Go Sailing's Outreach Adventures!: Waitangi Day/ Answered Prayers/ Great Barrier Island

Waitangi Day:

After our time on the Pacific Hope, we headed up the Coromandel Peninsula to Waitangi where we camped out for two nights and served at the Marae (Maori meeting place) for Waitangi day. Waitangi Day is New Zealand’s national holiday commemorating the treaty signed between the British and the native Maori 175 years ago. Josh, Sophie, Hadleigh, Seraina, Mizpa, and Marcus set out to sail for Waitangi on Saturday the 31st aboard the Mandolin, but had to turn around on Monday because of the rough weather.

On Tuesday the 3rd we all stayed the night in Auckland at the YWAM base, and on Wednesday drove up to Waitangi as a group. We pitched tents at a campground near the grounds of the celebration and were able to watch as the Prime Minister, John Key arrived! Over the weekend in Waitangi, we all took turns serving meals at the Marae to the politicians, and we also were able to get a tour of the grounds and the history behind the first missionaries coming to New Zealand and the signing of the treaty. It was an awesome weekend in a beautiful spot for all of us! On the 6^th, we drove back to stay another night in Auckland, and Saturday split into three groups:

Group 1- Hadleigh, Marcus, Martin, Matt, Andrea, Ayla: Our group left Saturday morning for Tauranga to take off in the Mandolin! We journeyed out into our sailing trip for Great Barrier Island. The winds were pretty rough the first evening, and we were slightly delayed- making it only to Mayer Island- a tiny island off the coast, and anchored there for the evening. The stars and moon were so vibrant over the ocean and it was breath-taking! The next morning we set out for Whitianga where we met up with Group 2 after 13 hours of sailing.

Group 2- Mizpa, Amy, Sophie, Joshua, Violin: Group 2 stayed the night at a camp site on the Coromandel Peninsula’s coast in Whitianga after spending a relaxing day in Auckland. They were able to attend a local church service and helped serve on Sunday afternoon before meeting up with Group 1 that evening at the Whitianga harbour. Monday morning, Group 1 and Group 2 headed out together on the Mandolin up the Coromandel Peninsula to pick up Group 3 before heading to Great Barrier Island.

Group 3- Seraina, Kiki, Anna: Group 3 was originally going to sail out alongside Group 1 on a boat called Blessed, owned by one of Marcus’ friends. However, after setting sail for a few hours, there were some issues with the motor of the boat and it had to be sailed back to Tauranga where they spent the weekend until Monday. Although plans fell through, they were able to relax for some time and hang out in town a little bit before taking the bus on Monday to meet up with everyone in the Coromandel Peninsula.

Great Barrier Island:

Monday afternoon we were finally all reunited with one another! We set out for Great Barrier and arrived late at night. We anchored at one of the island’s bays and 5 of us went out on the dingy to set up a tent on the island while the other 9 of us cramped inside the Mandolin and slept there. Tuesday morning we set sail once again for Blind Bay, our first destination on Great Barrier Island and reached land around lunch time. We spent the afternoon exploring the gorgeous coastal line and rolling hills, and had time to pray for the next couple weeks ahead of us. On Wednesday we began our ministry doing some community service projects at a local art gallery, organic gardens, and elderly’s homes. Over the next week and a half that we’ll be here, we’ll be doing different little projects each day. We’ve been blessed to stay in a Backpacker’s hostel here on the island and have space to spread out and get some sweet quiet time with God.

Answered Prayers:

Even though we didn’t get Grace, our team has been so blessed by the diversity of an incredible outreach and the provision of The Mandolin. We’re constantly in awe of how God chooses to provide for us and carve our path. We’ve definitely been learning flexibility in every area as it seems our original plans are always falling through or changing, but it’s been a time of significant growth as we all lean on God to direct us. Thanks everyone for your support!