Tuesday 18th April 2017

Friday night we were treated to a spectacular moonrise, the sight made even more amazing by our not so spectacular surroundings. Okowawa Bay had served us well, protecting us from the wind and rough seas associated with Cyclone Cook, high hills roll into the distance, dark water, that will be one of my lasting memories of New Zealand, surrounded us and just four yachts sat at anchor. Rick was keen to get stuck into the generator, despite all the work that has been done on it over the past few months it still had a fuel starvation issue that irritatingly stopped it regually every couple of day, the flat calm of this bay was a perfect place to tackle it. My job for the day was to delve deep into all the provision lockers to find out what exactly we had lurking in their depths and then put together the big “still have access to good supermarkets” shopping list to stock up for the next few months.

As we worked we were aware of boats arriving and were surprised at the amount of activity around us. It dawned on us this was not any old Friday it was Easter Friday. Families were arriving by boat to fill the holiday homes (Bachs) that line the bay,  numerous bags were unloaded, children skipped excitedly up the beach, quad bikes, ribs and paddle boards appeared out of garages. When we emerged for morning coffee we saw a sea plane landing, one couple were arriving in style.  

Sea plane taking off from Orakawa

Night fell, lights and chatter filled the bay, the songs of Queen drifted on the air from one of the parties ashore. We sat on deck trying to ignore our neighbours, when we noticed a bright haze of light appearing behind the hill. We were treated, to a dazzling, sharply defined, moonrise. As we gasped at yet another marvellous natural event it felt wrong that nobody else was watching it, the partying continued, it was if it was rising just for us.

Moonrise over the hills

Fantastic trees on the beach at Oke Bay

And so our cruising in New Zealand has come to an end, this morning we came back into the marina in Opua. Provisioning, last minute maintainance ( fingers crossed the generator is fixed), cruiser gatherings, the preparations for the exodus to the tropics begins.

Thursday 13th April 2017

It has been a rather tense twenty four hours, the whole of NZ battening down the hatches in anticipation of yet another storm. Tropical Cyclone Cook took a dramatic south turn from the tropics and is currently skirting down the east coast of the North Island. We are tucked away in Orakawa Bay in the Bay of Islands and thankfully so far the storm force winds have stayed out at sea, here it is suspiciously calm our wind gauge mostly hovering between 0-7kts. We have had plenty of rain, infact almost continuos heavy rain, I’m sure once we have enough internet to see the news some poor areas will have had a much worse time than us and flooding and land slips will be plaguing the mainland yet again. It is slightly ironic that having sailed south to New Zealand to escape the tropical storm season, Tonga and Fiji are coming out of the summer relatively unscathed while we have spent the last six weeks hiding from one storm after another.

Cyclone Cook missed us in the very North but still forecast to make landfall over the Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty

On Saturday we set off for the Cavalli islands and Whangaroa Harbour, the wind was light and directly behind us, so disappointingly, yet again, it was on with motor. It was a scenic trip however, the sun put in a hazy appearance, the islands are surrounded by striking craggy rocks and the cliffs of the mainland are topped with green rolling hills. We spotted, on top of one of the cliffs a distinctive sculpture, after a bit of research we discovered it was the memorial to the Rainbow Warrier. This Greenpeace boat was sunk by the French Secret Service in Auckland Harbour in 1985 while it prepared to set sail in protest at the French testing of Nuclear weapons on remote Pacific Atolls. It was salvaged, towed and resunk in 26m of water off Motutapere Island, to create a new home to colonies of coral and shoals of fish and an exciting dive site. 

We passed through the narrow entrance to Whangaroa Harbour to find yet more incredible New Zealand scenery, deep inlets encased in dramatic rocky formations. It was extremely quiet, there was hardly any movement of boats and the small quaint town was almost deserted. We did find some life at the friendly Sports Fishing Bar but there was a definite feeling of being in the back of beyond.

Most evenings since Taryn and Greg have joined us, with the weather not clement enough to be on deck, we have settled down at the salon table and played bridge. Despite all being very much beginners we’ve had great fun, our brains struggling to keep up with rules that Rick delights in reading out to us from the Learn Bridge book, just when we think we are getting the hang of things. I can see the mantra of. “come over for a sundowner” spoken by all cruisers when anchored in a bay together, will have to be increased to “oh and, do you play bridge?”.

The sail back to the Bay of Islands was messy with the swell ahead of the cyclone effecting the coast. Yet again, I was caught out not keeping my level of sea sickness medication high enough and spent the last hour of the journey feeling terrible. However it was great to give Taryn and Greg a final trip with the sails up. We even managed to deliver a goodbye sighting of dolphins, a spectacular display, the dolphins jumping high into the air. 

It felt odd to have Raya back to ourselves, we anchored off Russell and stocked up with food. We both felt tired, it’s been a busy few months, so treated ourselves to an afternoon of TV. We regretted not sailing on, we were woken the next morning to the boat rocking violently in the wake of the early morning ferries from Paihia and the start of the rain. We avoid sailing in the rain if we can but we needed to get ourselves somewhere well protected from the forecast high winds so we dug out our wet weather gear and in deteriating visibility motored around the headland to Orakawa Bay where we have sat more or less windless but wet for the past day and a half. 

Very wet anchoring

Wednesday 5th April 2017

The air felt heavy as dusk approached, an errie quiet after a day of torrential rain, the atmosphere tense as everyone in the marina awaited the coming storm. The remenants of Cyclone Debbie, the cyclone that has been reaking havoc across Eastern Australia is now over New Zealand. We are back in the Bay of Islands Marina in Opua, the location of the start of our New Zealand adventure nearly six months ago. A good place to sit out the bad weather but not quite where we wanted to be. The last month or so, especially with guests onboard, it has really emphasised how much our lives are determined by the weather and tides.

Friday morning, on the incoming tide, we sailed into Marsden Cove Marina to spend a day on domestics – shopping, laundry, cleaning and a quick visit to explore Whangarei. We wandered up and down the lively town basin, visited the small clock museum and sat on the waterfront for lunch. 

Lunch in Whangarei

Having been away from ‘cruiser world’ for a while it was nice to spot a few boats we knew in the Basin Marina and bump into a few faces we knew on the boardwalk. Everyone’s talk turning from their plans in New Zealand to weather windows and preparations for the sail back up to the tropics.

However, first we have a few more weeks cruising left here to enjoy. Sunday we had planned to sail up to Tutukaka Harbour to join a dive boat out to the Poor Nights Islands and their reputed world class dive sites, but the weather and tides had other ideas. The forecast for wet stormy weather had come forward a day, from Wednesday to Tuesday, and the combination of north winds, large swell, torrential rain and shallow water restricting movement within the harbour, persuaded us to push on up to the Bay of Islands.

Rounding a mist topped Cape Brett

It was quite a long days sailing, so we slipped into the first anchorage we came to – Deep Water Cove. The sun held out long enough to tempt even me in for an invigorating swim in the clear, dark blue water. We were the only boat in the bay and there were no buildings in sight, the silence only disturbed by the bickering Pied Cormorants roosting in a couple of Pohutukawa trees. It was another lovely spot and it was with regret that we left Monday morning to catch the high tide to ensure safe entery into Opua Marina.

A less than perfect docking at the berth set the scene for the next couple of dreary grey days. Tuesday morning the heavy rain arrived as promised, one of the reason for coming into the marina was so we could at least get off the boat, we hired a car with Taryn and Greg and drove to the small town of Russell. Russell is easily reach by car ferry from Opua but I thought I’d been told the long way round, the hour route around the Wikare Inlet, was a nice drive. In retrospect I think I was told it was an interesting drive and interesting it certainly was. The tarmaced road quickly turned into a bumpy gravelled track that twisted steeply up and around the hills of Russell Forest with generous amounts of rain added into the torturous mix.

Russell a picturesque seaside town was very soggy, so we headed for the Pompallier Mission building as a dry option to pass the time. It was set up by Bishop Pompallier to print and disperse bibles and prayer books, written in Maori, in their drive to convert the locals. Inside we were treated to a fascinating guide to the production of these small books, that included the original press, the binding rooms and the tannery that produced the leather to cover each volume.

Raining in Russell

The storm did bring plenty of rain but the winds were not as bad as forecast and we seemed to have whiled away the couple of days quite easily, copious amounts of tea have been drunk and our Bridge skills rekindled after some thirty years of dormancy.

Thursday 30th March 2017

We have had a a great week sailing between the Islands of the Hauraki Gulf, the weather has been mostly kind, the sea calm and the wildlife friendly. In fact our guests, Taryn and Greg, seem to have bought the Aussie sunshine with them. Taryn, who before this holiday had never sailed, is beginning to wonder what all the fuss about seasickness, rough seas and difficult conditions below, is all about. 

Taryn enjoying the wind in her hair

Watching the dolphins fishing

Pretty beach at Tryphena

Douglas the duck, hoping for some tipbits

Great Barrier couldn’t give us wall to wall sunshine but was hugely improved from our last visit and we enjoyed a nice walk to a waterfall. The path lead through native forest, thick with the scent of the surrounding pines and steamy from recent showers. The waterfall, despite the seemingly high local rainfall, was modest, the pools and stream way below their spring level marked on the sides of the gulley, but the scenery through the pines, kanuka and tree ferns was lovely.

Warrens Track Waterfall

Team Raya



Friday 17th March 2017

We were well rewarded for our week of wet and stormy weather by a couple of cracking day sails as we cruised around the Hauraki Gulf. Monday morning, with the storm moving out into the Pacific Ocean and keen to start south towards Auckland while the winds were still northerly, we stuck our nose out from the protection of Great Barrier Island to find the sea less rough than we had expected. With the 15-20 kt wind just forward of the beam, Raya made short work of the exhilarating 45nm to our next stop and we arrived with the sun still high in the sky. The anchorage was calm and still, protected from the wind the warmth of the afternoon felt good after the chilly sail and the last couple of stormy days.

Rick trimming the sails as we race southwards

Oysters cover every rock, nook and cranny of the shore.

We settled down for a couple of nights in Oneroa Bay, a pleasant seaside town with some much needed facilities, we restocked the fridge and rid ourselves of a weeks worth of rubbish. Unfortunately there was no where to dock the dingy, so trips ashore were taken in shifts and ideas of dinner out abandoned. 

Enjoying lunch in Oneroa Bay

Spider web threads caught on the rigging of the boat next door, catching the sunlight.

Tuesday 21st February 2017

Queenstown, the birth place of bungy jumping, promotes itself as the adrenaline fuelled capital of the world. Sitting on yet another fantastic glacial lake, surrounded by high mountains this is a place bursting with high octane activities. Being way too old and sensible for such things we take the soft option of the gondola ride up to a 450m terrace high above the town, below us the area throbbed with exciting pursuits.

The surrounding rivers present opportunities to jet boat through cannons or raft down rapids. The lake offers trips in everything from a sedate vintage steamship, through parasailing to rides in mini submarines. Joining us on the Skytrain up the mountain were many looking for a more exciting decent, lines of cyclists helmeted with bikes strapped to there gondola pods take a steep mountain track back down to town, others leap shrieking from a precariously perched platform tethered to bungy ropes and swooping below us, using the thermals swirling around the cliffs, paragliders fly down to ground level. On the opposite bank of lake Wakatipu are the Remarkables a range of mountains full of walking tracks, that in winter turn into a huge ski field.

Queenstown from the Skyline terrace, with a paraglider below us and the green bungy platform to the right

We are beginning to learn that these quiet small places don’t do sophistication, after a stroll around the wharf we rejected the slightly dubious cafe and in the only store bought snacks and ginger beer and drove out to find a quiet spot on the lake side. The place we found was a little bit of heaven.

Perfect lunch spot on the shore of Lake Wakatipu

Brimming with visitors we were surprised to discover we rather liked Queenstown. The coaches of tourists were well diluted with youngsters on gap years, sport enthusiasts and a generous smattering of more elderly couples. Sipping a drink, people watching in the sunshine, snippets seemingly of every language filled the air, everybody happy and tolerant of their fellow promenaders. The lake glittered in the evening sunlight, people relaxed on the grassy banks and music drifted from the bars.

Tuesday we headed off on the long drive across the Haas Pass to the West coast, but Queenstown had one final surprise for us. About ten minutes out of town we turned on to the Crown Ridge road, this, we learn, is the highest main road in New Zealand, reaching an altitude of 1121m. As we approached we could see the hairpins zigzagging up the hill in front of us, surely this wasn’t our road but yes it was. We climbed and climbed until right at the top there was a pull off the road for an amazing photo before the 2hr decent to sea level.

View from the Crown Ridge road

Saturday 18th February 2017

Majestic, superb, awe inspiring, just some of the discriptions of the road leading down to Milford Sound from Te Anau, “a destination in itself” screams another guide. Expectations sky high we set off Saturday morning in clear hot sunshine. We had been warned if we wanted to avoid the plethora of tour busses we should leave after eleven so we treated ourselves to a late breakfast, in my case, of a huge raspberry and cream cheese muffin, the New Zealander’s seem to like cheese in everything.
The route started along the picturesque shore of Te Anau lake at 65km long and 340m deep it is he largest of the Southern lakes and created, as all the lakes and deep U shaped valleys here, by the huge forces of ice age glaciers. Gradually climbing, the road turned away from the lake and we entered dense woodland. The trees high on each side of the road would suddenly clear to give spectacular views of snow capped mountains, wide valleys of tussock grass or fast running babbling brooks.
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Perfect reflections at Mirror Lakes on the road to Milford Sound

As we climbed higher the trees thinned out and the sheer, bare mountain sides became streaked with waterfalls. To make Milford Sound accessible by road, in the 1960’s, Homer tunnel was carved through the bedrock, a single lane of tarmac takes you through the dark, dripping centre of the mountain. You emerge into an immense gully, walls of stone guide you the steep, final ten miles down to the coast.

The road down towards Milford Sound.

Iconic Mitre Peak

Apparently it rains here two out of three days so to be cruising in bright sunshine was a rarity, the furs seals basked enjoying the warmth on ledges above the water, looking tiny against the enormity of their backdrop. The humans just gawped in wonder at the scenery around them.

The narrow Pass into Milford Sound

Saturday 11th February 2017

The roads in New Zealand, so far, have been fabulous, not only are they in good condition, they are almost always empty and there are a continuous succession of wow moments around every corner.

We started our exploration of the South Island taking the Queen Charlotte drive, a scenic route along the coastline of the Marlborough Sounds affording magnificent views of this stunning area.

View from the Cullen Point lookout

We stopped at one of the many lay-bys and took a short walk along a track through rough bush, it led to a lookout over an inner arm of the Mahau sound. The water was calm and tranquil and a deep green turquoise, reflecting the surrounding hills. The trees were so full of cicadas that their singing was almost deafening, this summer chorus is common throughout New Zealand but unlike where we have come across them before, with the singing starting as the sun goes down, here they sing day and night.

From the hills of Marlborough we dropped down into the lowlands around the city of Nelson, replacing the heavily wooded slopes with farmland. Acres of vines, hops and espalier trained fruit trees lined the road of this obviously fertile area. We ate a very pleasant late lunch in the shadow of the quirky wooden Nelson Cathedral and then made our way to our accommodation for the next two nights on a small island just off Motueka.

Transport to The Beach Retreat

It was a very peaceful spot, with glorious evening sun warming our supper table and bird song accompanying our breakfasts. Less welcome visitors were a cheeky rat that blatantly scurried across the terrace to clear the crumbs from under our table and the sanflies that seem to be everywhere in New Zealand and keep us coated with deet day and night.

Again in pursuit of the less crowded spots, Friday morning we set off for Wharariki beach on the far northern tip of the South Island. The route took us over Takaka hill winding steeply to a height of 860m, an incredible road of sharp hair pin bends, precipices and expansive views.

The Tasman valley from the top of Takaka Hill

After two hours of driving we turned up a dusty gravel track, six kilometres and one very dirty car later we arrived at the car park and prepared for the half hour trek to the beach and what a world class beach we found. Miles of white sand washed by the Tasman sea, caves, arches, rock pools, even a few fur seals lounging on the rocks. The only thing missing was the sunshine but this wasn’t a beach for sunbathing it was a place to explore and we spent a great couple of hours paddling, clambering and delving into caves.

Wonderful Wharariki Beach

Sadly just a few miles away on the other side of Farewell Spit four hundred pilot whales had stranded themselves on the sand. Being so close we did wonder if we should drive over to try and help but decided the last thing the experts needed was more inexperienced onlookers so we stayed clear.

Today we head South and into the mountains, we are expecting more dramatic drives to come.

Friday 4th November 2016

Unfortunately, we still don’t have a working engine, after eighteen months without so much as a hiccup, the dirty fuel has created a problem that no one can identify. Currently, after a week of work, the thinking is that it has to be the injector pump but when running it in isolation this afternoon everything seems fine. Our planned departure for Auckland on Monday is now delayed, we have a weekend of engine testing to do and the costs are mounting up. On the upside Opua is rather nice, the locals have all been friendly and extremely helpful,  more of our friends sail in each day and we finally seem to be acclimatising to the cooler weather.

Isolating each pump and filter to try and identify the problem.

Our destination was Kerikeri, a town 30km from Opua, where “the shops are a bit bigger”. Well, as it turned out, not much bigger but we did find a nice butchers, a small chocolate factory that sold delicious handmade truffles and had a great lunch at the Ake Ake vineyard, where we stocked up on wine. 

On the way to Kerikeri we stopped at the Haruru Falls, a small waterfall just outside Paihia and our first New Zealand attraction, a pretty spot but with a cool wind whipping up the valley it was too cold to stay for more than a few clicks of the camera. 

Haruru Falls

Back onboard Raya we have been busy using our time to get as much done as possible while we are stuck in Opua. The sails are back on looking clean and very smart, Rick has replaced the shore power sockets on the stern, we have a new altenator and while working on the engine it has been completely serviced and new engine mounts put in place. With the boat full of oily men, diesel fumes and noise, I have spent my time mostly cleaning or trying to find a small calm space to catch up on admin and when possible doing some trip plannig, guide books, maps and cruising guides abound. 

Rick has been tempering his frustration at the undiagnosed engine problem with the amount he has been learning head deep in the engine room, up to his elbows in diesel. If only with his new found knowledge he could work out why the damm thing keeps stopping!

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. 

Above Waiwera River

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.

Downtown Auckland, city on the sea

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. 

Feeling a bit hemmed in

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.

Marina at the Viaduct

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.

Anchored in Oke Bay

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.

Trees are easier to capture, a magnificent gnarly specimen at the back of the beach

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.

Large flock of gulls feeding off Cape Brett

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.

In the hills near the small town of Oue

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.

View of Hokianga Harbour from Opononi

Dramatic Ari-Te-Uru reserve, Omapere.

Tane Mahuta

Ferns of all different sizes amongst he Kauri trees