My day with the prime minister of New Zealand and Sir Ed

Well I met Andrew and his son Nathan at the Ferry building in the morning. This is a special ferry trip for invited guest to attend the opening of a new Outdoors Pursuit Center or OPC on the Great Barrier Island. As the boat was originally full I wasn’t sure if I could get on. But many of the invited guess don’t arrive (the weather) and I sweet talk the lady in charge and she lets me on.
This large island is also called Aotea by the Maori and is one of the first places the Maori landed when they first came to New Zealand. It is called the Great Barrier Island because as the name implies it acts as a barrier to the Pacific Ocean and provides Auckland with its protected seas and calm water. Nathan is a neat kid of eleven. Well behaved and still at that age where he is still a child not an adolescent but he is a hairs breath away. The center is sponsored by Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mt Everest and national Kiwi hero, who is attendants with his wife. The Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clarke and the Gold Medal board sailing champ are also special guests. We listen to the Maori ceremonies, the songs and the Haka or Maori war dances. Then the white guest speakers all get a turn and then everyone gets a chance to meet and have lunch. I take young Nathan up to shake hands with the PM, Sir Ed and the Champ. He gets autographs from all the swells and I get pictures. I got to rub noses (literally) with one of the Maori head man. I went to shake his had and he bent forward and presented his nose and it took me a moment to realize what he was doing so I took of my hat and touch foreheads and rubbed noses. Way cool. Free lunch a sit on the lawn and then we were off. Then return trip was in bigger seas but our seats were dry and protected. We find Homey right where I left him. I give Andy and Nathan a lift back to their West Auckland home and spend the night in the country.