The Astrolabe Sailing Team Shore Crew have managed to pull some rabbits out of hats a couple of months ago supporting the High Voltage sailors in their SSANZ Round North Island 2020 campaign. So much so, that many of the other teams have been asking if the skills of the shore crew are available for…
What does the word “discovery” mean to you? Back in school in the 1980’s we were taught that Captain Cook “discovered” New Zealand. His vessel the Endeavour features on our 50c coin. Monuments to Cook stand in many places that he visited, and even places that he didn’t visit (such as Christchurch) on his travels…
Who wants to sail in one of the toughest, most challenging races in New Zealand – around the North Island two handed? (For those non-sailing people out there this actually means two people – so technically four hands…don’t ask me why as I am not sure either…) Well it seems like lots of people! The…
I can’t remember how many times I’ve driven past the little brown sign on State Highway One – pointing down a lonely narrow country backroad, enticing me with three simple words “Kaikoura Coastal Track”. Every time I’ve either been heading off on another adventure, or racing home to throw some washing in the general direction…
When the alarm went off at 4.30am, I realised that staying up partying on the boat until 1.30am means you don’t get enough sleep to feel refreshed and ready to go. Will we ever learn? Still it had been a fun impromptu evening which had started with a flight delay in Christchurch, meaning we’d had…
I am so lucky to live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but sometimes us locals can start to take our stunning surroundings for granted. One example of this is the Tranzalpine Express, one of the most scenic train journeys in the world right on my doorstep. Every morning on my…
Crossing the Auckland Harbour bridge in our taxi, seeing the ocean glittering below and the horizon pierced by hundreds of masts escaping the confines of their berths and heading out to sea for an Easter adventure. It is easy to see why Auckland has the nick-name “City of Sails”, and we were about to join them.…
They say that women forget the pain of labour and so that is why they go back and have more children. I think the same applies about Labour weekend. For the last however many years I can remember, we have been subjecting ourselves to all kinds of adventures and in the process getting blisters, gammy…
Shhhh….! I am going to let you in to a little secret… I am sure that if you come to New Zealand then of course you will want to visit places like Rotorua, walk the Tongariro Crossing and go bungy jumping in Queenstown. Just like every other tourist does when they visit New Zealand… yawn……
About a month ago I was looking forward to slowing down, a few Christmas parties, and a bit of a tidy up at work before knocking off a few days early to start the celebrations. They say a week in politics is a long time, and so just one day later, I was organising 22…
Astrolabe Sailing 