nature & wildlife
new zealand ~ family time in bay of islands
December 30, 2013 – January 1, 2014 I’ll never forget seeing my parents for the first time in over a year . . . standing on the Opua waterfront with Pete and Rae, our buddies from s/v Saliander. Early that morning, our dear friends had picked my parents up from the airport in Auckland and … Continue reading
new zealand ~ the holiday season
November 28 – December 29, 2013 For Thanksgiving, along with s/v Elcie and s/v Sueño, we hoisted anchor and sailed to Roberton Island for the holiday celebration. A Thanksgiving turkey dinner was served aboard Full Monty, and it was great fun to be among good friends. Walks were taken ashore, and Wil attempted to dive … Continue reading
tonga ~ cave & snorkeling explorations
October 1 – 27, 2013 Photos of some of our Tongan cave explorations and snorkeling expeditions. Swallow’s Cave ~ northwest tip of Kapa Island, Vava’u a crazy & quite talented Chris (s/v Tribe) Mariner’s Cave ~ a hollow in the rocks near the northern tip of Nuapapu Island. The cave can only be accessed from … Continue reading
tonga ~ the nature of it (whales)
October 2, 2013 Immediately following the first sea snake encounter in Swallow’s Cave with s/v Gallivanter, our afternoon became even more incredible and turned into one that we will remember for a lifetime. We were just finishing up snorkeling in Swallow’s Cave when we noticed s/v Sueño making their approach to Neiafu for clearance into … Continue reading
tonga ~ the nature of it (sea snakes)
October 2, 2013 More than once, we snorkeled and explored in Swallow’s Cave on the northwest tip of Kapa Island. For our first trip into the cave, we’d gone with s/v Gallivanter. The caves are so large that you can drive your dinghy straight into them. Upon entering the caves, we learned how the caves … Continue reading
suwarrow ~ a true treasure
September 2 – 16, 2013 Suwarrow, also known as Suvarov, is a nature reserve and small coral atoll belonging to the Cook Islands. It is located about 440 miles east-northeast of American Samoa, and there is not another island within 200 miles from Suwarrow. Every year, from April through October, the population of Suwarrow consists … Continue reading