Dorothy’s birthday found us back in New Zealand and some fine hiking out to Smugglers Cove at Bream Head near Whangarei Heads, outcropings of cores of ancient volcanoes which have been highly eroded and shaped into sculptural shapes, high up in the air, overlooking the entrance to Whangarei Harbour, where we have brought ADAGIO for her refit.
Our rental flat was located in the peninsula community of Onerahi, south of Whangarei, where we enjoyed fine waterfront walks, views of dinghy races and sensational sunrises making it really easy to pop out of bed each morning. The Whangarei Farmers’ Market provided us with the most delicious fruits and vegetables and the new “Loop trail” proved to be a wonderful bicycling and walking route. Our friend Commodore Tompkins visited us from Waipapa where he was finalizing the refit of his yacht FLASHGIRL.
Our favorite coffee shop, Caffeine, displayed some of Dorothy’s watercolor paintings, and Dorothy supplied them with fresh flowers from the market.