Gulf Harbour is located on the south coast of Whangaparaoa Peninsula, a long thin finger poking out into Hauraki Gulf. Aukland commuter land, it is full of shiny new housing. A typical modern marina complex with hundreds of boats that people hardly seem to visit, blocks of identical waterside apartments and a souless village centre. However modern does also mean, solid well maintained pontoons and berths, good security, reliable electricity supplies, easy parking etc. etc. And wandering a little further a field we have discovered a rarely visited beach just a five minute stroll away, a National Park a five minute drive away and a British Pie shop (pies seem to be a big thing here), right on our doorstep. In fact we are beginning to discover that wherever you are here, beautiful landscapes (and copious pie supplies) are never far away. 

Last weekend dawned, yet again, grey, cold and drizzly. We drove through the housing estates of suburbia, past the retail parks and shopping centres that are in abundance here and reflected how quickly the excitement of these attractions has worn off. Then suddenly we were in the countryside and even on a day such as this it is spectacular. We were enroute for supper with Domini and family and driving through the green hills, past woodland, farmland and babbling brooks we could see the attraction of making your home here. It was nice to be back for an afternoon in a family environment, we enjoyed playing with the kids, we used their unlimited, full speed wifi and in true Kiwi style, despite the weather, the BBQ was lit and we were treated to delicious ribs and pavlova.

Right at the end of Whangaporaoa peninsula the houses stop abruptly and you are in the Shakespear National Park, a protected area of wild beaches and rolling hills. With the sun finally putting in an appearance on Sunday we drove the short few kilometres into the park to stretch our legs. Te Harui Bay has soft sand, backed by small grassy dunes and today was full of wind and kite surfers enjoying the breezy conditions. We climbed high into the hills above the beach to watch their hairaising antics and enjoy the views over the Gulf, its islands and just through the haze the high rise buildings of the city.

What a difference the sunshine makes, for the first time since our arrival here we have been able to shed our jumpers, get on with some jobs outside and even sit in the cockpit. It also means the other boat owners on the pontoon have been out and about. We were still worrying about Raya being hauled out in our absence and this was being made worse by the lack of meaningful communication from the yard doing the work. On discussion with our neighbours it seems everyone here uses another boatyard an hour up the coast to have haul out work done, Robertsons Boats comes highly recommended. Looking at the charts however didn’t bode well, the yard is a couple of kilometres up a shallow winding river. We were due a day out so we decided to go and take a look.

We took the Hibiscus coast road that winds past the town beaches of Owera and up through the hills and deep river valleys that line the coastline. 

As the road turned inland we were surrounded by dense woodland which to our European eyes was a fascinating mix, tall dark pines, rounded lush disicduous trees, spiky firs and the ever present stunning tree ferns. We entered the small town of Warkworth and on to the boatyard which stands on the banks of the Marhurangi river. Our hearts sank, a scarily narrow, brown stream of water trickled through the mud flats.

As we looked more closely, we could see larger, deep keeled boats chocked up on the hard and after a fifteen minute chat with the owner, Conrad, we were sold. A family run business the place had a friendly, caring feeling to it, the work being carried out looked of a good quality, they were happy to run out to the harbour mouth and pilot you in during the high tide window that you can use to get up river, they even offered to run us back to Gulf Harbour to pick up the car. So we are back to plan A, Raya stays here in the water while we are in the UK and then beginning of February we sail to Warkworth and she is worked on out of the water while we tour the South Island.

Spirits buoyed we drove on to Matakana, described in the travel guide as a quirky village frequented by the Auckland chattering classes. We didn’t see any obvious city folk but we did have a fantastic lunch at the refurbished heritage pub, accompanied by locally brewed beer and rosé from the vineyard around the corner. There was also a proper deli, the first we have found in New Zealand and perfect lunch fare for our friends the next day.

Oh yes, and we bought an inflatable kayak, looks like fun.

Saturday 19th November 2016

We were woken just after midnight on Monday morning to a strange rocking movement. Gulf Harbour Marina is probably the most protected place we have been since we left, there is little or no water movement, many of the boats berthed here don’t even use fenders. We listened for high winds, maybe some violent gusts were blowing through, but there wasn’t so much as a rattle of a halyard or a whistle through the rigging. Rick went on deck to investigate, we were rocked again, all the boats in the marina were bobbing about. He assumed, although he could neither see or hear anything and odd as it might be in the middle of the night, that a large vessel was passing through or near the marina. We woke of course to the news of the earthquake that had hit South Island, the tremors, that were hardly felt this far north, must have been amplified by the water or it was the small tsunami waves radiating into Hauraki Gulf and on to us. Whichever, we were relieved not to have been any further south. 

Hauraki Gulf is the large bay on which Auckland stands and has, since we have arrive, slowly been filling with Navy vessels from throughout the world , all here to celebrate the New Zealand Navy’s 75th anniversary. So luckily there was if needed plenty of help on hand to evacuate the people trapped by the landslips that followed the quake and were exacerbated by the days of heavy rain that have followed.

This same rain has together with a cold wind dampened our week too. The tropics seem a million miles away already. Our heating systems, mothballed for eighteen months, despite Ricks constant tweaking, are only working on and off and the small amount of sky we can see between the motor yachts that crowd us on both sides, have been mostly grey. 

It’s a gradual process but we are slowly converting back to normal life, the yachties uniform of shorts and t-shirts or more lately sailing boots and jackets has been replaced by rather smarter attire. My sun bleached haystack, that has past for hair this last year, has been tamed somewhat at the hairdressers and I have dug out my handbags. We don’t leave the boat without our phones, I am even wearing a watch, I forget to look at it of course but strangely these things seem to be suddenly essential.

Monday we ventured in to Auckland, we took the ferry that leaves throughout the day from the marina into the city centre. The sea was surprisingly rough and made us, the ocean sailors, surprisingly queasy. So feeling slightly under the weather we  emerged onto the busy streets, traffic, tourists, lunch hour office workers and the racket from a huge construction site. A cold wind blew off the water front and the sky stayed obstinately grey. I had the overwhelming desire to be back on a Tongan beach. We pressed on and gradually got into the swing of things, finding some charming lanes with quirky high priced clothes shops and small restaurants. The sun came out and we sat people watching as we ate the best food we have had since Panama. As the day wore on we were inevitably drawn back to the waterfront and the city centre marinas. The outer berths were lined with super yachts including Pumula the beautiful Royal Huisman yacht that we were next to in Tahiti. We discussed the idea of spending a few nights here next March when we start cruising again, we have never moored right in the middle of a big city before.

Friday we returned to the waterfront area, this time by car, to explore the hundreds of marine shops and services in the area, if it has anything to do with the water you can buy it here. I explored the book shop for cruising guides and charts for next years adventures, while Rick perused the biggest chandlery we have ever seen and we started to investigate buying a kayak, an exciting solution to our problems getting ashore when it is difficult to beach the dingy and another way to keep us fit.

Back onboard we are slowly working through the job list and Rick has been busy talking to everyone in the boatyard. Raya will have to come out of the water at some point to clean and anti foul the hull and service all the underwater  fittings The large yacht lift and good hard standing in Gulf Harbour was its main attraction. The plan was to wait until we returned from the UK and manage the lift and initial organisation of the tasks that need completing before leaving on our road trip through the South Island, returning to complete a few of the jobs ourselves. However, we have been made an offer we are finding hard to resist, the yard has a lull in its job list just after the New Year and have given us very competitive rates if we haul out then, unfortunately that will be before we return from the UK. The question is can we bring ourselves to trust them with our precious boat while we are the otherside of the world?

Sunday 13th November 2016

A steady stream of unseasonable, closely packed weather systems continue to cross the North Island of New Zealand. This not only persists in trapping the few remaining cruisers still in tropics but meant that our planned five day sail to Auckland from Opua, day hopping from bay to bay, had to be cut short. If nothing else this life style has taught us to be flexible, not a trait that was obvious in my personality a year or so ago.

We left our berth in the Bay of Islands Marina as soon as the weather and tide allowed, the winds had continued to blow through Tuesday but Wednesday dawned much calmer. With the sun warming our backs, at mid-tide, we motored over to the fuel dock to fill with nice clean New Zealand diesel. We guessed that the sea beyond the bay would still be rough from the previous days gales, so we opted to stay within the Islands for the night.

Oke Bay was open to the north and looked like a good choice in the forecast south westerly winds, it was also on the outside of the Islands and so a good jumping off point for our sail of just over 100nm to Gulf Harbour Marina, a few miles north of Auckland and our home for the next few months. The bay proved to be extremely tranquil and very pretty, cliffs surrounded it on all sides and a sandy beach lay at its head.

We had a perfect day, the sun shone, there was a mere whisper of a breeze and a gentle swell rocked Raya comfortingly. In the morning we dropped the dingy and explored the rugged shoreline, in the afternoon we read, snoozed and watched the birds, our only companions in the deserted bay. The Red Billed Gulls squawked as they fed, flashing their  equally red feet and legs as they flew by, the Pied Cormorants sunned themselves on the rocks and a group of Welcome Swallows gathered on our rails at dusk. We also spotted two less abundant characters, a Spur Winged Plover waded along the shore line as we approached in the dingy, during the breeding season they can apparently be quite territorial and aggressive, sometimes striking with the sharp yellow spurs they have on their outer wings, luckily this one was busy feeding and appeared happy to share the beach with us. Out in the middle of the bay, we were entertained by a large Australasian Gannet that repeatedly plunged head first into the sea, boobie style, to catch its lunch. We have a long shopping list for New Zealand but we are enjoying the wildlife so much that a good telephoto lens is becoming a priority, my blurred distant efforts to capture these birds are not worth including here.

We did manage one avian photo however, in fact it would have been impossible not to get the shot. Thursday late afternoon we reluctantly roused ourselves and left Oke Bay for the 14hr overnight sail to Gulf Harbour. The first few miles as we pounded into the rough waters around infamous Cape Brett were slow but very scenic. Then as we rounded the outer rocks we saw a patch ahead in the water we couldn’t quite identify. As we closed in we realised it was a dense flock of hundreds of birds massed above what must have been a huge bait ball of fish. The birds frantic activity filled the air and churned up the sea, so engrossed were they that our arrival was hardly noticed as they swooped, dived and screeched all around us.

Clear of the gulls we unfurled the sails, the acceleration zone created by the headland provided us with a good wind on our stern and with our downwind rig flying we enjoyed a fantastic sail as the sun slid behind the cliffs and hills to our west. Unfortunately the wind disappeared  with the daylight and soon we were back motor sailing. The engine was still stuttering occasionally and so the night was spent on tenterhooks, alert to the slightest change in engine note. Dozing wasn’t a problem during our watches, as it also had been a while since we had sailed so close to the coast at night, there was plenty of shipping to keep us vigilant and numerous lighthouses marking the many rocks and islands that abound here, to avoid.

The engine prevailed and we now find ourselves back in Marinaland, a world of creaking warps, shower blocks, laundrettes and very close neighbours. In fact Ricks deserves a Gold Star for parking we are sandwiched between two large motor yachts with just a few inches to spare on either side. Gulf Harbour is completely full and we have been put on an outer berth on the far side of the marina and with our dingy trapped on its davitts at the back of the boat we have no means of accessing all the services in the main area that is a two mile walk around the marina village. Luckily Domini (Ricks niece who lives close by) has saved the day by lending us a car, it feels extremely odd to have the freedom to go anywhere, as and when the fancy takes us, shops, cinemas, restaurants here we come.

Tuesday 8th November 2016

We have good news and bad news. The good news is that we have run the engine for four days in every configuration possible with not so much as a splutter, the bad news is that no one has actually identified what the the problem post dirty fuel has been. We have decided that we will just have to hope that whatever the issue was it has resolved itself, time to move on.

Saturday, mid testing, we abandoned ship, hired a car and spent a day on the road. The marina has two carhire businesses, Rent a Dent and Cars for Cruisers, we opted for Cars for Cruisers and for $60 got ourselvess a wreck for the day. Not the most comfortable car but it started, managed the hills, just and the AC worked, it was good enough.

We headed west for the Waipoua Forest and its giant Kauri trees that lie on the opposite coast of North Island. As we drove away from the Bay of Islands the rolling hills gradually began to get bigger and steeper, the slopes were covered in livestock, partitioned with hedges and copses of trees. As we climbed higher, expansive views of the countryside spread out before us and tree covered mountains appeared in the distance.

After an hour or so of driving we knew we were approaching Hokianga Harbour but it was surprisingly well hidden behind the hills. It was worth the wait, as we rounded a bend it finally appeared and the sight was amazing. The North Shore of the harbour is lined with giant sand dunes and in the midday sun they literally shone. We had lunch in the beach front cafe at Opononi and admired the view.

We spotted in the travel guide a walk out to the headland, so we drove a few miles to its starting point in Omapere and the Ari-Te-Uru  Recreation Reserve. Again the track was classified as easy, a surfaced pathway lead out to the end of South Head. This is our type of landscape, rough seas, cliffs and rocky beaches. Bracken, flax and eight foot high hebe bushes lined the path, great views of the Tasman sea, the harbour and the miles of dunes greeted us at every turn.

Suitably invigorated by the sea air, we turned South towards Waipoua. The road through the forest wound sharply, climbing steeply then dropping into valleys. Thick woodland encased the route, the huge Kauri dwarfing all other trees and the exquisite pre-historic tree ferns arched out of the undergrowth. Kauri Trees are another of Northlands giants growing up to 50m tall and 16m in girth, some specimens are believed to be over 2000 years old. Kauri forests were once common all over the North Island but over the last 200 years they have been decimated. Mostly to blame are the early European settlers who felled them for timber, exploited them for the rich gum they produce and cleared them to create land for pasture. All Kauri trees are now protected, Waipoua, saved by its mountainous location, is their largest surviving refuge and contains Tane Mahuta, thought to be one of the oldest and at 51.5m high with a 13.8m girth, the largest remaining tree in New Zealand. 

Magnificent as the Kauri were, I was more taken by the numerous different ferns that were everywhere, their fonds gently unwrapping, fresh green for the start of summer. The fern leaf is of course a symbol of New Zealand, 200 different species grow throughout the islands and Waipoua Forest is home to many of them small and large.

Back in the marina the weather has turned windy, the boats dance back and forth on their warps and their occupants hide below decks. We recorded a gust of over 39kts early Monday morning and it is approaching that again today. The forecast is for things to calm tonight so we are hoping to depart for the outer bay tomorrow and then down to Auckland overnight Thursday.