Australasia cruising Q&A with
Dick Barnes of Nordhavn 57 Ice Dancer II

Nordhavn: When did you depart for this trip?
Dick Barnes: It’s a two-part answer:  We left Dana Point, CA and took Ice Dancer II to Hawaii and toured within the islands for two years. We then departed on this trip - our third into the South Pacific - from Honolulu on May 4, 2009.  (Our first trip to the South Pacific was in 2005, when we toured throughout French Polynesia on our Nordhavn 50, our first Ice Dancer.)

N: How long have you been cruising the AUS/NZ area?
DB: We arrived in Cairns, Queensland, Australia on September 4, 2009.  The New Zealand and Australia segment will last over nine months.

N: What has been your favorite part of cruising the area?
DB: Four highlights stand out. The Great Barrier Reef area around Lizard Island; Tasmania; Stewart Island, in the extreme south of New Zealand; and Fiordland (in New Zealand).  If we had to pick one, it would be Stewart Island.  It is beautiful, un-spoiled and has abundant wildlife.  But, all four are special in their own way.

N: How does it compare to other places you have been?
DB: The people were kind and gracious to us.  Both countries were English colonies, so the language and culture were familiar.  Issues debated on the radio mirrored problems we confront at home, like tax policy, economic recovery, treatment of aboriginal and gender rights and Middle East policies.
  
N: How long do you plan to be there?
DB: We expect to leave New Zealand in June and take a circuitous route through the Pacific Islands, ending up in Honolulu around November.  A possible route is New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Niue, Samoa, Cook Islands, Line Islands and Hawaii.

N: Where will you go from there?
DB: We have some new routes in mind, but it is too early to say where we might cruise, next.  But, that's the fun of having a Nordhavn; the possibilities are endless.