Shortly after the Tsunami we sent the following email to friends and family....
Hi Everyone,
Just a quick note to let you know that all is well here in N. Z. Bill and I were up at 4am this morning and had Ardmachree out to sea, into the middle of the Bay of Islands, a couple of miles out and over 40 meters on the depth sounder. We motored and sailed back and forth until early afternoon and then went into Roberton Island and anchored. It is a wide open bay protected from the ocean swell. There is a high pressure system over the country at the moment and there was no wind so we were able to see the odd different swell come into shore. While anchored at Roberton Island we noticed the tide dropping quickly and then come in again but there has been no damage done. We did have a 5 knot current against us as we went through Kent Passage back to the Kerikeri Marina a spot where there is not usually any current at all. The quake in Japan is 1000 times worse than the quake here in Christchurch and thank goodness we only lost 166 lives, not the thousands they have lost in Japan.
Our trip from Kerikeri back to Vernon started Sunday afternoon with Rose and Carl taking us to the Kerikeri Airport to fly to Auckland to catch our 13 hour direct flight to Vancouver. A Vancouver airport visit with Bea and Yvonne before joining our regional flight to Kelowna Airport. Anita met us at the airport, there the roads were dry and spring was on the way. Next morning all had changed with our first views out the window, SNOW had arrived over night! Dutchess is seen in the back yard covered with her winter cover and SNOW beside two 5th wheels, while the crocus were pushing their heads up through the white stuff!
