| Sailing south along the east coast of the North Id. in a "petch ov foin witha" we encountered a duet of dolphin. |
| These 2 dolphins were the most acrobatic, lively cetaceans we've ever seen! |
| They played tag around our boat for hours. |
| Frequently they breached, eyeballing us to get a closer look. |
| They also loved to ride the bow wave just below our perch on the trampoline. |
| They seemed never to tire of leaping, belly flopping, rolling around on each other or making a big splash. |
| A spy-hop. |
| Pair-bonded. |
| Bream Head, the distinctive land feature marking the entrance to Whangarei River mouth. |
| The knob of Tutukaka Head. |
| The view from the solar powered lighthouse at the summit of Tutukaka Head. |
| The cove in Tutukaka harbor. |
| ...and spent the night in a less than scenic anchorage in the commercial port... |
| We motor sailed up-stream in the long Whangarei River... |
| ...before arriving in Town Basin Marina in the heart of the city of Whangarei, where the boat was berthed from Feb through April '09 |