Fushing trip

Woohooo!

Just come back from a FAB fushing trip.

Had a wonderful time and here is a quick run down of our glorious three days and a bit......

Thurs eve:

After a hectic day at uni learning all things Maori, I headed home to pack and hold down the excitement!

That evening, we ate a fabulous steak dinner fresh from the boat's barbecue - YUM! The view from the deck was fantastic - it was of the Sky Tower, which was lit up in pink lights for Breast Cancer Awareness month (for the Rugby World Cup, it was lit up in the participating teams' colours - at different times, of course - not all at once lol). What a great way to start off our trup to Mansion House Bay on Kawau Island via scallop beds (at a secret location which I have conveniently forgotten) and fushing at The Noises (a group of rocky islands 25 km east of Auckland cbd).

Here is a rather shaky image of the pink Sky Tower!

Here it is during the daylight hours - pre sunset!

Isn't it all just beautiful?!

Well - next morning after a good sleep on board, us intrepid travellers set off at a regal pace into the Auckland Harbour:

Saw a few rather impressive, much larger vessels along our way....

Once out of the harbour, the engines were set to a fuller pelt - and we were off...woohooo:

Along the way, we dredged for scallops (sorry Corrie - we got loads this time, unlike previousy!):

We ended up with a whole bucket full of yummy fresh scallops:

We also ended up with some lovely shells:

a very pretty and spiky starfush:

and a yucky seaslug - which looked rather like a t__d (you fill in the gaps as appropriate):

Full of pride with our impressive haul of starters - water spitting scallops (I'm sure they kept aiming for our legs as we walked by), we set off for The Noises in order to catch fush for the main course. We didn't have too long there - but I managed to catch a most beautiful gurnard:

Isn't he beautiful - it just looked as though he were flying with those amazing fins as I was pulling him out of the water. He also made lots of grunting noises. He was deemed too boney to keep by the skip and too beautiful by me - so I plopped him back into the water. He was also very noisy - lots of grunty type noises were emitted from his mouth!

I also caught that night's dinner - a snapper - yum yum!

After our triumphant haul of scallops and snapper, we made our way to Mansion House Bay. On the way, Kev drove whilst the skip and I shucked the scallops. Skip also filleted the snapper.

We reached the bay in time to enjoy another beautiful sunset and a fabulous dinner of scallops cooked in garlic, lemon and wine, followed by breaded snapper! What a life!

Here's the view looking outwards from the bay - gosh I love the light you get in the evening just before sundown - silvery heaven:

The next day (Sat) was spent wholly at Mansion House Bay where we ate, drank wine, explored on the little dinghy, read books and fushed. I caught 10 snapper that day - but all were thrown back in due to being too small. The fish finder showed heaps of fish below us in the Bay that day. What a great place for kids NZ is. The boat around us often had families on and the kids were put putting around on dinghies, kayaking, swumming, exploring the island and climbing the rigging!

Sunday was our final day. We ate a leisurely bacon and egg brekkie, packed up and headed out to another island for a spot of fishing. I had no luck - lots of bites, but no catches. Also, the weather was closing in, so it was decided that we head back to Auckland.

Oh my - the first part of the journey was rough as - but FUN! Lots of humped back bridges along the way!

We arrived in Auckland Harbour just in time to see a whole bunch of sails heading towards us. It was the round the world yacht race setting off on their next leg being followed by masses of well wishers seeing them off!

Imagine if you will this wonderful sight with the helicopter filming it all from above - WOW! But, you guessed it, it was all heading towards US! Needless to say, our skip did an amazing job guiding us through the melee, accompanied by a few choice words about the give way rules - but I think that's allowed - don't you?!

Well - here I am - Monday morning in my jammies, typing this for you! It is pouring down outside and I now have to start preparing my first draft essay for uni - (thank you for your wishes of well-doing). The washing machine is going full pelt (due to stinky fishy clothes) as is the drier. I have landed on earth well and truly with a resounding crash. Hey ho! Life is grand and I love it.

Tata fer noo!

x Sue

Feijoas

Just been in the garden collecting a cabbage for dinner (I know - what a green fingered person I am) and have seen LOADS of feijoas on me tree! Methinks that is rather early - must google and check. I'm sure they're not usually ready until much cooler months.

Oh my goodness - I am sooooo enjoying being a student. Gonna be gutted when I have to return to work - siiiiggghhh.....

My classes are also very small - no hiding in corners for me! My Maori class has just 4 of us! Am loving it all!

BTW - please leave a comment every now and then - don't know if anyone is reading this or not?

News from NZ:

1 a car was seen moving erratically in Wellington in the early hours of a morning this week - when it was stopped, its driver was found to be wearing his Ben 10 pjs and the age of 8!

2 the Southern Lights are due to give a fabbie display tonight to some lucky people of NZ (not sure if that includes us JAFAs - we may be too far north)

3 Graham Henry (NZ All Blacks coach for rugby world cup team) is now going to be working with the Argentinian team

Tata!

x Sue

Weather bomb!

Just had a weather bomb this Friday night/Saturday. Auckland wasn't too badly hit - fortunately. We went out for a walk at Musick Point to see the sea yesterday - absolutely beautiful and not a boat in sight due to the wavey waters! Apart from the Waiheke Ferry.

Musick Point has the most fabulous views of the Hauraki Gulf - but it also has a rather fabbie art deco radio station - love this building!

Here's Bucklands Beach:

This is the view of Bucklands Beach from the car! Safer once the rain set in!

Above and below is Bucklands Beach on one rather delicious evening walk.

And here is the lovely Half Moon Bay Marina:

Well - as you can see it is all beautiful whatever the weather and the weather looks GORGEOUS today - so after skyping daughter - we are off into the wide blue yonder of a sunny Sunday! (Not quite sure where yet though).

Tomorrow I'm off to uni in the arvo/eve and helping with secondary school students and their lawn bowling skills in the morning! Should be interesting methinks!

Am still eating LOADS of luverly NZ plums and corn on the cob. Our limes are growing larger by the day and I have cleared a veggie plot for new veggies. Ooh - what to plant? Oh yes and our spuds are growing like crazy as are the rhubarb and the cape gooseberry plants!

See ya soon!

x Sue