This is a brief update to fill you in because we aren’t exactly sure when we’ll be posting again…

On the boat project front, we’re in pretty good shape. In last Sunday’s post, Kim described our struggles to rebuild the foredeck under our windlass. I am happy to report that the repair seems to be successful. The reinforcing piece bonded successfully to the underside of the foredeck and we have remounted and tested our windlass. It all appears good. Of course, the true test won’t be until we are raising anchor, particularly in choppy conditions, when the stress on the deck is at its max, but we’re hopeful. I think it’s a successful fix. Of course, the PERFECT fix came to me in the middle of the night as I lay awake obsessing over whether this would work-too late to implement. But at least now if it fails, I know what to do…

Pretty beefy in the anchor locker now.
Windlass all reinstalled!

We also had a welder come and repair our bow roller. The roller is what the anchor and chain ride on. Ours rotates, for some reason. Previously, there was a “hook” that held it in place, but that broke (of course), so we decided to weld the roller in place so it no longer moves. The welder, in true Kiwi style, was super friendly and he got the job done. Everything seems solid and ready for real-world testing.

Where’s the leak? NO IDEA!!

I TRIED to find the source of the leak that soaked some of Kim’s clothes in the aft cabin. This, however, was not so successful. I thought I found where the water had to be coming from, but I couldn’t replicate it. Leaks on boats can be difficult to find, as the water often travels quite a distance before coming out somewhere noticeable, so this one remains a mystery. Kim can just store her swimsuits there…

So with the major work done, Meraviglia is ready for sea once more. But we’re not! We’ll be heading back to the States in a month. We’ll visit family and I will work for a few months before we head back to New Zealand in the spring. That leaves us with a month here in New Zealand before we fly back. What to do, what to do???

Well, first, we’re eating up the food we have on board. Kim has made some magnificent meals this week. Just saying.

Roasted Carrot and Feta Salad
Steak and grilled zucchini

3Otherwise, we could hang out here in Whangarei, visiting the local markets, hiking the surrounding hills, and generally enjoying first-world civilization. BORING! We could head to Auckland and experience New Zealand’s largest city! Nah! We could rent a car and drive around the country, staying at quaint B and Bs and inns. Oh please! We woke up on Tuesday morning with no idea what to do. By noon, we were committed. We rented a campervan! That’s an RV to those of you in the States. Have we ever used a campervan before? Nope. Have we ever driven in New Zealand before? Of course not! So of course, we rented one for 3 1/2 weeks an-d we leave tomorrow. Where are we going? Wherever ChatGPT sends us. That’s the truth. We asked ChatGPT to design an itinerary that included lots of tramping (that’s hiking because, of course, there has to be a different word) and winery visits. And ChatGPT seems to have delivered. We double-checked what it delivered and the places actually exist, so that’s a plus.

Movie Reference!

That’s why we aren’t sure when we’ll be posting again. We can’t take our Starlink with us (couldn’t find the right cable here in NZ), so not sure about internet availability. But we should be able to post to our Instagram and Facebook accounts, so you can check those out for updates if you’re interested.

So we’re off! Tomorrow! What could go wrong? At least the van can’t sink.