Monday 11 November. Sri K.Pattabhi Jois, the ashtanga master arrived this morning with his family and 17 pieces of luggage. For 63 years Guruji has taught, without interruption, the method that he learned from his guru Krishnamacharya. The family has been on the road for four months, doing Guruji’s Last Best World Tour, plus, Guruji likes to shop.

Tuesday 12 November 10.30 am. About 20 of us are sitting on a boat called "Magic" moored at Pier 3, Princes Wharf. We are waiting for Guruji, who expressed a desire to go out on the harbour and watch America’s Cup racing. But the wind is running at more than 20 knots, so the racing has just been cancelled. We get a message that Guruji doesn’t want to go if the racing’s cancelled. Also, he has just come from Hawai’i where he was sick on an ocean boat trip. Most of all, he is 88 years old and too frail to be able to contend with the vagaries of Auckland’s extremely changeable weather. It rains for five minutes, the sun shines brilliantly for five minutes, there’s a westerly gust, then a colder southerly, followed by a mini-squall and back to heat …

11 am: We are still waiting rocking gently on the green water and there is talk of taking the boat out anyway since its $2,500 charter fee has to be paid. The whole point of this trip is about being in his presence. Then we hear there is some possibility that Guruji might don thermal underwear beneath his lunghi and come on the boat after all. Even though racing is cancelled today, America’s Cup yachts will still be out on the harbour, practising, and "Magic"’s skipper has said he can take us into the floating village where we can see the syndicate berths up close. Then we could travel across to Waiheke Island. Negotiations are still taking place with Guruji in the Quay West suite with a panoramic view of the Waitemata Harbour. But at 11.20 we hear that the trip is definitively off. Apparently Guruji was almost convinced, when a black cloud appeared to the west.