The focus of this journal is Great Barrier Island (Aotea).
I sailed in to Tryphena at the beginning of December and this sculpture greets you at the head of the harbour.
The Barrier has about 100 kilometres of roads and the majority are narrow rough gravel.
Over the hill from Tryphena is the first of the five DOC camps on the island. This is Medlands Beach on the south eastern coast.
A relatively short, but rather tortuous, journey up the east coast brings the traveller to picturesque Harataonga Beach.
A few bone-rattling kilometres over the hill and you are at Port Fitzroy.
The Port Fitzroy store is the central meeting point for the community and locals buy a box of beer and sit under the sun umbrellas and while away the day.
The DOC campsite at Port Fitzroy is on Akapoua Bay. This place is a jewel.
It is a rare privilege to kick back and watch the sun go down after a busy day at Akapoua Bay!
The Barrier has a reputation for protecting fauna and flora. The ducks below are Brown Teal, or Pateke, and are amongst the rarest ducks in the world. An estimated population of 1,000 live on the island.
Not quite so rare is the harvest from the sea. A couple of crayfish being prepared for dinner.
One of the many hilarious moments on the island, but potentially very dangerous, was when I undertook smoking a fish. Too much methylated spirits sent flames leaping everywhere and during the effort to extinguish the inferno the smoker was knocked over, fish thrown on the ground, and the grass set alight.
Another classic moment was the great Great Barrier Boil-off. My mate Lightning bet me that his gas cooker could boil 330ml of water quicker than mine. It turned out he was right, and I'm a bottle of wine the poorer!
Two months already on Aotea and it seems like only a week or two.
Another month to go and back to the mainland at the end of February.
Thanks for watching, good luck to all your families.
