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And Pam followed Ian a couple of days later , taking the two-hour commercial motorized catamaran trip to join him at Port Fitzroy on Great Barrier . Things happened very fast - - and at a time when both Pam and Ian were travelling in Europe - - but the upshot was that in July she registered in a four-year programme leading to a Bachelor of Social Work , a vocational degree . They know their stock by heart - - no catalogs or computers - - and we chatted for an hour . ) So in August we raised a pet lamb , Lucy , our baby for a couple of months , who greeted us vociferously every time we came home . But we are getting way ahead of ourselves . Brian , delegated to procure diesel fuel at the marina , was nonplussed by the office girl 's query as to whether he wanted the diesel GT or on shore - - he mumbled some response but only later realized that she was referring to the diesel jetty . After a few months the flat she was in broke up , but instead of coming home she decided to move into another shared house , this time with three boys . She still goes to lessons and has learned many new pieces - - in fact , she can play almost any song by Andrew Lloyd Webber that you care to name . Without their help both girls would have been without a vehicle - - and public transport is virtually non-existent here . Great Barrier has an enormous , and very sheltered , harbour called Port Fitzroy , not unlike Strangford Lough in N. Ireland where Ian learned to sail as a child - - but with far more dramatic scenery . In January 2003 we made good on our promise of a Wedding Present Cruise for our friends Sarah and Alex , whose log entry records an entree of fresh cold oysters served with gin and tonics , followed by the legendary Thai chicken curry , and a postprandial apricot-coloured full moon , serenaded by clarinet to bring a golden path of moonbeams rippling straight to Beulah 's transom . We lifted two so that they could catch up ; Gladys accelerated and left them behind again . At one point we stumbled by accident across aboriginal rock carvings showing pictures of kangaroos and whales ( in one picture , both together ) - - which apparently remain unadvertised to help preserve them by reducing visitors . This time we did a stunning skyline hike at the top , Pam heart in mouth along a narrow ledge a mere three metres ( according to Ian ) or 30 cm ( according to her ) wide . The traffic instantly backed up for miles ; the tunnel was quickly closed to all traffic ( both directions ) ; an emergency vehicle roared down towards them on the wrong side of the road and gave them a nerve-wracking bumper-to-bumper push , accelerating to 50 mph , out of the tunnel . Talking about cinemas , Nikki is still working at the local one , selling tickets and candies , ripping tickets , ushing , and cleaning cinemas . Almost always we stay overnight , or for a long weekend , and on one occasion Ian was on board for nearly a week . Then ( via Gatwick - - I know you wo n't believe it , but it 's true ) to Salerno in Italy , just south of Naples , for a seminar and a weekend . Eventually she plans either to return to Vancouver for a bit , or go to Edinburgh ( do n't really know why Edinburgh ) .