A Four Hour Cruise

Any baby boomer as old as I am would remember the wacky adventures of the crew of the SS Minnow and the others marooned on Gilligan's Island. The main purpose of our stay in the Bay of Islands was to indulge in a "four hour cruise" around the islands.

As we looked at the meagre breakfast offering at the Paihia Pacific resort and Spa, we could not help but contrast it with the spread we had enjoyed just 24 hours earlier. This really was going from end of the spectrum to the other.

The buffet consisted of a dispenser of tired looking Corn Flakes, some tinned fruit, yoghurt and cold coffee. The orange juice tasted like watery cordial. There was a toaster and some bread, but unfortunately no knives to butter the bread with. We all agreed that tomorrow we will go to somewhere in town instead.

As we walked to the pier to catch our boat, conversation turned to Gilligan's Island and which of our team members would play each role. The choice of Gilligan was simple - it had to be Greg. The part of the Stout Skipper would be expertly played by myself. David and Carol were elected to be the wealthy Mr and Mrs Howell, Gael would be a good choice for Ginger, leaving Andrea to play the innocent girl next door Mary-Anne. Although Gordon was not with us, he would be a good choice for the Professor.

With these thoughts floating through our minds we boarded the catamaran that was to be our transport for the cruise. Fortunately the boat looked seaworthy and the weather was absolutely perfect, with blue sky from horizon to horizon.

The Bay of Islands is certainly a spectacular natural creation and the best way to observe the vast assortment of rugged islands is from the deck of a boat. The main highlight of the cruise was the famous "Hole in the Rock", which the captain managed to expertly maneuver the boat through.

After safely emerging on the other side, we were surrounded by an untold number of fish. When the first Maoris arrived in this place, they really must have thought that they had discovered paradise.

The boat took us to two of the islands and managed to safely dock without crashing and sinking. At around 2 pm we were back at the Paihia pier. All agreed that it had been a magical day.

POSTSCRIPT
After a brief discussion we all agreed to return to the same place we had dinner the previous night. With its brilliant location and great food, why would we go anywhere else ?

As per the previous evening, it was a fantastic meal, accompanied by lots of laughing and non stop chatting. It was only when we went to leave that things took a turn for the worse.

We only got a short distance up the road from the restaurant, before we were called back. Apparently someone had "forgotten" to pay their bill. Of course I knew that I wasn't the criminal. I have only once ever done a runner, and that was many years ago in Bangkok (but that is another story).

After further investigation it turned out that the guilty party was David (aka Thurston Howell). It is a sad thing that those with the most money are always looking for ways to gain even more, but that is the way it is.

A few minutes later David reluctantly settled his bill and we were finally free to return to the hotel.Read more