That uncomfortable motion claimed a couple of victims. The weather held quite miserable until early afternoon. Then it turned bright and sunny, the rain and wind disappeared into oblivian and we enjoyed a glorious afternoon and evening. At one point we were cruising slowly back toward the buoys when I saw what I thought was a strange-shaped log with black broken branches sticking straight up out of the sea. With the sea flattened out we saw a number of whales all around us at a distance.
Bird life is really abundant - lots of petrels, shearwaters, gulls and albatrosses.
Nigel, we headed ashore in the inflatable. There to the south, right over the dock, shown the Southern Cross constellation, visible only in the southern hemisphere. This was and is a prominent celestial navigation constellation and is a striking part of the New Zealand national flag.