[password] Ridingmore
[position] 28 45S 178 59.5E
[weather]10-15 knots from NW
[status] Hello you lovely people!

We've been blessed with stellar winds and flat water over the last 18 hours, and have managed to turn 30 degrees to port and aim straight at Opua, which is a good feeling. And the wind is, at least for the moment, holding on the beam at 12-15 knots - perfect! Lets see what that low which is about to roll over the top of NZ does for our breeze over the next couple of days, before we get too excited about arrival times!

Funny enough we still seem to have plenty of fruit and veg - who'd a thunk that?! So we're actually needing to start to smash some of that back so we don't have to give any over to MPI later this week for destruction! Either that or we'll leave a stash floating around the Kermadecs and one of the fruitless boats following us can pick it up on the way past! We seem to be flush with pumpelmouse, oranges, apples, carrots and zucchini somehow..

We are now in the eastern hemisphere - its been 14 and a half months since we were here last - on the other side of the world in the Mediterranean - boy have we been to some pretty amazing places since then! We're lucky, blessed even, to have experienced these times and these places in a world that is mostly consumed with working hard for at least 50 years of your life, with 2-4 weeks holidays to enjoy downtime per year. And here we are, cruising around the world for years, avoiding (mostly) the strife of pandemics, under our own steam and at our own pace - a privilege very few get to experience these days. Its good to acknowledge how lucky we are every now and again:)

And a little sad, that its all about to come to an end. Its got me thinking, is the 'modern' way of life, our nose to the grind stone approach, really that good for us? Is it really what we want, and what makes us happy? There is, I'm sure, a better way of living, its elusive, but out there I'm sure... Now, what does that look like and how does one make that happen, whilst still contributing to the world in a positive manner.........

Anyhoo, ponderings aside, how are you guys doing?? Has anyone heard who won the darned election?!? Be nice to know that the world wont have to keep dealing with a half-drunk goofball riding shotgun with a flagon of whisky in his pink chubby hand! Send me an email at patea@uuplus.net and letr us know please!!

Righto, that's about us. Keep smiling out there! We are! [Although its probably just the combination of sleep deprivation and vast quantities of chocolate)

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