Racing in the Harbour: Penguin!

So tonight we, the racing crew of the racing yacht "Hot Prospect", raced our way into another enviable finish - this time we were in 1min15sec before the race is called. I suggested to the captain that he rechristian the boat "8:59" for our precision and fortunately, he laughed.

The real revelation of the night was when we finally rounded the damned buoy at Devonport and then the insidious buoy at Westwall we were crossing the harbour to the malevolent buoy at ???(I forget) I looked down (it was dark) and there was a small bird cruising along in the tide current toward the city. It was obviously not a duck and so I figured it might be a penguin! Hey, why not? I'm in New Zealand, right?

It turns out it was indeed a penguin - what the Kiwis call a "Little Blue Penguin". I did not get any pictures tonight by this one from wikipedia gives a good idea of what it was:

A penguin!

The crew was more interested in the improving wind conditions. When I started exclaiming about seeing a penguin they all basically said, "That's right, a little penguin." and went back to trimming sails and pontificating about the seriously evil current working in our favor.

A penguin!

(I should note that the buoy adjectives are chosen simply for entertainment. I'm really enjoying sailing and racing and would gladly sail right through the gates of hell if the boat was obtaining 7.4 knots at the time. One tends to let the mind wander when coasting in the lee of the NZ navy boats while fighting an incoming tidal current.)

Quick! A Quiz for P!

Alright P., what kind of rocks make up the cliffs near Piha, NZ? Send me an email and earn a prize!

Sailor Bob II

Bob explaining his finger woes:

Sailor Bob's New Freak Feature

An old friend of mine is sailing around the world. His boat is spending the cyclone season in Fiji but Bob and his girlfriend Suzi jumped on a chance to come to NZ as crew on a larger yacht. Here's part of the reason he came:

He messed up his hand along the way and it healed with a distinctive twist. He's planning to get it worked on while he's here.

The next post will be a longer video of Bob talking about his new freaky feature (anyone remember the old Bob freaky feature? This one beats his funky nose crinkle hands down...).

You can follow his substantial adventures on this blog or this (never updated) blog and on the escape artist website. or you can listen to the Swedish Pop star NiklasG sing about the man.

A Short Tour to Piha

I decided to get out of town again this weekend. Even though the locals warned me against it, I was set on an overnight bike tour to Piha. So Saturday by around noon I was packed and on the road. Getting out of Auckland is a mess of cars and streets I don't know, but this time I actually checked a map before heading out the door. Soon I was lunching at Titirangi, a nice set of shops and stores west of Auckland.

Piha is on the other side of a set of hills called the Wiatakere Ranges; they provide a frame for your photos at the visitor center:

A short climb later I turned from Scenic Drive to Piha Road and climbed some more. Eventually the road turned steeply downhill and Piha came into view:

Fantastic! Piha is a small beach community regularly run over by crowds from Auckland. They have managed to keep most big-time development away, hence, not all accomodation is as fancy as the built-in campers at the motorlodge where I set up a tent:

It's the early season so the campground was not crowded. I went and flew a kite, watched some local lawn bowlers (not everyone was wearing white this time, whew), hiked a bit, and then watched the sun set:
Beautiful! Dinner was a burger (the "Blair" burger - complete with a fried egg and some kind of strange condiment, mmmm) and chips (plus tomato sauce, at NZ$2 for a tin!). Have I mentioned it yet? Burgers are a real deal in NZ - it's NZ$8-10 for a kebab but only NZ$3-5 for a burger. Just bring your own ketchup.

The next morning I got up, hiked around the beach, found a nice track up the hill and got a picture of Te Piha, also called "Lion's Back" for obvious reasons once you get to the right angle:

Here is photo of me reflecting on anenomes:
All in all it was a great trip. Even the punk-in-a-car that buzzed me and sprayed me with water (I hope) on the climb back out of Piha couldn't take away from a wonderful quick getaway. The locals also seemed to be enjoying themselves. If this is an undesirable beach I can't wait to visit the good ones.

Here's a bikely map of the ride:

24 Hour Tour to Piha

http://www.bikely.com/

Bike Racks

Here are some pics of the bike racks at the UofAuckland. The first is the norm - nice, simple, stable. The second is the "bike cage" that you need a special card for. I got one, but now that I am living next to the Uni I don't use it as much. It's great except for two things - there is no roof, and with a simple tool one could completely disassemble the cage in minutes. Alas. It does present a pretty formidable facade.

Eat Your Heart Out Amy!

(Perhaps I should look at labeling more closely before buying - some of those black currants are a little too happy!)