Pirate Ship Adventure!

It was the day before Cameron's 11th Birthday, and since bad weather was predicted for his birthday, we decided to start celebrating a little early by purchasing tickets for a day tour on the R. Tucker Thompson tall ship, departing out of Russell.  Since we were never really able to see the ship with its full sails, in all its glory, from a distance, I thought I would post this photo I found online.  Isn't it magnificent?!

We knew from reading the online reviews and from hearing the glowing recommendation from our campground host that we were in for a treat, but I don't think any of us expected to have such a magical and memorable experience.  I recognize that that sounds a bit cheesy, but it is true.  I think the photos will speak for themselves, and will hopefully do justice to our enchanting "pirate" adventure!

Getting ready to board the ship:

Making ourselves comfortable onboard:

We let our Captain (named Steve) know that we were celebrating Cameron's birthday, so he graciously began to include Cameron in performing some of the fun tasks of the ship:

Shortly after setting sail, Captain Steve invited anyone who might be interested to harness up and take a climb up the riggings.  Rachel wasted no time accepting that invitation!

Julia followed right behind...

As we made our way from the shores of Russell out into the ocean, one of the Captain's assistants served us delicious scones and hot cocoa:

YUM!  We made our way into a beautiful bay.  Here's a look at the scene from afar:

The setting was exquisite!  I took a small boat to shore with the twins while everyone else stayed onboard the ship for a bit longer, mostly for the opportunity to swing off into the water!

We always knew that Julia was pretty special, but who knew she could walk on water? :)

Emily FINALLY got a turn at climbing the ropes!

Our little bay was quaint and private and so lovely.  We were able to relax and explore for about an hour.  It was a nice change of scenery for the twins who were growing a little restless on the ship!

You can see the kids in the distance exploring some tide pools:

Back onboard the ship, we were served the most delicious lunch!

We weren't expecting such a gourmet and plentiful spread.  We were impressed.  Once we had eaten, the kids wasted no time continuing to climb the riggings and explore the ship:

Meanwhile, Grandma Evie was talking with her new besties, a couple of ladies she met onboard who were visiting from Iowa.  I was following Luke and Landon up and down...and up...and down...and up...and down the stairs below deck to the cabin area.  They weren't too interested in sitting quietly on deck, soaking in the sun and feeling the warm breeze. {sigh}

Back at the dock, we arrived just in time to see a huge swordfish being weighed:

Definitely one of our favorite days in New Zealand!