We expect to leave for Fiji tomorrow morning (Wednesday, May 28) about 10 am local time. (That is May 27 at 2200 UTC). It has been raining torrentially all day but there should only be scattered showers when we leave. The forecast is good, although after about 4 days forecasts are not very reliable. We may stop at Minerva Reef, about 780 miles away and a bit to the east of the rhumb line to Lautoka, Fiji, if we need to rest and reassess the weather.
Yesterday the weather was nice so we borrowed Risho Maru’s old Subaru from it’s news owners, Dieter and Renata of “Symi”,and drove to the town of Kerikeri. Kerikeri is in the middle of a major fruit growing area — kiwis, mandarin oranges, avocado, persimmons. Walking through town we saw a little sign for the Cafe Jerusalem in English and Hebrew. We stopped for lunch and Laura spoke Hebrew to the two proprietors, both young men from Israel. We then hiked up to a small waterfall on the Kerikeri river and stopped for flat whites (expresso coffee with steamed milk) and a chocolate slice (brownie) at a little place on the river. — M.
Laura at the historic Kerikeri Mission
Laura with a bag of mandarin oranges at an orchard outside of Kerikeri
The falls on the Kerikeri River
Avocados!