Mid-Atlantic

Quote of the day: “I was cursing the people next door for letting their deck furniture crash around in the rough weather. Then this morning I discovered it was the drink cans in my fridge making the noise.”

I’m happy. Our dinner table of waifs and strays is now complete, and they are all nice people. So that solves that problem for the rest of the trip, as the only people leaving are one lady in New York, and one couple in LA.

Today we reached the mid-point in the Atlantic. The seas are calm, and the temperature has risen. Some hardy souls were attempting to sunbathe, but I don’t think they would have had much success. The sun came out only briefly.

So this half of the trip, Southampton to Auckland, retraces the journey my family made when we emigrated to New Zealand. At that time I was only 7, so my memories are a little vague. Certainly the ship was nothing like the luxury of the Dawn Princess, and my recollection is that we only stopped at Panama and Tahiti. I do remember traversing the Panama Canal though, so repeating that will be a highlight for me. (Of course, it’s the first time for BJ too, so he’s already getting very excited at the prospect.)

I can only imagine what it must have been like for my parents, leaving home, young child in tow, and setting off to a new life in New Zealand. Very much a journey into the unknown, but they did realize that the opportunities would be much greater for them by doing that, than by staying in the UK.