Fiji - May 2007

Hi All

The unanimous consensus from all aboard 'Cool Bananas' is that: Fiji is fantastic. We have spent three weeks here, mainly cruising the Yasawa group of islands. The local people seem so relaxed and friendly. They have so little and yet seem so happy. They base their lives around the principle of sharing and it seems to work well.

When we first arrive at a village we take the chief some kava roots, which is our gift to them. After a small welcoming ceremony we are then free to wander the village, swim, snorkel and fish. We have been invited to local homes for meals which have been a highlight. I stocked up on extras like clothing and biscuits before leaving NZ, so we have an ample supply of gifts to give them in return. What they seem to want most though is the 'Cool Bananas' tee-shirts off our backs!!!

A bonus for me is that the Fijian people seem to love to have their photo taken, so I have had some wonderful opportunities for getting local shots.

We have found a couple of resorts that welcome cruisers, so we have had time by the pool sipping on pina coladas. Nothing like some abundant fresh water now and again to wash off the salt!!!

We have been able to get our adrenalin fix by swimming with huge manta rays, free diving into dark caves and the usual swimming with sharks.

Did you know that less people are bitten by sharks that New Yorkers are bitten by each other? This is reassuring, considering Lyn and I had a shark come with a few feet of us as we were snorkeling. Luckily for me Lyn didn't tell me about it until he had gone.

We are still really enjoying the snorkeling and diving. The fish life here is amazing and we never seem to tire from spending time observing. There have been gorgeous shells here, so wandering the shores looking for treasures has been added to the activity list.

Dynes and Lyn have been fantastic company and crew, but sadly their time with us in Fiji has come to an end. They will, however, rejoin us in Vanuatu for some cruising there.

Katie, also, has departed. She has gone back to the UK to pursue her career in marine biology. While we will miss her immensely we are pleased to see her advancing her studies and it's good to see her finally considering getting a 'real' job!!

So numbers aboard have dropped to three. We are looking forward to exploring the islands and popular diving spots close to the mainland. On the 20 ^th we are joined by a young German girl, Miriam, we met in NZ. She will be with us for a month before leaving from Vanuatu.

Cruising has been more isolated than we imagine here, so we are relying on you to update us on local, national and international news. The rugby and Americas cup results have been about the limit of our contact with the outside world!!

Sorry to hear that winter has arrived in NZ. You won't want to know that it is bordering on being unbearably hot here, but we're coping.

Warm Wishes from Laurel, Daryl and Debs.

New Zealand Summer 2006/2007

Its been great to catch up with family and friends over the New Zealand summer.

Just a quick note to let you know we are still here. We leave Tauranga today to head to Auckland . In Auckland we stay at a place called the Viaduct Basin .

You would like that as it is downtown Auckland with all the restaurant all-around and no busy road beside it. The security there is fantastic and we parked right under a security camera. You can sit on the back of the yacht with a wine and watch city life going by.

Attached are the photos of the new hardtop and we are finding it very good as everything now stays dry. It took me nearly 2 months to build the actual hardtop. A motor trimming company has just done all the clears around it. I built in some good lighting, so we can play cards at night and there is a small spotlight that can be focused on to the instruments or the barbecue. Also we put in shelving for lifejackets as well as the usual fishing rod holders.

Around about the first of May we will head to Fiji with Katie and Debs aboard. We willl cruise there for approximately 6 weeks then on to the Vanuatu for about six weeks, then New Caledonia for a month or so and on to the Whitsunday's in Queensland Australia.

Finally the day has come. Daryl is filling the water tanks and getting ready to fuel up with duty free fuel. Cool Bananas is setting sail for NZ. The forecast has stayed stable for a few days and is looking very promising for a great passage. We should be in Tauranga in about a week.



See you soon from the Team on Cool Bananas.

Tonga -November 2006

Greetings once more from the Cool Bananas Team

We are still relaxing in Tonga and really enjoying the fact that we don't need to move on in the near future.

Selby and Judy managed to get some sea and sun in the time they had with us and have now departed.

We have Debs, who previously crewed for Archangel, now on board with us.

.

She will crew with us back to NZ. In a few weeks we also have a friend of Katie's', Ed, join us. This will complete the crew for the journey home.

We have adopted the Tongan pace and lifestyle quite quickly here – lots of eating and socializing, relaxing and time in the water. Daryl has been diving most days and the snorkeling has been great. Most days we can recall seeing something new or different.

Tourism in Tonga is minimal, so we have been luck enough to be able to interact with the, fairly unspoiled, local way of life.

Last week Katie and Daryl were out in our dinghy and went to the aid of a local who had got into difficulty in his outrigger canoe. They helped him back to shore and, despite the language barrier, they understood that we were invited to church and lunch the following Sunday. These people have so little and yet so hospitable. On arriving we realized that no-one there spoke English. We were first invited to join the kava ceremony. Once seated, we followed suit and hoped we weren't doing anything wrong or offensive. Then on to church- the singing in the church was magnificent – the volume incredible. People were so welcoming, even without language. The children stared, as if indeed we were a rare sight. The sermon was of the fire and brimstone variety- much shouting and gesturing.

In accordance with their culture the lunch was all spread on the table, but the table set only for the four of us. We ate while they looked on. Only once we had moved away did the family eat. A marvelous experience and one made possible (or more likely) through our cruising lifestyle.

We have decided we have a passion for caves-some of us to a greater degree than others. We dinghied to Swallows Cave, parked the dinghy in the first chamber, swam to the shore, climbed up through a tunnel to a second chamber where the old Tongan Kings used to have their feasts and then the more adventurous tramped on into the dark and beyond. Katie got some great photos.

Cruising is proving to be quite social and we are finding it interesting meeting people from all different parts of the world. There is a radio net in the mornings which boats check into, so we can keep track of where everyone is.

Daryl and I are coming home in early November for Amanda's 21^st. I have decided to stay on in NZ and miss the final leg of the journey. This last passage can be rough so I will leave it in the capable hands of our experienced skipper and crew. The boat should be back by the end of November.

Hope Spring is being kind to you all.

Cheers from Cool Bananas _/)

Rarotonga - September 2006

Hello to Everyone

We are back from our NZ holiday, returning with Daryl's brother Selby in tow. Katie managed famously in Rarotonga without us and was well supported by cruisers and locals. She had so many meal and food donations that anyone would think we had left her there to starve.

We found Rarotonga to be extremely friendly and welcoming to cruisers. The common mode of transport was motorbikes, which everyone, young and old, local and tourist, used. Daryl, as you can imagine, was in his element and I was back out of my comfort zone. You can imagine the two of us, with the groceries, making our way back to the boat!!

We went to a few local dinners with concerts, which were great. The weather was variable but didn't stop us.

We had a varied sail to Nuie (from nil to good winds), with a great stop at Beveridge Reef on the way. We will always remember Beveridge Reef for its sharks. As we were leaving we put a line out hoping for a fish dinner. Selby was so excited as he wrestled with a large (ish) fish on the end of the line. When the fish finally gave up the struggle, Selby proudly wound him to the surface. What he had on the line was a big yellow fin tuna with two huge shark bites out of him. The shark circled the back of the boat, clearly visible in the water. We decided on a compromise – we cut 2 fillets of the remaining flesh and fed the rest straight back to the waiting shark!! We made a fish pie for dinner that night.

We have now been at Nuie for 4 days and have loved it. Nuie has a population of 1200 people and accommodation for 120 tourists at any one time. The locals have been great. We had a full day with a hire car seeing the island, caves and coast.

The water clarity has been amazing and the diving spectacular. Daryl's new experience is holding a sea snake.

Katie and Daryl were lucky enough to swim with a humpback whale with a calf (on two occasions). Katie got some great photos. Others of us had to be satisfied with having the whales at close contact in the bay where we have been anchored. Did you know a baby humpback put on 45kgs a day and drinks 200 litres of milk a day?

We did, however, get into trouble here in Nuie. We forgot that Sundays are a quiet day on the island. When we saw the whales at 7am in the morning we jumped in the dinghy to follow -bad move – no boating allowed on a Sunday. Then, we farewelled 'Archangel' by the traditional, reciprocal blowing of our horns- bad move - regarded as disturbing the peace on a Sunday!!! We cleverly blamed it all on the departed boats so we have stayed welcome on the island.

We have joined the Nuie Yacht Club so we hope we will always remain welcome on the island.

The water temperature is a chilly 26 degrees, so we aren't popping in and out of the water as readily as we were.

We have met other cruisers while here and have had quite a social time. Sadly we have said goodbye to 'Archangel' as they are making their way to Fiji now, while we are heading to Southern Tonga.

Daryl & Laurel

Tuamotus/Tahiti - August/ September 2006

Hi from sunny Tahiti

After the roughest crossing to date we are now relaxing in the sunshine at Moorea just off Tahiti.

We checked 3 weather forecasts, all telling the same story, so set off from Rangiroa in the Tuamotus expecting a pleasant sail. Not to be! As the crew constantly reminded me 'it was uncomfortable but never dangerous'. Katie found it exhilerating - I do worry about her sometimes!! The wind generator nearly spun itself out, it got so excited. Not a passage I want to repeat in a hurry.

When we last wrote we were heading to the Tuamotus. They were absolutely ideallic- palm tree atolls surrounded in reefs. We felt like we had arrived in paradise. It was lovely to be able to again swim and snorkel off the back of the boat in crystal clear water. We anchored off a posh hotel where the accommodation was in the form of individual huts that overhung the water. Each one had it's own ladder down into the lagoon- very flash!!! We couldn't even afford to have a drink at their bar.

The Tuamotus are where the famous black pearls are cultured. The crew on Archangel were lucky enough to meet a local who swapped 5 pearls for a bottle of whisky that had cost them $5 in Central America!! Shop value -probably US $500. We didn't get to meet this local so consequently I am not coming home sporting new black pearl jewellery.

We tried out a new sport - drift snorkelling. Rangiroa, where we were, had a channel for entering the lagoon . On an incoming tide we could take the dinghy out through the channel and then jump out at the channel entrance ( along with other tourists who had paid $100 for the privilege). The current push you in over the reef, through clear water where 100's of fish flashed before your eyes. It was amazing.

Daryl kept hold of the dinghy as we drifted so we could hop back in and do it again. Getting in the water at different points sent you in different directions. We saw little fish, big fish, sharks, manta rays and turtles to name just a few. I think that they were the most amazing snorkels I've ever had. The dolphins there are the largest we have seen so far.

After arriving in Tahiti we have had a few days in Papeete getting supplies, maintenance etc. We were surprised at how large the city was. We hired a car for a day and did an island tour. The scenery was spectacular, especially the waterfalls.

We were, however, pleased to get out of the city and over to Moorea. The time here has been full of activity - swimming, diving, snorkelling and the proverbial walk to the ruins. This morning we saw a huge shark cruising the reef. Even from my snorkelling position on the surface I got a good view. Katie has a fabulous camera that has an underwater case, so we have been able to get some good diving shots.

Tomorrow we are dinghying up to swim with stingrays. Apparently the sting ray are extremely friendly and swim all around you- not being afraid to touch you wrap themselves around you and slobber on you. I am considering finding Daryl's full wetsuit to wear.

Roger has only two more nights before he flies back to the UK. We will miss him and his skills. He is cooking us Confit de Canard for dinner (duck for those with rusty French). We are taking advantage of being once more on a French island. The 'Carrefour' supermarket in Papeete was huge and full of French goodies for us to feast on.

We will soon be looking for a weather window to sail from here to Rarotonga where we will be leaving the boat in the capable hands of Katie (and Debs from Archangel) and we will fly home for 10 days.

Sorry to those who aren't coping with the NZ winter, but we are having our fill of sea and sunshine and don't seem to tire of it.

Au Revoir from The Cool Bananas Crew.