Yesterday we had afternoon tea with my sister Helen, niece Katy, and nephew Nick’s partner, Danielle at Nick and Danielle’s new house and avocado orchard. (This morning I had avocado toast for breakfast. The avocado was handed to me by the grower!) Afternoon tea is a highly civilized institution that is to be recommended. It requires tea (duh) and something to eat (there is a wide array of possibilities, but little plates are a must). You can have afternoon tea on your own (don’t let the pandemic stop you) but it is so much better with dear ones and good conversation. Fortunately, we were blessed with all 4 ingredients.
If we needed any further confirmation that we are in the right place at the right time, we got it with the beautiful rainbow that graced us in the evening.
Sweet as… Afternoon Tea! 
Rainbow over Whangarei
The weather forecast this week is not so good. You might have seen the strong winds if you saw the American boat capsize in the Prada Cup trials (America’s Cup challenger races) which were held in Hauraki Gulf (near Auckland) over the weekend. As an aside, things are not looking so great for the US boat, the Patriot (!), which now has a hole in it. All the American crew (which like baseball teams is international) is safe and there were tremendous demonstrations of sportsmanlike behavior from the UK, and Italian teams that are competitors and NZ who is the defender. An interesting tidbit for Michiganders: one of the members of the consortium that owns US sailboat is a DeVos, brother-in-law of Betsy, former US Secretary of Education. We know this because Mr. DeVos posted on Instagram that he and his family were in quarantine at the same time that we were (although at a different facility). (The American team is the “New York Yacht Club American Magic” Team and their AC75 boat is named “Patriot”. In NZ they are usually referred to as “American Magic”.) Overnight, American Magic has gone from favored to a long shot.
NZ Herald Video of American Magic capsize while travelling (flying?) at 45knots.
Our day here opened with light drizzle, which made for a lovely walk around the loop, and I didn’t even get wet. We hung the laundry out on the line. Yes! That is the best way to dry laundry when you can count on sunshine and a breeze and when the air is clean.
Then we set off to explore Whangarei Heads. Whangarei Heads is a promontory on the north side of the harbor. The road is very scenic, hugging the coastline. We walked along the Reotahi Coastal Walkway through the Marine Reserve to Little Munro Bay. The water at the shore was crystal clear, the beach was a coarse sand, with many shells and pebbles. The views were spectacular. It’s the first time that we had seen Marsden Point – NZ’s only oil refinery (albeit from a distance). Crude oil bought by Marsden Point Oil Refinery is shipped to the deep-water port at Marsden Point. Refined fuel is piped back to Auckland. Going forward, we are told that NZ will purchase refined fuels from overseas and Marsden Point will be used only as a storage facility. The comings and goings of a tanker and a container ship added to the interest of our walk.
Tanker at Marsden Point Refinery
Then we drove across the peninsula to Ocean Beach on the East Coast (that would be the Pacific Ocean). This is a gorgeous white sand beach with crashing waves. Just a few people and a lifeguard. It made a great spot for our picnic lunch!
McLeod Bay 
Reotahi Beach 
Little Munroe Bay 
Ocean Beach