht) and other interesting substances. Dianne will, of course, have to be restrained from wanting to give it a cuddle. All being well we'll be free to stroll ashore by lunchtime.

 

Thanks to all of you who've followed our voyage and sent word of encouragement – it means a lot to hear from you.