#94 NOW March 14, 2006 0810UTC +13 hours (New Zealand Daylight Time) Anchored in Akaroa Harbour S4348.5 E17257.5 Temp 53, Wind NE at 5 kts. Good Morning, Oamaru is a delightful town. With a population of about 13,000, it is known for its neoclassical sandstone buildings and lush gardens. During the late 1800s, this was a bustling seaport with a harbor right out of the Victorian age. In fact, Oamaru has the largest collection of protected heritage buildings in New Zealand, and has become a favorite tourist center. I have a weakness for secondhand bookstores. In the historic precinct of Oamaru is a delightful, little musty, old bookstore called Slightly Foxed. With a potbelly stove in the center of the store and comfortable stuffed chairs around, it was hard not to enjoy this spot. I succumbed to a nicely bound 10-volume set of Alistair MacLeans books as well as a couple by Nevil Shute. These were all at ridiculous low prices. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the Old Post, which has been in business for over 100 years. I can attest to their roast beef as being a good selection. Of course, a meal like that must be topped off with some ice cream. Down the street was a Tip Top (similar to a 7/11 in the US) which specializes in large scoops of hoky poky ice cream. What more could you ask for. Oamaru has some great hiking trails along the seashore. From here, you have views of the harbor, old world war two gun emplacements, and a close-up look at penguin nests. One cliff had a whole colony of cormorant nests. I soon discovered that standing under this cliff taking pictures was not a good idea. I was hoping to get Captain Dick up to Christchurch before he had to fly back to the U.S. However, time was slipping by and a good weather window for the 117 mile run up the coast to the Banks Peninsula, and another 40 miles into Christchurch was not available until Sunday evening. So, Dick boarded a bus Sunday morning for the trip to Christchurch and then will be taking a combination of ferry and train up to Auckland for his flight home. It was great having his help and boating experience over the past month. I doubt that he has a burning desire to cross the Tasmania Sea again, but perhaps we can buddy boat up to Alaska sometime in the future. As I mentioned Sunday afternoon was shaping up for a good departure. Thus, with a forecast of dying winds and a two-meter swell out of the Southwest, I departed Oamaru. That is after I brought up the muddiest anchor and chain I have ever encountered, which took me 20 minutes to clean and stow. Since it was high tide, I had no problem departing over the shallow entrance. Once at sea, the short choppy swell and wind made getting the para-vanes down a bit of a challenge, but tethered to my boat with the safety harness I soon had them deployed and the ride improved. Life is a Cruise, Larry -- Larry Rick Done Dreamin' Nordhavn 40 #33 Site: http://gricknet.homedns.org/Dads%20Web/doneDreamnHome.htm