Yikes, 4 months in New Zealand and no blog posts. Let’s get right down to business and address some frequently asked questions:

Do they have bacon bits in New Zealand?

No, there are no bacon bits here.

But what do people put on their perogies!?

Brace yourself… There are no perogies here either.

!!? How’s the pie situation?

Robust! Pies are plentiful, affordable and delicious. They’re mostly filled with meat, so you need to be thoughtful when choosing an ice cream topper.

Are the kids taller than Sarah yet?

No, but according to our projections she will be passed in May. See chart below.

What can you do with a Kiwi?

We have met kiwis, consumed kiwis, and on one occasion we helped to release an injured kiwi back into the wild.

Have you bought anything that rhymes with ‘skinny flan’?

Yes! We bought a minivan! A 2006 Nissan Serena 8 seater. The colour is ‘business purple’. Like many used vehicles here, it was only recently imported from Japan. When we start the ignition the van speaks to us in Japanese, which is a great way to start any trip. Occasionally as we’re driving along a celebratory jingle will play out of nowhere, possibly indicating that we’ve just unlocked an achievement. Woo!

We’ve named this land yacht: Vandolyn.

In Vandolyn we toured around the North Island when my sister’s family came to visit. My 7 year old niece took on the nickname of ‘Little Gus’ during this visit, and was a constant source of amusement. We fell into a minor depression after they left.

You owned your previous car for 18 years, and now you buy a van for 3 months. You used to be cool, what happened?

Jeeze, a little judgey… Not only did my sisters family visit, but a month later my parents did too! The biggest downside to this trip is missing friends and family that aren’t here. We were so grateful to be able to see them in person.

Buying a vehicle short term is a pretty common strategy among travellers in New Zealand, hoping that depreciation will be less than the cost of renting something.

Can you explain the GST exemption for foreign yachts in New Zealand?

I’m so glad you asked. Imagine this: You walk into a marine store and you look at the marked prices. You whistle respectfully, and turn to leave. But then you realize that all the prices include sales tax, and as a yacht in transit, you are exempt from sales tax. Every single item in the store is 15% cheaper than advertised. Suddenly, you feel like Aladdin in the cave of wonders, and start frantically shoveling items into your bag. Then you buy a bigger bag, it’s 15% off!

This is helpful, because we’ve been undertaking a lot of boat projects. Replacing the standing rigging, replacing some chain plates, replacing the battery bank. We even had to pay to replace 2 speeding tickets.

Have you appeared on national television?

Pfff. Only Sarah. She was working at the top of the mast one day when a news crew happened by. She was featured on the national news for several seconds, in a montage about foreign sailors. Meanwhile I was managing the safety lines on deck and was not featured on national television. Who’s the real hero?

Where will you go next?

This is the big question. We’re hoping to leave New Zealand around May, after the end of the cyclone season in the South Pacific, but there are a lot of possible routes from here. We should have it figured out by the next blog post.

Do you have some random photos?

Yes.