Log: 24/11

Morena e hoa mā. All our troops are on board. We left last night and anchored off Motu ihe for the night. This morning everyone started the day with their first morning swim before breakfast and cleaning. There's some good vibes onboard as everybody gets to know each other and anticipates what the next part of the adventure holds.

Log: 25/11

Kia ora koutou katoa. The last 24 hours have been huge. After morning cleaning we got into the learning with our first go at climbing the mast and learning the ropes and how to speak sailor. There's over 2.7 kms of ropes to help Spirit sail. As soon as we got underway the wind died so we motor/sailed to Te Kouma head where we cleaned the beach and had a snorkel in a non protected marine environment. Later on we're hoping to be able to compare this snorkel to a protected marine reserve. In the evening we headed ashore up a hill to watch the sun set and plan how we want to fill the next 8 days of the voyage.

Log: 26/11

Morena whanau ataahua! We had a wicked day yesterday. It started with a boot camp which consisted of paddling ashore, running up and down the beach followed by some beach yoga and swimming back to the ship. With a fresh easterly we set sail north arriving at Okupu, Aotea/Great Barrier island and were welcomed by some happy marine mammals in the afternoon. In the rest of the day was spent playing team games

Log: 27/11

Tēnā koutou katoa. Yesterday we shifted the ship during cleanup to Whangaparapara Harbour. This set us up so the team could take a hikoi in the ngahere. They hiked all the way to some hot springs and back. Once back everyone was ready to cool off with a swim most using the rope swing to enter the water. We saw some epic back flips. So no sailing yesterday. All are looking forward to what tomorrow holds.

Log: 28/11

Yesterday we set full rag (all the sails we have) and sailed sou'east to Ahuahu (Great Mercury island) the sail down ended up being a motor/sail as the wind was so light. On arrival the team went ashore at Peachgrove bay to have dinner ashore. It was nice to have a bit of a slow day.

Log: 29/11

Since our last post, the team enjoyed dinner ashore at Ahuahu.

Yesterday we spent some time together talking about different leadership styles and what good leadership looks like in practice. After that, we set sail and made our way around to Whitianga/Mercury Bay. Once at anchor, our rangatahi headed ashore to explore a favourite cave and a cliff-jumping spot we love to visit whenever we’re here.

Log: 30/11

Mōrena ki ngā whānau me ngā hoa katoa.

Yesterday was a big day for everyone. In the morning, we split into smaller groups: one group sailed our small boats over to Cathedral Cove, another climbed the mast and explored how far they could make it toward the highest point or out along the yards, and the last group went snorkeling at Gemstone Bay in the marine reserve.

It was incredible for the crew to compare it with previous snorkeling a few years back and see such a healthy, diverse ecosystem. We spotted big snapper, rays, crayfish, and all sorts of other life in, on, and under the water.

In the afternoon, we swapped everyone around so each group had the chance to experience all the activities.

Log: 31/11

Hey all

Another big day yesterday! After cleanup, the rope swing and slide came out before we went to sail stations and headed a little way down the coast. On the way, we spent some time tacking and jibing the ship (this just means maneuvering under sail), which takes a huge amount of teamwork.

As everyone has been getting the hang of sailing pretty well, the team spent the rest of the afternoon organizing themselves to take over the ship for trainee day. It’s shaping up to be a fun day today with them in charge.