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16 March 2015
Place: Auckland, New Zealand
The Shamoun crew has been pretty busy the last few weeks, here in New Zealand.
We started February off with a guest trip, which included Waiheke Island, Coromandle, Great Barrier Island as well as the Bay of Islands.
Our days were mostly sunny and warm and filled with many sightings of New Zealand’s abundant sea life. We saw massive schools of Dolphins and the few odd whales as well as heaps of birds and fish. The Dolphins were incredible and put on the most glorious displays for us, leaping out the water often with huge splashes and riding the bow wave for what felt like forever.
We were very fortunate to get to see some of New Zealand’s famous tourist attractions. We spent a bit of time at the famous Hole in the Rock, on Motukokako Island, off the Beautiful Cape Brett, near the Bay of Islands. The story goes that back in the day, young male Maori Warriers would journey to Cape Brett, swim across the treacherous current to the Island, where they would climb the steep cliffs to the top of the Island. If they made it they would gather Kokako feathers, which is a bird that once inhabited the Island, for their coats. If they achieved this incredible feat then they would return to their tribe a “man” as a rite of passage.
On our return to Auckland we were welcomed into the Viaduct by the bright colors, music and commotion that is the Volvo Ocean Race. We were positioned right behind the main stage, right in the middle of all the action. We were kept busy with all the events and activities that were put on throughout the two weeks. We were lucky enough to watch the SCA Girls win the inshore race and also wave our farewells and good lucks when The Volvo Race officially departed to start the next leg of their journey.
March see’s a full calendar of events for Shamoun. More good things to come for sure!
Regards,
The Shamoun Team
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