Bay of Islands updates

Hello Friends and Family! I'm safely ashore in Russel, New Zealand, after sailing/motoring from Auckland to the Bay of Islands. Tomorrow we embark on a two-week sea-leg to the capital of Wellington. It's already been such an amazing adventure getting to New Zealand, including our excursion/delay in San Francisco with four of my fellow sailors. The Robert C. Seamans has quickly become our new home, and after leaving behind feet of snow on the Cape we are enjoying sunglasses and highs in the 70s most days. The weather has been favorable, though some have succumbed to sea sickness. Highlights of the trip have been whales off the Coromandel Peninsula, swimming at our anchorage in Kaiarara Bay at Great Barrier Island, and a pod of pilot whales sailing to the Bay of Islands. I hope everyone at home is well. Internet has been hard to come by, but I've uploaded some select photos into an album here: Tyler's SEA Semester in New Zealand. For more updates, follow the SEA Blog which we update daily. Wish me luck on this open ocean excursion! More to follow in two weeks!