English (French below):Here we are, it is time again to go back to the big blue Ocean. Our next destination: New Caledonia. We are sorry, it took us so much time to update our blog but believe it or not we were always pretty busy.
We spent the past 5 months in New Zealand and we had a wonderful and colorful stay.
First, it was very nice to be back in a western civilization and enjoy its infrastructure, its technology and its delicious produce and meat. We easily take for granted all these advantages or conveniences and after 1 year in the islands, I can tell you that we fully appreciated them.
In brief, we enjoyed to have a "normal" life for some time: running water, permanent electricity, supermarkets, internet and we even bought a car! The kids went to school and they loved it. It stimulated them and suddenly everything that they had learned with their mom-teacher made sense and it was even useful. Massimo now reads fluently and he was able to behave very well at school, thanks to Mrs Lints, his teacher
who was so wonderful with him. We couldn't thank her enough for the care and love she gave to Massimo. Both Massimo and Annabelle made a lot of friends at school. Oh, and we also caught up on all the viruses we were not in contact with on the boat the past year and everybody in the family got a turn: welcome back to civilization!
One thing you have to know about NZ is its crazy weather: it can be very hot and sunny, then it can rain and even hail and suddenly be very cold all in the same day! It is completely unpredictable. We arrived during summer but it took us a while to realize it. Then, finally we had some decent summer temperatures after Christmas vacation. Unfortunately for Isabella and Ugo (Maurice's parents), they came to visit us for Christmas and the weather was still pretty harsh.
We then started our "tourism" phase in New Zealand. Maurice and Ugo took the boat dow
n from Whangarei to Auckland where we celebrated Christmas. Then by car, we went to a luxury Hotel on Lake Tarawera, close to Rotorua but far enough to be able to enjoy the beautiful and quiet settingwithout millions of tourists around. The tourism in NZ is very organized and easy so you may end up going where everybody else is going. However, just take a 4x4 trail and you'll find yourself alone surrounded by a beautiful nature and of course lots of sheep. Our stay at Tarawera was WONDERFUL. It was amazing to be in a luxury Hotel after living on Ocealys - even if she is a very comfortable boat. Just the pleasure of taking a bubble bath or just flushing the toilets by pressing a simple button instead of pumping.... after your kids! Lots of thanks to Isabella who organized everything and offered us such a nice present for Christmas. But I think that what the kids really liked was cartoon network and t
he helicopter ride!
Then, we went down to Wellington and we decided that it was one the best cities in NZ. There, we visited the Search & Rescue Ce
nter and we finally met the guys who were in constant contact with us during Timella's rescue in Fiji. Very nice and very professional people. It was impressive to realize how organized they are to respond to emergencies covering a very large part of the Pacific Ocean. People in NZ are ver
y outdoor oriented and from sailing to surfing to hiking, to Helli-skiing, these guys have to be ready for the worst t
o happen in weather conditions that can be brutal. One of their efforts is to get the population more educated about the potential dangers, especially at sea.
After Wellington, we went back to Auckland and enjoyed the city and its harbor. Ocealys had a prime spot at the main Marina
which gave us the opportunity to watch the Louis-Vuitton Pacific Cup. Also, some of boats that had to abandon the Vendee Globe race, stopped in Auckland and we were able to look at these strange beasts. On top of that, Auckland is a pretty active city and during summer there are a lot of festivals and activities. It was awesome to be in Auckland during that time. We particularly loved to watch the fireworks for Auckland Independence's Day from the trampoline!
My mum's came to visit for 5 weeks and we had some adventures together. We discovered the Coromandel Peninsula that is one of the most beautiful parts of NZ with its white beaches and
beautiful transparent water.... of course, it has to be sunny. We
also drove on the black beaches of Auckland West Coast: impressive. We took my mum to some of the islands offshore of Auckland and had some beautiful hikes and even diving, despite the temperature of the water. Before my mum left, we took Ocealys back to Whangarei in Northland where we set up camp. On our way, we stopped at the famous
Great Barrier island where we had a feast on oysters.
After we said goodbye to my mum, we left Océalys behind and started our 3-week
car tour of the "world famous in New Zealand" South Island. The distances are very long and we spent many hours in the car. Not very "Berkeley" of us, but the DVD player in the car for the kids made the trip possible! Our first stop was in Nelson where our friends on New Paige invited us to stay on their boat for few nights. We had a great time and we loved it. It was like being in a luxury hotel.
We drove all the way down the West Coast, and then took the ferry to Stewart Island. A little outpost at 47º South Latitude populated by hard people accustomed to hard weather.
Very friendly though. On our way to Steward Island, we stopped to visit Ali, who was part of Timella's crew we rescued in Fiji. It was very nice to see her again and to talk about how life changing her experience in Fiji had been. She gave us a very warm welcome in her home and we all hope our paths will cross again.
The South Island is very beautiful and diverse. It goes from beaches to mountains, lakes, glaciers, fjords and enormous valleys. Again, depending on the weather, your eyes will discover different landscapes.
We had good weather for the first part and then it rained pretty much every day! After 3 weeks on the road, we were glad to be back on Ocealys in Whangarei and see our boaty friends again. Free Spirit, a Catana 43 we met in Tahiti, stayed in Whangarei for the season too.
Massimo, Annabelle, Seanna and Merric had a great time playing all together and they cried when they left for Fiji. We also met new faces like Real and Lucie, two wonderful people from Quebec sailing on their catamaran Sol Maria. I am sure our paths will cross again.... maybe Vanuatu or New Caledonia, who knows?
Austin and Diana joined us again aboard Océalys, and just in time too! Part of our duties in New Zealand was to perform the annual haulout that the boat needs, and we were greatful of all the help Diana and Austin provided. We had the boat out of the water for 1 week and Maurice and Austin worked like dogs to clean her up and fix few things here and there.
The bottom was repainted, the engines serviced, all of the through-hull fittings changed, and the few surprises (some minor cracks in the bottom–way worse than it sounds) were dealt with. Most of the boats in the yard spend a month or more, and everyone, including the staff, was impressed to see us go back in the water 1 day ahead of
schedule.
Diana has flown to Sydney and Austin will be joining us for the next leg of our voyage to New Caledonia. We are almost ready to go back to sea, and we're waiting for the weather to improve (it's dangerously bad at the moment), and for us to fully recover from a really bad virus (Maurice had pneumonia and malaria-like symptoms for a week...)
We're hoping to get going around the 15th of May for a 5-or-so-day crossing to New Caledonia. We can't wait to be back in the tropics. It's getting positively cold and rainy here.
We don't have firm plans for New Caledonia yet, so we'll be playing it by ear.
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En francais 
maintenant:Et voila, c'est a nouveau le moment de reprendre la mer apres 5 mois en Nouvelle Zelande. Destination: le soleil et la Nouvelle Caledonie!
Notre sejour en Nouvelle Zelande nous a permis de decouvrir un pays sublime ainsi que d'avoir acces a tout ce que l
a civilisation peut apporter. Apres un an dans les iles, ce fut avec plaisir que nous avons retrouve l'eau courante, l'electricite a volonte, la nourriture fraiche, l'internet et meme une voiture! En gros, apres avoir amarre Ocealys a Whangarei ( Nord de l'ile du Nord), nous avons retrouve une vie "normale" de terrien. L
es enfants ont rapidement ete mis a l'ecole - au grand soulagement de la maitresse de bord - alors que les parents essayaient de faire des plans pour l'avenir immediat.
Les multiples questions ont trouve rapide
ment une reponse lorsque tout naturellement, nous avons commence a lister les divers projets a faire sur Ocealys...tous proprietaire de bateau sait que cette liste a une fin illusoire. Ocealys a recu une nouvelle Grande voile pour Noel et un nettoyage de fonds juste a temps pour l'arrivee des parents de Maurice pour les Fetes. Ce fut egalement le moment ou nous avons retrouve nos copains de bateau - Free Spirit et Damojo entre autes - mais egalement fait de nouvelles connaissances comme Sol Maria avec a son bord de vrais quebequois comme ils le sont toujours, super sympathiques.
Notre periode "touristique" a alors commence. Accompagnes d'Isabella et Ugo, nous avons parcouru l'ile du Nord apres avoir laisse le bateau a Auckland ou nous avons celebre Noel. Notre premier arret fut au lac Tarawera, pres de Rotorua ou nous avons apprecie notre sejour dans un superbe hotel juste au bord du lac. En decouvrant l'immense baignoire et les toilettes "sans pompe" de notre suite, les enfants ont pousse un cri de joie et... ils n'etaient pas les seuls. Il n'y a pas a dire, ca fait du bien de vivre dans le luxe de temps en temps!
La partie preferee des enfants fut le tour d'helicoptere que nous avons fait au-dessus du volcan faisant face au lac. Pour ma part, ce fut le plaisir de ne plus avoir a cuisiner et a ranger en permanence! Bien sur, nous avons visite les sources geothermales du coin qui en font une des attractions les plus convoitees de NZ. Puis, nous sommes descendus jusqu'a Wellington. Nous avons alors decouvert une ville tres sympa. Une chose a savoir en NZ est que presque tous les musees sont gratuits et le Te Papa est certainement un des meilleurs avec celui d'Auckland. Nous en avons egalement profite pour rencontrer l’equipe de “Search and Rescue” de Nouvelle Zelande qui est basee a Wellington. Ils s’occupent de coordonner les urgences survenues en mer et a terre.
C’est avec eux que nous etions en contact lors du sauvetage de l’equipage de Timella a Fiji. Ce fut tres interessant de decou
vrir les coulisses de ce genre d’operations et bien sur, c’est avec plaisir que nous avons pu mettre un visage sur ces voix qui tentaient de nous conseiller et de nous rassurer durant cette nuit dramatique du naufrage de Timella a Fiji. Ils nous ont egalement appris que nous avions ete nomines pour notre
“Exceptional Bravery at Sea” ( bravoure exceptionnelle en mer) a l’ONU (organization des nations unies).
L'ile du Nord est l'endroit ou les Maori sont le plus presents. Les deux cultures cohabitent tres bien et les Maoris sont respectes. Le Maori est d'ailleurs enseigne a l'ecole et Massimo a recu ses premieres lecons: "j'aime bien Maori mais je ne comprends rien du tout!" ce qui ne l’empeche pas de chanter regulierement l'hymne nationale! Cela m'amene a parler des Kiwis. Ils sont super chaleureux et acceuillants, c'est meme parfois un peu suspicieux. Nous avons rencontre des gens tres sympas, la plupart des etrangers qui ne sont jamais repartis de NZ. On comprend pourquoi. La vie est simple et pas compliquee. Les gens sont bons a ce qu'ils font et ils travaillent pour pouvoir partir pecher le vendredi a 3 heure. Un style de vie qui met l'accent sur la qualite et non la reussite financiere. Par contre, le revers de la medaille est que beaucoup de Kiwis quittent leur pays a la recherche de job mieux paye. La population restante est en grande partie composee de fermiers.
De retour a Auckland, nous avons dit aurevoir a Isabella et ma mere est arrivee. Ce fut vraiment tres sympa de passer un moment avec les grand-parents qui nous ont beaucoup gate pour Noel. Nous avons bien profite d'Auckland ou durant l'ete, les festivals se succedent. Massimo a decouvert les spectacles de rue et il adore! toujours le premier a se porter volontaire pour faire partie du spectacle.... De plus, nous etions aux premieres loges pour la "Louis Vuitton Pacific Cup" qui se trouvait juste en face d'Ocealys. Un de nos meilleurs moments fut le feu d'artifice pour la fete de l'independance d'Auckland que nous avons regarde de notre trampoline!
Nous etions juste en-dessous. Nous nous sommes egalement balades dans la Coromendel Peninsula qui est sublime: eau verte transparente et sable blanc. Pour faire quand meme un peu de bateau, nous avons visite les iles du golf d'Auckland: tres sympa.
Il faut savoir qu'en NZ, le temps est completement imprevisible. Il peut faire beau et chaud, puis soudainement pleuvoir a torrent et meme greler et tout a coup faire tres froid dans la meme journee. Meme chose pour le vent. En naviguation, on passe son temps a prendre des riz et a les defaire! Bon d'accord, ca fait les bras mais apres plusieurs experiences musclees, nous avons decide de rester independant de la meteo et de prendre la voiture!
Apres avoir ramene le bateau a Whangarei, nous sommes partis a l'exploration de la fameuse Ile du Sud. L'ile du Sud est sublime et tres diverse. On passe de grandes plages magnifiques, aux lacs aux eaux tranquilles, aux montagnes enneigees, aux glaciers serpenteux, aux immenses plaines remplies de moutons – ce n'est pas une legende! - aux fameux fjords du Sud. Les paysages sont magnifiques et les distances enormes! Nous sommes descendus par la cote Ouest jusqu'au point le plus au Sud de la NZ: Steward Island qui se trouve a 47 Sud de latitude..... ou on commence a vraiment cailler! Cette petite ile est peuplee d'hommes et de femmes aux visages faconnes par le vent et le froid... nous, nous sommes rues au "general store" pour nous acheter des chaussettes et des bonnets! La, la faune et la flore est incroyable et l'ile est envahie d'oiseaux consideres en voie de disparition.
Avant de prendre le ferry pour Steward Island, nous nous sommes arretes chez Ali, un des membres de l'equipage de Timella que nous avons secouru a Fiji. Ce fut avec emotion que nous la retrouvames et nous pument enfin faire cannaissance!
Durant ce periple de 3 semaines, nous avons eu de la chance et il a fait beau au moins la moitie du temps. Puis, il a plu quasiment tous les jours… Les paysages sont encore plus dramatiques quand il fait mauvais temps mais bon, nous fument quand meme contents de retrouver Ocealys a Whangarei!
Notre attention c’est alors completement portee sur Ocealys. Austin et Diana nous ont rejoint juste a temps pour nous aider durant le carrenage d’Ocealys. Maurice et Austin ont bosse comme des fous et ce fut bache en 1 semaine! Un record, compare a tous nos copains qui sont restes en moyenne 1 mois et demi au carrenage. Meme les ouvriers du chantier en ont ete etonnes et ils regardaient Maurice avec admiration. Les efforts constants de Maurice pour maintenir l’etat du bateau ont bien paye et Ocealys est encore plus belle qu’avant.
Voila, maintenant, nous sommes prets a mettre les voiles et c’est avec impatience que nous attendons une bonne fenetre meteo pour rejoindre le soleil. Le temps est horrible en ce moment et la Nouvelle Zelande se fait balayee par une depression tous les 2 jours, avec son comptant de pluie, de vent et de froid. Bref, non seulement ce n’est pas facile d’arriver dans ce pays mais il semble que c’est encore pire d’en repartir. Je pense que notre pensee de nous installer en NZ ne risquera pas de se materialiser et en grande partie a cause du temps. De plus, nous avons succombe a un mauvais virus et nous attendons toujours de nous remettre sur pieds….. vivement les tropiques!
Pour ce qui est du long terme (!), nos plans n’arretent pas de changer et pour le moment, la seule chose sure est que nous allons en Caledonie après…. on verra ou le vent nous emportera.
After 5 days at sea, 4 of them motoring and one in a near gale, we were psyched to make landfall. The first 3 days were pretty cold and all of us were wearing every bit of clothes we had to keep wrm during night watches.
We got 30+ knots of true wind (up to 40 knots apparent as it was before the beam) for about 30 ours and made some great time. The boat was doing 9's and 10's. The benefit of making good progress was some pretty violent noise on board from the confused seas. Every minute or two there's an explosion, and if you're in your bunk, you get knocked sideways a foot or so. Despite horrified certainty on your part, the boat doesn't break in to pieces and things go on, mile after mile. Check out the video of us going along at 10 knots. Even though it looks like it's only blowing 15-18kts, it was actually blowing 30 or more during this clip. Amazing how the camera flattens the conditions.
On our last day, as I'd promised Austin, we put the fishing lines in the water for our final approach into Nouméa. About an hour away from the pass into the reef, one of the reels sang, and a few seconds later a HUGE marlin did 5 or 6 jumps across our stern, just 30 yards away. 
After that, the fish sounded and the fight was on. 2 hours of fierce fighting later- 1:55 with young Austin on the rod and me with a :10 turn- we got the fish right behind the boat. It was so big, none of us had any idea what to do to get it on board. Luckily, as we were bringing in the last few feet of 550lb test leader line by hand, it surprised us by swimming gently towards the boat and unhooked itself. We all stood there in awe at the great prodigious beastie. Estimates on board vary, but on the conservative end I'd say 8 feet long and 300 or 400 lbs (at times there were pronouncements like, Dude! It's at LEAST a THOUSAND POUNDS!!!).
The fish provided us with such an adventure that we forgot about the crossing and it really felt like we'd just been out fishing for the day.
It's felt like a real homecoming.
