New Years Eve

Larry relaxing in his bean bag chair on the deck of Banksea catching the last of the sun for 2009.








Helen out for a row after visiting with Anne on Banksea.








Helen and Brad's yacht Lone Bird





Larry and Anne's yacht Banksea




We met up with these three yachts in the afternoon for a get-together for New Years Eve.

Brian and Sue's Yacht Waitoa

Waitoa's Cockpit

Larry and Brad








The group of us in Waitoa's cockpit.
Bill, myself, Anne, Brad, Helen Larry and Brian, Sue must have taken the picture.






Brian and Larry checking over the stern of Waitoa.

Helen and Brad

Cruising the Bay of Islands

With Xmas and New Years holidays the Bay of Islands become very crowded as everyone who can take time off to get to the islands either by boat or ferry is camping at the Department of Conservation camp sites. This is Urupukapuka Island with the tents on shore.

Boxing Day

Kath's Birthday out on the 'Bay'


We invited Rose, Carl, Vita, Hadley, Sue and Bruce out for a sail and a swim for Boxing Day.

Christmas Day

We were invited to have Xmas Day with Rose and Carl at Raratu. There were about eighteen of us.
When Vita and Hadley arrived they decided to decorate an olive tree as the Xmas tree this year.






The back terrace of the house with the bougainvillea in full bloom



Rose and Carl erected a marque on the back lawn just out from the back terrace to help keep everyone cool and out of the sun.
Three of Carl's brothers Guy, Marty and Alistair and some of their families, his mother Gina, friends Sue and Bruce from Naniamo, Canada and Vita and Hadley. A wonderful Christmas lunch was had by all with many tasty left overs for dinner.


Christmas Day at Raratu.

Kerikeri Cruising Club

The view from the road at the top of the hill over looking Doves Bay at the entrance to the Kerikeri Inlet in the Bay of Islands, Ardmachree's home port. There are about 160 berths in the marina with extra boats between pile moorings and also swing moorings just beyond the marina.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas

and

All the best for the New Year

Cheers Kath and Bill


Ardmachree at anchor in the Bay of Islands.


We do have a Xmas tree with lights wrapped around the mast post
in the main cabin.

Gold Star

The Kerikeri Cruising Club has a boat lifter and we had only seen power boats lifted out of the water before. Alan's yacht 'Gold Star' at one and half meters draft is the deepest boat the lifter can handle.


Bill and Lance watching the proceedure with hands behind their backs while Keith operated the lifter by remote control.










Moving down the runway towards the water.








Unfortunately, these photo's are in the reverse order as the boat was being relaunched back into the water, so start at the bottom and work up.

Xmas Parade Kerikeri

On Friday 11th December at 6:00pm Kerikeri held the annual Christmas Santa parade. We drove the 15 kms into town and found a place to park and then walked into the main street. For a small country town there were about sixty floats in the parade.









'Buzzy Bee' a New Zealand Icon
children's toy.





A beautiful set of Clydesdale's.




The Local Kerikeri Volunteer Fire Department.

Santa

Santa arrived almost at the end of the parade.







Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert









The Keirkeri RetirementVillage's float in the parade. The back of the bus opens with double doors and a lifter for wheel chairs.
Looks as though they were all having a wonderful time. Click on the 'bus' picture to see the people inside.





Kerikeri Sheep Shearing Team.

Kerikeri Cruising Club Marina at Doves Bay

Doves Bay and the Marina taken from the road on the top of the hill.







A view of yachts and launches on their moorings at Doves Bay.







Looking out through the marina to Doves Bay point.






The Marina Office, club boat storage, washrooms, showers and laundry.




The Pohutukawa trees are just coming into flower for Christmas.

House sitting

A native bird the Tui in the garden, these birds look black but are actually very dark blue with a little tuft of white under their beeks.


We used to house sit for friends Brad and Helen at Rangitane and look after their lovely old German Shepherd, which has since died. Now they have moved to the other side of the Kerikeri Inlet and Helen has five chickens, many birds and Anzac the donkey and Cody the miniature horse.



Helen's or should I say Anzac's 'Ass Mobile"




Playing the 'Pied Piper' with three of the chickens.
















Moving the electric fence as Anzac and Cody are rationed the grass as we have not had any worth while rain in the last two months.

The property is surrounded with old stone fences.

Kerikeri Stone Store and basin

The Kerikeri Stone Store is the oldest building in New Zealand and beside it is Kemp House.



Situated in the Kerikeri Basin the store was and still is today accessible by water.


















Until earlier this year when a new by-pass bridge was built there was an old stone bridge across the kerikeri River that all traffic used to go north out of Kerikeri. A view of the rocks and basin, the old bridge was removed as it has caused serious flooding in the past.


The Stone Store with the yacht 'Grandma' on the dock were shallow draft work boats used to tie up.