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Wangi Wangi Island Grab a strong coffee - here's a bit of etymology for you: The name Wakatobi is derived from the first two letters of the four main islands. The WA represents Wangi-Wangi. The rest of the word contains the leading letters of Kaledupa, Tomia, and...

Jefry's Fish Restaurant We had heard of this place and seen the pictures but didn't really know what to expect. Located just off the coast of Ambon, Jefry's Fish Restaurant - otherwise known as Rumah Makan Apung Emas Biru - is a unique place. We haven't encountered...

Kawe - Equator Island I wonder if they have this right. The Raja Ampat Equator Monument on Kawe is supposed to be at 00°00'00" - 130°07'28"E - bang on the equatorial line of latitude. But my phone didn't agree, and neither did our handheld radio's built-in GPS. I'm...

Leaving Ambon Secure in the knowledge that the back of my eyeball wouldn’t end up at the front - and in a place where there are few people and definitely no clinics, we decided to head north to Wayag in Raja Ampat. We left Jefry’s place early on July 12th so that we...

Welcome to Debut We arrived in Debut after four and a half days of near-perfect sailing from Thursday Island. The only hazards along the way were occasional clusters of fishing vessels. Fortunately, these were either lit up like Times Square or splattered across our...

Great Barrier Reef There are a few entrances to the Great Barrier Reef, some more challenging than others, and all less than perfect. After a couple of hours trying to figure out which to choose and how to weave through this maze of reefs, I came across a book on...

After almost six months in New Zealand, we sail just over 1000 miles to Tanna, then overnight to Port Vila to catch a flight to see the land divers of Pentecost Island.
I also used the time on passage to write about what we’ve been up to. I’ve been a bit slack on the writing front because it has been a busy few months of sightseeing, boat fixing, and travelling around Aotearoa. But now we are just about up to date.

Leaving New Zealand We wanted to sail up to Opua to see Bertrand and Pascale one last time before we each headed in different directions. But with the wind hurling down the coast from the north, that wasn't going to happen. Instead, we anchored at Urquarts Bay for the...

Riverside Drive We thought we might like New Zealand but were wrong - we loved it. The scenery is stunning. The people we encountered were friendly, helpful, and present. And we could get things done. New Zealand has some very skilled people, and the quality of work...

Lake Pukaki Driving to Christchurch, we passed Lake Pukaki, 178 square kilometres of water and another joy for cold water masochists because the Tasman River feeds it from the Tasman and Hooker Glaciers. It is also another primary source of hydroelectric power....

Steam Punk and Steam Train What a whacky place this is. The Steam Punk HQ in Oamaru is completely bonkers inside and out. The machines outside have a slot into which you can deposit your hard-earned cash for them to spring into action. Or, in the case of the Mad...

Bluff Bluff became an important port for whaling and sealing ships in the mid-19th century. And it retains an industrial feel with industries of a different kind, thanks to the Tīwai Point aluminium smelter and the port of Bluff that handles over 3.5M tonnes of cargo...

The World's Fastest Indian In the centre of Invercargill is a large hardware store, E Hayes & Sons. Inside that store, among all the tools, parts and accessories to support a thriving agricultural community, is the Indian Scout motorcycle ridden by Burt Munro....

Te Anau Te Anau is known as the "gateway to the fiords" due to its proximity to the more famous Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. In Maori, it means "cave of swirling water," a reference to the underground waterways that flow beneath the town. On the subject of water,...

Road to Wanaka We were considering staying in Wanaka, but because of the Warbirds over Wanaka festival, we couldn't find a campsite with space. Instead, we stopped on the way over at the Makarora campervan and caravan park, which has a petrol station and cafe at the...

Franz Joseph There wasn't much time to hang around. I'd booked a helicopter flight for the afternoon to take us up to the glaciers. The flight we booked was supposed to take us to Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier, Tasman Glaciers, the Southern Alps and the Main...

Hokitika We drove our van into the Shining Star campsite late afternoon on the 27th of March. Apparently, we weren't the first Riverside Drive Marina residents to check in here. Only a couple of weeks before, our sailing friend Jeanne Socrates also checked in at the...

Greymouth We only went to Greymouth to meet Charmaine, one of our Riverside Drive friends who was staying in Greymouth for a while. But we are glad we saw the town too. It has a rugged charm - and some good OP shops from which you can grab a bargain. Hats off to the...