Kūmara & Canasta

The strong winds moved on and we awoke to a calm and misty morning. It was surprisingly warm despite the light mist and the water was a comfortable 23 degrees so we all went for a swim or kayaked before weighing anchor and heading for the open sea. With a three metre swell running and a following wind that matched our boat speed, the sails were of little use so we motored for 4 hours back to the Bay of Islands. It was a bit roly poly with the swell which subsided a little as we cut inside the Cavalli’s and then died away completely as we found shelter inside Urupukapuka. More kayaking and swimming to work up an appetite and then pork and Kūmara curry with Pearl’s flatbread as an accompaniment. Juliet taught us how to play Canasta, or at least the rudimentary rules of the game and Mick took us through some options for the next day. All things being equal we should make it to the Poor Knights, a fishing exclusion zone where the fish know it! They swim around the boats teasing avid fishermen confident in the knowledge that they are in safe waters, how do they know?