Tag: Travel

Travel the South Island, New Zealand. Round trip in 7 days: Christchurch, Arrowtown, Queenstown, Wānaka, Manipouri, Te Anu, Dunedin and back to Christchurch.

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Travel
Queenstown Church

After spending a great, action packed, few weeks with my folks from California, and driving a rental car 1089 miles (length of California) here’s a few fun facts of our own South Island, New Zealand experience. (Turn up the sound in the videos for the full effect)

The inquisitive Kea

The most lush and loudest forest was seen/heard was near Lake Te Anue, biggest waterfall seen; in the Milford Sound, tallest building and best views: Sky tower (1076 feet) best town: Wanaka, best beach: Palm Beach, Waiheke. The funniest bird: The Kea, most common house: common white painted with pickets, prettiest flower: Hydranga, most interesting building: Ponsonby Hotel/Post office (built in 1911, was robbed and the postmaster was murdered). Best lamb served: Mudbrick Winery, on Waiheke island. We took two sailing adventures here on Kalea. The wind and weather was perfect, great to share this experience with my folks.

The most evasive wildlife: Kiwi bird, most fun activity: 1,000 sheep crossing the highway, cutest couple: my parents, largest tree seen: bottle brush in Auckland. Fun Trip for sure!

A little fun fact, Kathy has family heritage from New Zealand! The below book was written by her great, great grandmother on her father’s side. It is the endearing story of Esther’s parents from Scotland, who sailed for 3 months to Dunedin, in 1875. While traveling the South Island, Kathy and her own Mother, Sue Krevitt read aloud this story, recounting the steps the ancestors took, the places they lived, the gardens they walked through, the farmlands they planted and the old little towns they lived in. Going to settlers museums, cemeteries, churches and libraries. Searching the names and facts of Kathy’s heritage was a highlight!

Another book was written by Esther’s husband, soon to be read. Both books will soon be electronically scanned and preserved.

Auckland New Years Eve!

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in adventure, Sailing

Staying in the biggest Marina in the Southern Hemisphere has its benefits! Views Galore! Parties Galore! Everyone on holiday for the month.

Us cruisers from Mexico having fun for New Years in Auckland New Zealand last night. We get to recover today and watch California celebrate at 9:00 tonight. Strange world. Strange time zones. The kids here are all on their 2 month summer vacation, picking berries and going swimming! Walking around the city I noticed the new architecture, clean streets and laid back attitude. Liking New Zealand a lot!

Maybe a bit too much fun! Pictured in this post is Michele and Michael on Elvira, the boat with the pole, and it is actually for sale now. Joanne and Scott on Fundango and Candice and Jason on Deguello.

KALEA video tour-Outremer 49, we love her so far!

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Travel

Hi folks! This is the tour we promised everyone. We are sitting in an Auckland Marina, enjoying the lively city. We are busy fitting the boat for our needs. We had to learn to drive on the left side of the road, with our rental car, 😵‍💫. New Zealand is beautiful so far.

We have been doing a few boat jobs, have some bits of fun in the big city, and a ton of shopping. Kalea had some basics, but not the full Monty. Thank goodness Amazon Australia has most of what we need, they ship to NZ too.

So we were walking around Westhaven marina yesterday and dropped in a local Yacht Club for glass of wine. I looked up and said Holy Moley,
I looked around again searching for the name of the Club and it was the “Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron”. LOL


Right above our heads on the balcony was the Americas Cup!!!! Too fun and so random. The club walls were covered in hundreds of years of sailing history and trophies. The New Zealand folk take sailing very seriously and we were amazed how open the club was and how much the community is involved.
We had a very welcoming visit with a few of the members and one invited us back to see the Sail GP races here next month from the club restaurant.
Yup, gunna do that, after the holidays!

Outremer 49, our new home!

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Sailing, Uncategorized

WE DID IT! 🤪😳😃😂. We are again boat owners!!!!
SV Kalea is officially ours! We had a few stops and starts but the deal finally went through today.
This boat we have drooled over for 4 months, 2011 Outremer 49.
A big thank you to Grant and Sam that are helping make the transition smooth. They are local New Zealanders, from South Africa. They sail from NZ to Fiji every sailing season to surf and live the life, in the fast lane!

Now to explore New Zealand in style…

Kalea means “happy” or “joy” in Hawaiian. Well, we sure are that! Keep pinching ourselves. We actually got lucky and found our great cruising friends who sailed all the way from Mexico with us on our last boat, Sea Bella. They were out here in Auckland for the day! They helped us celebrate our day and new life in NZ for the season.

From left, Kathy, Addicus, Adam, Scott, Jason, Candice, Ingrid.

Now, back to the new boat to finish off our contract, hand over the keys and discuss boat systems, processes, survey… all good! Better yet, all done and official.

Our Sailing and Yoga Blog Site Moved back!

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in adventure, Sailing, Travel

We had tried a different domain for our BLOG, but was disappointed in the style and features. So, we moved back! Please bookmark this site for future posts pictures and videos. In addition, we have many fun sailing, scuba, yoga and travel videos on our YouTube channel.

https://youtube.com/@yogaaroundtheworldwithkathy?si=5_M7zZIeZineMgw1

Thank you for following our journey and wild experiences! See you over there!

Old address: sv.seabella.com

New address:

https://svkalea.com/

Kathy and Scott

🌎 Yoga! Now online for anyone needing some PEACE for mind and body. My gentle Yoga is very relaxing and rejuvenating. 😇

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Uncategorized

I am having fun with my new hobby, it’s a distraction while we wait for our next big sailing adventure. I recently had a fun interview with CanvasRebel, a personal interest online magazine. Tom, the editor who contacted me, was interested particularly in my newly hatched Yoga pursuit. When he found out that Scott and I were also on a big sailing adventure, he said to tie it all together. Kind of a fun recap, article below . 😊

https://canvasrebel.com/meet-kathy-e-erwin/

Transform your mental health and inner body, only 3-4 days a week. Just Pick a class and enjoy gentle poses, easy flows, and healthy Hatha movements.

Yoga around the World combines a FREE online yoga class in magical travel destinations. Try the above online session and you will feel like you’re at a yoga retreat in Fiji. 

I have been hooked on yoga for 20 years, and last year got certified to teach. Many friends say I have that special touch.

1. In the morning, set aside a quiet time and place for just you

2. wear comfy clothing and lay out a towel or yoga mat

3. focus on your physical and mental health by turning off all interruptions and notifications

4. place your phone or tablet on a shelf facing your mat

5. open my FREE channel and pick a destination

6. escape with me into a gentle yoga experience

I usually include a special feature, a truly magical Savasana resting experience at the very end. Let the serenity of drone photography transport you to stunning, remote locations—picture the white sands of French Polynesia, the towering redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the awesome granite cliffs of the Sierras, and so much more. Take your practice to the next level while discovering the world’s most beautiful, peaceful places—all from the comfort of your home.

Thank you for joining me, yoga is such a healthy lifestyle activity. I encourage you to practice regularly to keep your flexibility, strength and inner peace.

View my channel, subscribe, it’s free and fun!

Chaper Two; Adventure will Continue… on a Catamaran

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Sailing


There are so many differences in cruising catamarans. A few hours of surfing the net for boats for sale can hurt the brain.
As much as we have been “beach cat” sailors, mono hull cruisers and have been cruising with a multitude of great catamarans…..this is difficult. Above is Nirvana, a 50 foot voyage catamaran for sale in Fiji. Our friends let us cruise her for 6 weeks while they visited the states. Very comfy, slow cruiser with tons of space. Too much for us though. Our son Derek got to come to Fiji for a week and really enjoyed it.


But, everything is a sacrifice. What do we mean by that? Fast performance cats are typically not as comfortable as heavier slower boats like Nirvana. Not only are the super comfortable boats slow, but most of the time they don’t sail well. (Angle on the wind, slow, and can be noisy)

KALEA

Fast lightweight boats can sail really well but need expensive sails, don’t have as much room for big beds, couches, and water toys. One or our friends even ditched the water heater to keep the boat light. (Lol, you know who you are).
Fast comfortable boats are typically more expensive….(Think Gun, HH).
Finding a boat you want to live on and sail on is a balance of your priorities and $$$$s.
We don’t want slow. We really like our big couches and we have a good budget for the boat, but we still want to eat well.
And then there is alway “what does this boat need” and “where is it”. Sheesh….this might take some time.

This weeks boat (brand/designers) all are in consideration.
Not all of them are fast. Not all of them are comfortable.
But, they do prompt conversations…..and ultimately…..negotiations.

Musket Cove, Fiji. A Friendly Place to Relax and finish up our sailing season!

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Sailing

With nearly 40 boats in the anchorage, plus or minus, and more coming every day to join the big annual Regatta\Rally here in Musket Cove. We have enjoyed our stay here, babysitting a friends boat; SV Nirvana. We even got lucky and had our son Derek visit for the week!

A bit more on Fiji!! A Fijian Meke (prounced meh-kay) is the term for a traditional, communal form of spiritual folk dance Fijian men, women and children use to convey stories or daily life or long, epic tales of victory by the Gods.

We were warmly welcomed to Fiji, part of their customs here at Vuda Marina.

Now, the Beginning of Chaper two.
There are so many differences in cruising catamarans. An hour of surfing the net for boats for sale can hurt the brain.
As much as we have been “beach cat” sailors, mono hull cruisers and have been cruising with a multitude of great catamarans…..this is difficult.
Everything is a sacrifice. What do I mean by that? Fast performance cats are typically not as comfortable as heavier slower boats. Not only are the super comfortable boats slow, but most of the time they don’t sail well. (Angle on the wind, slow, and can be noisy)
Fast lightweight boats can sail really well but need expensive sails, don’t have as much room for big beds, couches, and water toys. One or our friends even ditched the water heater to keep the boat light. (Lol, you know who you are).
Fast comfortable boats are typically more expensive….(Think Gun, HH).
Finding a boat you want to live on and sail on is a balance of your priorities and $$$$s.
We don’t want slow. We really like our big couches and we have a good budget for the boat, but we still want to eat well.
And then there is alway “what does this boat need” and “where is it”. Sheesh….this might take some time.

This weeks boat (brand/designers) considerations below.
Not all of them are fast. Not all of them are comfortable.
But, they do prompt conversations…..and ultimately…..negotiations.


So, update on finding the new boat…..or in this case the not new boat. Very displeased to announce that we have failed to finalize an agreement on the Outremer 49, KALEA. Buying a boat internationally (without a broker) has proven to be very complicated. Without going into much detail, buying a boat in a corporate LLC in a foreign country and trying to reflag in a different country while managing international currency(s) requires multiple lawyers, in multiple countries and then lots of CYA to prevent taxes and leans from being assessed on either the buyer or the seller. I’m talking 100s of thousands in taxes in some situations…..and four (4) different countries in play.
Anyway, we wish the current owners well, but we will move on to less complicated boats with less financial risks and costs for us.

For the time being we are looking forward to spending October-November in the States with our family and friends. Then….the hunt for the next boat continues.

BYW, who heck drew this cat below? Must not have been a sailor.

Sea Bella is Sold and sleeping in a pit in Fiji. Bittersweet for sure.

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Uncategorized

Cha cha cha changes…. 🎶🎶🎶
Wow-o-wow! We are spending the last night on our beautiful Sea Bella tonight! She is tucked away in a pit in Vuda Marina, Fiji. Her new owners await the end cyclone season and one more year of elementary school for their two boys. Krister and Amanda Bowman are from Alaska and will will keep her name Sea Bella. Such a warming thought for us! They will attempt to finish their circumnavigation, since they already have sailed from the US to FP to Fiji 9 yers ago.


It is with a little sadness and great love that we say goodbye to a special home and piece of equipment that has kept us safe for thousands of miles and adventures. We have quickly identified this as completion of “Chapter 1” of our cruising adventures and we are already looking forward to Chaper 2. Sea Bella sold very quickly to a young family of 4 in Alaska that will start cruising her next May. Nice that they have chosen to keep her name. Over the last few days Kathy and I have been carefully decommissioning Sea Bella for a 9 month sleep.


So, what’s next? We have been graciously offered a boat to hang out and baby sit for the next six weeks from our good friends on Nirvana (50’ Voyage cat). We have been cruising with them off and on since Mexico and they are going home to see their daughter get married. So, a bit more time in Fiji for us to decompress and see some of these beautiful islands. Nirvana is for sale here in Fiji so if you have any questions about this beautiful cat reach out.

Another option is buying Nirvana, it’s actually for sale!

Then, Chapter 2 awaits us. We consciously decided not to buy a new boat before we sold the last, so now begins our process of finding our next home/boat. We will be couch surfing for a few months seeing family (California and Texas) and will be traveling to see potential boats.

As much as we would love to have a boat be right here, we are very picky in choosing our next chariot. We will go anywhere in the world to find the “right” boat and already have considered boats in Virginia, Turkey and Australia.

Catamarans are very roomy!p
Just one option

Stay tuned…..our adventures are gunna get faster with more space for toys and guests. We absolutely love our family and friends and we look forward to seeing you all sometime in the near future. This diagram explains our research process these next two months. These are all boat types, varying in Performance, speed and comfort.

Terrific Tonga!

by Scott and Kathy Erwin, Sail the World, posted in Sailing

Tonga is so different! We spent quite some time enjoying the town Naiafu in Vava’u. Mixture of people really. The town is part locals, part cruisers from all over the world but mainly New Zealand and Denmark. The rest of the population consists of immigrated Chinese business owners who don’t speak English or Tongan. We met a nice couple Bear and Char from Canada who landed here 10 years ago and started a small business The Hideaway, a floating restaurant and bar. However, it was still hauled out for cyclone season and there were no boats available to tow it into the anchorage. Well, a few of us yachties (as they call us) volunteered.

More about Tonga, so, so many caves!
The video below shows us snorkeling in Swallows Cave and then diving in Shark Tooth Cave which we we entered 40 feet down. We were back in the cave about 100 yards and Kathy finally pulled on Scotts fin and motioned to she didn’t want to go back any further. Agreed, as it was getting a bit tight and our lights weren’t near good enough for how dark it was. 🙂
We had wet suits on, but it’s more for the protection against the walls vs the sea temperature.


Camp fires, friends and exploration are the daily fix. We even snapped a shot of Patrick Star from Sponge Bob in the wild for our kids.

Back to town to renew out cruising permit and pay 138$ Tongan dollars and to to get ready for our guests Denny and Susan Osburn. Mixing our old friends with our new friends in these exotic locations is just so cool!