Hot Baths and Clean Bottoms.

The wind is charging the batteries and the rain has nicely rinsed the decks. We are anchored at Kiwiriki Bay, Great Barrier Island. A nice day was had yesterday as we enjoyed the facilities at "Smokehouse Bay". A great facility for visiting boaties provided by the Webster family. The "bay" has an area of land that contains a smokehouse for your fish, BBQ sites, a shed with a bath and shower, an outside bath, a wetback wood stove to provide hot water and some piles to allow you to dry the boat out with the tide. We put Elenya alongside the piles to clean the bottom of the boat, clean up and paint the propellor, and to service one of our seacocks. This was all done in the pouring rain (with a rain cover over the prop). As we cleaned we would run up to the wood stove every now and again to keep the fire roaring. At midday we completed our tasks, had lunch and then spent the afternoon relaxing in the outside bath with lots of hot water. Every now and again we would top up with hot water. No prizes for guessing who got the job of stocking the fire and chopping wood every now an again. I can imagine the news headline had I slipped whilst swinging the axe!!

After a few hours, several refreshments, and tons of cold rain pouring down we reluctantly eased out of our steaming bath and got ready to leave on the evenings tide. A wee bit of wind had arrived by our departure time but a short motor saw us safely anchored for the night. Our plans are to spend some time here then head to Auckland, stopping to terrorize and taunt a good friend on our way. Then on to Bayswater Marina, and joy of joys back to work on 1st July. But that's still along way off...................