Lake Arapuni

Arapuni is an artificial lake on the Waikato river created by a hydro dam, near Cambridge. There are  six dams built across the mighty Waikato river to harness cheap hydro electricity. Seen here with me is a friend from Borneo, Tam Chi Kim.

In Manawatu there are many huge wind turbines constructed along the hill tops using the wind to generate electricity in a more environmentally friendly way. In Wellington harbour, kiwi scientists are experimenting with wave generators.

Huntly lake

First time on the water in NZ. I picked the wrong day. There was hardly any wind. The boat was a 19 ft Kestrel towed by a Merc, 280SE

Lake Ngaroto

This was the first time I launched the Kestrel to check the integrity of the hull. The small 2 hp outboard engine is used mainly for parking and in case of emergency caused by unexpected equipment failure. It is adequate for moving the boat at 5 knots without using the sails. I am a member of the Ngaroto sailing club. In summer we usually hold a regatta on Sundays. There are other trailer yachts and many dinghy sailors.

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Melissa on her Starling.

Alex on his catamaran, a Paper Tiger which he used for running circles around us during Sundays regattas at Ngaroto.