Jean's jumped ship ...

 An absolutely wonderful opportunity came my way so I jumped ship for 24 hours to join the beautiful R Tucker Thompson, a gaff rigged topsail schooner.  I was so lucky to experience sailing this iconic tall ship.  On board were the Skipper Terry and his wonderful crew of 3 very capable mermaids, plus 5 adult guests. It felt like we were a group from the United Nations - French Canadian, Afrikaans, British, Australian plus Kiwis.  We all had dinner on board anchored in Paradise Bay, with Raewyn and Bruce heading back to Mimu for a romantic night on their own ❤️  We set sail at 9pm and headed for an anchorage at Marsden Cross, star gazing and learning night time navigation.  


 It was after 11pm before we anchored and close to midnight before we headed off to our bunks.


7am we were up and swimming a few laps around the boat in crystal clear waters. The hot water shower on deck was a wonderful touch of luxury.








The food was absolutely amazing onboard and after a delicious breakfast cooked by the Skipper, we headed off to check out the historical sites of Marsden Cross, the site where NZ's very first Christmas Day was celebrated in 1814. 


Healing over big time! 






The Marsden Cross memorial, erected 1907.  NZ's first European settlement.


Walked up the valley where we could see the remains of terraces where the missionaries homes were and also the NZ's first school house.

This is the Rangihoua Heritage Park and well worth a visit. Came across what is thought to be NZ's oldest lemon tree, still bearing fruit.






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