“Pole pole”.

According to the New Zealand Herald, searches for “How do I move to New Zealand” have recently surged—a sentiment we can completely relate to. We’ve left behind the world of woes and retreated into the heart of the New Zealand bush, where we are once again immersed in a soothing palette of greens and blues. We have been “tramping” all over the place with the hike from Deep Cove Anchorage all the way to the lighthouse on Cape Brett as an absolute highlight. The trail smelled of sweet vanilla from the blooming cabbage trees, with birds aplenty, chirping and flitting through the foliage.

It is spring, and we are still ahead of the summer holiday rush. So, we do appreciate the rare encounters we have with fellow boaters, especially when their boat is named Pole pole, Swahili for “slowly slowly”. Intrigued, we checked them out and gathered over a bottle of wine, reminiscing about the good old times in Africa while having a hell of a good time in the NZ sun.

The only downside to it still being spring is the water temperature. Crystal-clear seas at 17 degrees are about 5 degrees too cold for a snorkel. But slowly, slowly we are getting there. By December, it should be feasible. That’s when our house photographer will be joining us again. The underwater scenery is considered top notch, with the marine reserve around Poor Knights Islands ranked among the top five dive sites in the world. So, we took a quick sail to check it out from the water, and the place did not disappoint. Shoals of fish lit up the surface, a lone turtle surfaced, and a seal was napping onshore—very promising indeed. We decided not to stay the night, though, as a lee shore wind was picking up, and pushing us uncomfortably close to the imposing cliffs. So, up with the anchor. That’s when we discovered we had lost our port side propeller.

During our four-hour sail to Marsden Cove Marina to get a new propeller installed, we had plenty of time to get organized. Our broker in Oostende texted us the serial number for the spare part. A local Volvo Penta mechanic promised that he would contact the Australian dealer network first thing on Monday to enquire about that new propeller, as one wasn’t available in all of New Zealand.

So, we frantically started Googling ourselves—and with great success! Not only did we find the right propeller in Seattle ready for immediate shipment to New Zealand, but our brother, who lives in Seattle and is set to join us for a holiday in just a few days, sprang into action. He jumped in his car, picked up the propeller, and packed it alongside the rest of his luggage. We are very much looking forward to get it all sorted out. Maneuvering a catamaran in and out of anchorages, marinas, and narrow passages on a single engine is quite a challenge. To turn right, my Captain has to make a full 360-degree turn to the left. All went smoothly until we reached Marsden Cove Marina near Whangārei. A combination of speed—necessary to keep the boat in control—and an overly eager dock hand who pulled the bow with a sudden jerk to the edge of the dock with the mooring line resulted in a rather spectacular entry. The tip of the bow “kissed” the dock passionately enough to rattle My Captain’s nerves and send kitchen drawers flying out of the cabinets. But O2 survived unharmed with just a minor skid mark- nothing a little polishing can’t fix. The universe, with its notorious love of irony, had placed a cargo ship right next to the entrance channel to Marsden Cove Marina —bearing the name “Propel Glory” and then proceeded to send a storm to Seattle which has caused our brother’s flight to be delayed by 24 hours and our necessary haul-out by a week. Our brother arrived yesterday and so did the propeller. Everything is going to be alright. In a “Pole Pole Power” kind of way.