| Milt arrived in Opua NZ on May 13 and we waited for weather to leave for Tonga |
| While we waited we took in the local sights like the restored steam engine in Kawakawa, the basis for the annual.... |
| ...Puff & Pull Contest! |
| Community teams compete to pull the engine farthest and fastest from a dead standstill |
| All sorts of groups get into the act... |
| ...including elementary age kids, like last year's champions! |
| No Kiwi festival is complete without kilts and bagpipes |
| The festival ends with an escort by the military Fife and Drum Corps |
| Next year these spectators will be participants pulling the train! |
| Milt marching with the band |
| And away the engine goes back to the round house until next year! |
| Barb horsing around with our Kiwi friend Geoff Waterhouse at the railroad tracks in Kawakawa |
| The view from Russell looking over Victoria Channel |
| Reconstructed turn of the century schooner sailing up the Victoria Channel to Opua Harbour |
| Milt on a hike in his first temperate rainforest |
| Scenery like Jurassic Park or a Tarzan movie! |
| Milt navigating a muddy overgrown path |
| View from Old Russell over Opua Harbour |
| Opua Harbour where we waited in great weather for good weather for our passage |
| Milt in full foulies taking a turn at the helm |
| Once the skies cleared, it took some time for the seas to subside... |
| ...and eventually they did! |
| After a week of gorgeous sun in NZ, this is the weather we chose to depart in!! |
| Captain Bob and Milt make the best of bad weather! |
| After the storm, Milt catching up on his vitamin D ! |