Engine trouble.....

Well the last week has been fairly uneventful, we sat out a bit of a blow at Kaiarara Bay, then had to move as the wind swung around and we were on a lee shore (the rocks were about 15 ft away). We motored over to Smokehouse Bay on the 23rd (my birthday) and on the way over we managed to catch a big Kahawai on the towing lure. So again we had fish for my birthday dinner, that is the 3rd year in a row that I have caught a fish on my birthday. No luck since then though.

After doing a load of washing and having a hot shower in the shower house we came back to Kairara Bay yesterday 26th. We went for a walk on the DOC tracks and then had a lovely bath in the river. Today we dinghied over to Port Fitzroy to get rid of our rubbish and get some butter & eggs.

The one thing that has happened, and we have been noticing it for a while is that the gear box on the motor is leaking oil, it was only small amounts, but it seems to be increasing. Paul had a look at the gear box and it looks as though a seal has gone around the gear lever. So in a week or so's time we have decided to head back to Whangarei to get the seal replaced. We try not to use the engine too much, but it is always best to have it in tip-top shape at all times. It will give me an opportunity to catch up with my Sister who will be visiting from Australia, and to buy a few more supplies.

The other thing that has been happening is the increase in the number of Pateke (Brown Teal) that we are seeing here at Great Barrier. Brown Teal are the rarest duck in the world, they have an established colony over in the Kaitoki Swamp on the other side of the Barrier, but their numbers seems to have gone up in Kairara Bay as well, this morning we spotted nine of them feeding in the shallows in the estuary. They also seem to like our dinghy, as they

come and perch on the side, they are so cute we don't want to scare them away, inevitably they leave little calling cards.