Day 2,824 - Waiheke Island, New Zealand (36° 46S 175° 10E) 10:10hrs - February 22nd 2015 Is There Life After FP?

Ever since we arrived back in New Zealand after 2 and a half amazing years in French Polynesia, we have been humming and ha-ing about what to do next that could beat or at least equal what we had there, and nothing appeared to come close. Not the same water quality or not the same variety of perfect anchorages, or not the same any number of things, so going back to French Polynesia has been on the table for a long time, along with the logical going west plan and what we thought would be less desirable but probably interesting in different ways.

So here's the thing that might help make our decision. We have taken another little break from boat work and snuck away from the marina for a little anchor time, but this time not to our favorite little Kawau hideaway that we always go to because it's perfect, because it has everything we think we want, because we know it so well. No, actually we are in Waiheke. And surprise surprise it's gorgeous!!! Not of course a big surprise to everyone that already knows this, or to the everyone’s that have been telling us to go because it's lovely and so close! But a surprise to us. However, we are creatures of habit and I forgot that, and thought that Kawau was all we needed, turns out Waiheke is pretty gorgeous, practically as lovely as the Bay of Islands even!  So why has it taken us so long to get here?

Maybe going west out of New Zealand is exactly what we need to do, maybe it will be as pleasant a surprise as Waiheke has turned out to be, maybe French Polynesia has some competition after all? and maybe I just need to remember why I wanted to make this trip in the first place. I wanted to not know what was going to happen next, I wanted to go to places where I didn't know what was round the corner, I wanted to be surprised, and I still do.