We had a northerly wind, and so set the autopilot to sail on the wind angle. As it was overcast, there was no indication apart from the compass to show our heading, and there are other things like sails, wind strength and crew meals to occupy our time, rather than be glued to the compass. You can imagine our surprise when a sixth sense indicated something was wrong, to find Pipistrelle heading for New Zealand once more! The wind had changed direction from North to South! Happily it was only a minute or two before we realized!

We had rearranged the night watches so that Bob would be on watch as we closed the coast. He handed over to Elaine at 21.00, with the boat sailing comfortably at 3 knots with a light southerly wind. Within 5 minutes the wind had increased so pushing our speed up to 5-6 knots, so bringing forward our arrival time. So we altered course by 180 degrees, started the engine and motored slowly into the wind. Within 20 minutes the wind had increased in strength to 20-25 knots, and we had torrential rain. We finished up in full oilies, lifejackets and clipped on, whilst a further two reefs were put in the mainsail, and then we hove to for a couple of hours whilst the wind increased further, and got some sleep. Déjà vu the passage from Fiji to NZ last year! The joys of sailing!

After a passage of 953 nm, we arrived at Anatom at 08.15 this morning to find Anthony and Kathryn on Cobalt already here, and white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, palm trees, the sound of waves breaking over the reef and the smell of wood cooking fires!

More later in the next blog update.

Then a large solitary seabird, a booby (but not blue footed) circled Pipistrelle a dozen times. It hung around for a while, was thrown a crust of bread which it pecked at with some disdain, and then flew off!

In the afternoon the wind returned, and we were able to sail again, wall to wall sunshine, T shirts and swimming gear, life is good!

The highlight today was seeing a large pod of humpback whales, fairly close doing spyhops and showing their flukes, but not near enough to photograph. It is early in the season for them, but maybe they are staying in the deep water to feed, before heading for the islands to give birth and mate.

Currently it looks as if it could be another 3 days before we arrive at Anatom, unless the wind fills in, in our favour.

It has warmed up though, and we have just seen our first tropic bird, and a swift had hitched ride, signs of the tropics! It looks as if we will be motoring for the next few days, but those left in Opua will be there for at least another 10 days!

This time tomorrow we should be at 30S, a sort of milestone as most NZ weather systems stay to the south of it! More later.

Where’s the generator?

With the generator still on the engineer’s bench, and the prospect of good weather over Easter we slipped our lines in Gulf Harbour to head out onto the water with thousands of other boats of course.   We were finally away at about 1500 and with a destination of Man o’ War Bay on Waiheke Island, some 20 miles away, thought we may have to delay our arrangement with Geoff and Pat from Duetto to come aboard for supper.  But, with a freshly antifouled hull and propeller painted with a special coating (Prop Speed) Pipistrelle was raring to go and we found ourselves bounding along on a beam reach at 7.5 knots in flat seas and a light breeze.  Though dinner was later than planned, we spent a convivial evening with Geoff and Pat.  They had very kindly given us paper charts of the Torres Strait that will provide useful backup as we head through that busy stretch of water in a few months.

Next morning, Good Friday, dawned fine again and calm.  This was heater-motor-reinstallation-day and memorable because we had been sans chauffage, admittedly still a luxury on a yacht, for one NZ spring last year so knew it gets decidedly chilly, damp and uncomfortable on board in the evenings.   The ‘whys and wherefores’ are too involved to document here, but after several failed attempts by a man who said he can but could not, we finally had it successfully repaired by Diesel Maintenance Services, a reliable company in Auckland.   Repair is one thing, installation quite another!   Without the generator, moving around in the engine room was easier for Bob, but even so the heater is mounted and connected in an awkward and inaccessible spot.  The fuel pump however is housed next to the diesel fuel tank – under our bed in the forecabin – and with the Eberspacher Hydronic 10, we needed to get the fuel to flow through several metres of capillary tubing, and deleting the fault code on the control panel at the chart table on numerous occasions, before the heater would fire up.  This it did eventually, and the next challenge was to retrieve Bob’s favourite screwdriver that had fallen under the fuel tank in the process!  Not only did the magnet bring up said screwdriver but a very rusty old spanner too.

On Saturday with still just six of us at anchor, we noticed the beachside ‘Man o’ War’ winery was open, so thought we might go ashore to taste the wares (some of which we had bought on our previous visit).  However, the bay was fast becoming busy with an influx of what seemed to be rally yachts.  When one anchored too close to Pipistrelle, we decided to lunch on board and guard our territory with a view to moving to the next bay!  Bob enquired if our new neighbours were staying overnight.  They weren’t, but as a result of the ensuing conversation we were invited to attend their wine tasting event later that afternoon.  It turned out to be the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Easter Rally.  And having beached the dinghy, we were made most welcome at the event by Mike and Sheryl from ‘Shared Delight’ who had extended the invitation to us.   They later joined us on board Pipistrelle to share sailing yarns!

Greens Bay

With Bruce

Bruce and Val who we had met tasting the Man o’ War nectar came past on ‘Paramour’ the next morning to drop off their contact details.  They suggested we follow them to Greens Bay, an anchorage we did not know on the south of Ponui, some four miles away.  There the RNZYS fleet had gathered again for the children’s Easter Egg hunt and fun races.  To our surprise we were invited to go ashore to share Bucks Fizz and ‘brunch’ with all the other rally participants.  Overwhelmed by their hospitality, we left late afternoon and had a good sail to Awaawaroa Bay on south Waiheke, a sheltered overnight anchorage chosen by Bruce.   Again on board Pipistrelle that evening we heard more fascinating tales of the sea.    Late the following morning we sailed to Waiti Bay (NE Waiheke) for the night and then on to West Bay, Rakino Island before returning to Gulf Harbour for reinstallation of the generator.

Well, it’s that time of year again!  End of the summer in the Southern Hemisphere heralds ‘spring cleaning’ on Pipistrelle.  There’s much ‘out with the old; in with the new’ this time.

For a variety of reasons, not least of which is replacing the generator engine (more of that later) we decided to do some of the work in Whangarei, with the majority ‘saved’ for Gulf Harbour Marina.

First on the list were the sprayhood and bimini which were new in 2006 and had therefore lasted extremely well in the tropics, where the UV does incredible damage.  Having stitched and restitched over the last couple of years, applied wax to seams for leak prevention and Vaseline to zips to stop them seizing up, they were nearing the end of their life and the fabric was wearing thin.  So we decided both should be replaced, accepted the quote from Palmer Canvas in Whangarei to use a material called Stamoid, as yet unknown to us.  This is a very tough but lightweight, marine vinyl fabric with excellent UV and weather stability.  We are delighted with the result.  Seizing the opportunity for enhancements, we opted for a ‘smiley face’ central zip opening in the clear sprayhood screen – a huge benefit at anchor in the tropics when we need shade in the cockpit but have a through breeze at the same time.  Again in an attempt to reduce sun in the cockpit we have also had detachable side-screens made in a mesh fabric.  These are dual purpose, letting air through and repelling 90% water.

Smart new cockpit covers

Sprayhood with ‘smiley face’ opening

Second was the saloon upholstery.  We removed all the cushions to have them steam cleaned with good results and a fresh, clean perfume.

Cushions are known as ‘squabs’ in NZ.  A sprayhood is a ‘dodger’, and a dodger is a ‘leecloth’.  But a leecloth below is definitely a leecloth.  All very confusing when we supposedly speak the same language!

Third, our mattress, and what a saga that turned out to be!   Abacus in Whangarei were geared up to do the job once we had tested foam samples of varying firmness and agreeing what would suit us best.  But the selection process is not like going to John Lewis (in the UK) and lying on a full length mattress to try before you buy.  To cut a long story short, we chose the density we thought would be most comfortable (firm), Abacus suggested using a 10cm softer foam as a topper but retaining the original thickness.  Good idea.  So we removed the old mattress, complete with cover and the job was done.  We retrieved the new one, made up the bed and snuggled down for a good night’s sleep – which unfortunately eluded us because it was like lying on a board!  Back to Abacus whose solution was to cut off some foam each side so that it did not fit so tightly inside the cover which they did.  That did the trick! But we are still getting used to the new firmness.

Fourth, and still in Whangarei, we took off the stackpack (mainsail cover) and had yet another piece of fabric inserted for easier unzipping and zipping.  The mastboot has also been lengthened by about 30cm.  With these two fairly minor alterations the mainsail no longer has to be squashed into the stackpack and the luff is completely protected from UV.

And so to Gulf Harbour where we were having the generator removed for the Kubota motor to be replaced, as the engine had clocked up 4,750 hours, equivalent to roughly 270,000 miles in a car!  Whilst it might have lasted for the next 9 months, if it failed, there is no engineering support north of Fiji.  We decided that while we were in the marina waiting for reinstallation, we may as well use their haulout facility to do the annual painting and decorating jobs.

Steve and Graham from Category One Engineering did a splendid job of getting the generator out of the engine room and off the boat with not a scratch to any wood or paintwork having planned the process carefully and applied protective coverings on all surfaces in their path.  By means of a mechanical hoist, various pulleys and halyards and swinging the boom over the pontoon the engine was thus removed.

That was Monday’s job done.

Generator hoist

In the cockpit – halfway!

Lowering gently!

Our appointment with the lift was on Wednesday at 10.00 sharp – with instructions not to arrive a minute before!  We were escorted from berth to lift, Bob taking Pipistrelle astern along the long entry dock and expertly negotiated the slings.  We disembarked, Pipistrelle was lifted, her hull pressure hosed and moved onto our stand, all within 30 minutes.  In our experience with lifts in various parts of the globe, half an hour has to be a record!  A highly professional and efficient operation.  At 48 ft, Pipistrelle is no midget, but at 115 ft, Silver Tip (also registered in Guernsey but built here) our neighbour in the larger lift managed to dwarf us!

In slings

Spraying off!

Little and Large

So there we were, high and dry with 14 steps of the ladder down to ground level and of course back up again.  Good for the leg muscles if nothing else!  There are benefits to having no facilities on board to speak of – meals ashore for one thing!  And the principle disadvantages can be safely left to the imagination…

Bob in action!

Whereas we had the hull wet sanded and the topsides polished and waxed by professionals ‘A Touch of Gloss’, who turned out to be the very same company the previous owners used while they were here in 2002, Bob took on the unenviable task of antifouling.  Elaine polished the family silver, or rather cleaned and polished stainless steel on deck once more in an attempt to prevent or at least minimise corrosion.

With the generator out, Bob thought it a good opportunity to decorate the engine room.  We consulted colour charts and finally decided on magnolia.  After two coats it’s now clean, bright and cheery – good enough to use as a temporary dining room, despite the chandelier not having been delivered yet, and indecision about curtaining!  Oh and we also have a newly painted interior part of the propeller shaft – in ‘gold leaf’ thanks to good old Hammerite!

New saucepans have also been bought in a sale to replace the very old set we had, and we finally managed to source a replacement 1 ltr kettle to use either when we have shore power or when the generator is running.   Picky we may be, but anything over a litre is too bulky to store.

So apart from painting the mast (not all of it) just spots, we’re nearly at the end of this round of refit.  Whew!

Interspersed as always by social events, our working gear was exchanged for party wear (girls anyway) and a birthday ‘do’ on Cobalt for Kathryn’s celebrations.  The stay in Gulf Harbour was highlighted by the arrival of Ellen and Wolfgang (Abora) back from Germany for which Heribert and Hildegard (Wasabi) drove down from Opua.  It was the first time since August in Fiji the group of us had all been together!  When we will meet again, we don’t know as Abora will stay here until November while Ellen and Wolfgang go off to do other things, and Wasabi is now sold.  H & H return to Europe mid month.

Kathryn (2nd from right) and friends!

Wolfgang, Ellen, Heribert, Hildegard, B & E

Our first stop was Cambridge, a very attractive town in the midst of prosperous farming land and ‘horsey’ country.  There is a beautiful river to the south of the town, with a splendid suspension bridge above it.  The town hall provides an indication of the wealth in the region: we were impressed by our short stay here.

Waikato River, Cambridge

Town Hall

We travelled on south and were soon in breathtakingly beautiful scenery, and for several miles we were able to see Mt. Ruapehu at 2797 metres.

Mount Ruapehu

Our route took us down the west of North Island through Wanganui and then to Palmerston North where we stayed for one night and had an evening stroll through the Dugald Mackensie Rose Gardens with their magnificent blooms. They are used as international rose trial grounds with over 100 different types laid out in a formal design.  However, it was in Wellington that we found numerous award winning (British) David Austin varieties!

In bloom

Upper Hutt was our next destination, which we used as a transit point to visit Wellington, some 25kms away by train each day.

Wellington Harbour from Mt Victoria

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, is built around a large natural harbour, with volcanic hills immediately behind it.  Local businessmen realised that if a cable car were constructed, housing could then be developed along the sides and tops of the hills.  The cable car runs through a number of tunnels before emerging in what are now the Botanical Gardens.  The carriage is very different from and safer than the original car and trailer, which was phased out in the 1970s.

Cable Car

Promenade sculpture

The city is modern and attractive, with a number of museums along the waterfront, some of which are excellent, and hours could be spent enjoying the exhibits, notably at the Te Papa.  Dotted along the promenade are also sculptures and modern art.  We also found the old St Paul’s Cathedral with its kauri interior a very attractive example of early NZ  architecture, though now it is solely a national monument, and unfortunately no longer used for services.  Its modern successor is not nearly as appealing.

Old St Paul’s interior

Stained glass window

The railway station is also a building worthy of note, as is the modern ‘Beehive’ which is part of the Parliament buildings.

Main railway station

The Beehive

We met up with Barry and Christine, the sister and brother-in-law of Mo Cuthbert, who live on the other side of the harbour and were most generous in showing us around, and taking us to the top of Mount Victoria and to the Weta Cave, studios and workshops where the Hobbit characters were created.  Among others, we came face to face with Gollum – how precious!

Gollum

We also stayed the night with Laura and David who Bob met in Musket Cove last year when he was Pipistrelle-sitting in Fiji.  They have a house with commanding views across the Cook Strait in one direction, the airport far below, and the harbour to the north; a memorable evening.

We then headed north along the eastern side of North Island towards Masterton, another famous wine growing area.  Quite by chance we came across Poppies Winery, near Martinborough whose wine we had enjoyed on Elaine’s birthday in Auckland.  It is only sold direct to restaurants, so we were delighted to be able to buy a bottle to put down.  Seen in almost all the vineyards is netting to keep birds away.  We travelled on to Havelock North and not only visited the Arataki honey factory which was fascinating watching the behaviour of the different types of bees, but also more vineyards.  The Craggy Range was most impressive, and lunch beside its lake memorable.  A wine tour by bike was also on offer in Havelock North, something that was undertaken by our predecessors Stephen and Katherine.  We decided to utilise four wheels….!  From the ridge above Craggy Range, we could see with dramatic effect the parched landscape caused by the drought, which lasted almost 3 months.

Poppies and ….

…Poppy herself

Craggy Range

Parched, desert like landscape

Bikes – but not for hire!

From Napier we went north west to Lake Taupo and Turangi, where we stayed in a beautiful fishing lodge (Creel Lodge), and spent 3 days there hiking in the Tongariro National Park.  Here we breathed in fresh, clean mountain air and marvelled at spectacular scenery.  After long days in boots we relaxed with a BBQ each night outside our ‘cabin’ at the lodge.  The smoking Mt. Tongariro volcano was most impressive, a flavour of more to come later this year in Vanuatu.

Tongariro River, Turangi

Lake Rotopounamu

Smoking Tongariro

Taranaki Falls track

Gentian nestling in crevice

We then drove north east for Tauranga, and found ourselves having a lunch stop at the Okere Falls on the Kaituna River near Lake Rotorua, where we also watched white water rafting.  The scene and shrieks all seemed rather familiar… we had enjoyed the thrill of descending the very same waterfalls in early 2004.  Here’s some of the action from 9 years ago!

Going …

Going …

…Gone!

Coming up for air!

Westhaven with CBD as background

Our destination after Islington Bay was Westhaven Marina, Auckland, in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge and with views of the city which is within walking distance.  This is the largest marina in New Zealand with a capacity of 1800 craft and home to various prestigious yacht clubs including the RNZYS (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron).  We were met by a marina launch, guided to our berth where we were helped with our lines and were then taken by golf buggy to the marina office to check in – what a service!  Here we were having warranty repairs carried out to our new sails, and took advantage of the opportunity to have the diesel fuel tank emptied, the fuel filtered, and then the tank cleaned out by a very professional Auckland based company.  A worthwhile exercise, as it means the tank, fuel and filters are now clean.

Colonic irrigation?!

Another opportunity presented itself to catch up with sailing friends, this time Jean and Matt on Superted, who were berthed at Pier 21, adjacent to the city centre.  We all went to the flicks one evening – ‘The Life of Pi’ was our first sortie into the 3D world of cinema at the huge Queen Street ‘Event Cinema’ complex, and we have the Woody Allen type specs to prove it! Having both read the book, we enjoyed the film, and 3D was worthwhile!

We also watched – in 3D but without the need of special specs – the Westhaven ‘Wednesday night racing’ with its start line just before the Bridge, a well-supported and colourful event with participants from the various local yacht clubs.

On the run

The America’s Cup takes place this year in San Francisco, and one of the contenders is Luna Rossa, the Italian entry.  Their ‘summer’ base is Auckland, and watching the new AC 72 ft. wing sail catamaran flying along at 20 knots and more is quite a sight!  They are designed to sit in the 40kns range with sudden bursts of speed up to 50kn!!! At the same time, a new fragrance for men is being promoted and called … ‘Luna Rossa’.

The Devil Wears …

…Prada

Having slipped lines at Westhaven, we sailed to Motuihe Island and Waihaorangatahi Bay (such a tongue twister, so also called Wharf Bay!) took the dinghy ashore and walked along well tended tracks to explore the island with its sandy beaches and limestone cliffs.  It is now part of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park having once been a quarantine station in the 19^th century for vessels wanting to enter Auckland, a prisoner of war camp in WW1 and a naval training base.  A conservation programme is gradually restoring parts of the island, eradicating predatory animals (hedgehogs, rats, mice) and planting native shrubs.

Ocean Beach to left; Wharf Bay to right

With fine weather and variable winds forecast, we decided to make the short 4 nm passage back to Islington Bay, this time to go ashore and climb to the summit of Rangitoto Island.  Rangitoto is the youngest of the various cones and craters in the Auckland region and at 260 metres, the summit provides superb 360 degree views of the Hauraki Gulf and across to Auckland.  It was well worth the 1.5 hour hike but we had not expected to be walking the scoria slopes in the arid landscape of black basalt rock that covers 95% of the island.  The last time we experienced similar scenery was in the Galapagos!

Black basalt landscape

Our friends Mo & Nigel from Farnham, were nearing the end of their holiday in NZ, and were joining us for their last 5 days before returning home.  We had managed to secure a booking at Pier 21, and as we sailed in to Auckland, we passed dozens of boats heading out into the Gulf for the 3 day holiday; it was like sailing into the River Hamble on a Bank Holiday Saturday!

By coincidence one of Elaine’s school friends, Jane and her husband Viv, had flown in to Auckland that day for a holiday, and we were able to catch up with them for a meal at Tony’s Steak House before they rushed off the next day on their tour of NZ.

Enjoying the sunshine!

It was great to welcome Mo and Nigel on board the next day, and whilst it was busy out on the water, they also brought the weather gods with them and for 5 days we had sunshine and fair winds.  On Sunday afternoon we slipped our lines and headed for our favourite haunt Islington Bay as it is just an hour or so from the marina area.  Next day, Monday, saw us enjoying a lively beat to Woodlands Bay on the north coast of Waiheke and walk ashore followed by a daring swim – daring only because of the cool temperature.  A fishing boat that we had seen earlier came to anchor close by, and in exchange for half a dozen beers 4 large snapper were provided.  Next evening’s dinner was assured!

We then continued on our circumnavigation of Waiheke and were able to gill around an abundance of little Blue Penguins (Eudyptula minor), the smallest in the world at about 40cm tall, that we spotted swimming close to Pipistrelle.  We then anchored in Mai Mai Bay on the south east of Rotoroa Island.

Cute – and not at all shy!

Rotoroa Island

The island was run by the Salvation Army for nearly a century until 2005.  Alcoholics and later drug addicts were sentenced there to dry out and it was out of bounds to the general public.  It was subsequently bought by a trust and opened to the public in 2011.  For a small fee we were able to walk around this beautiful and interesting island and visited the Exhibition Centre, church, workshops,  the wharf and Men’s and Ladies’ Bays.

Exhibition Centre, Chapel and Workshops

Men’s Bay … and not one in sight!

On returning to Pipistrelle we all managed another bracing swim and then a BBQ of the snapper we had been given – a tasty supper prepared by the men.

Time was running out for Mo and Nigel so to be within easy sailing distance of Auckland, we had planned to spend the night at Matiatia Bay on the east side of the island.  On the way we had a lunch stop at Te Whau (Putiki Bay) before heading to Matiatia where there is constant ferry traffic to and from Auckland and thus some swell from the wash.  We enjoyed a last dinner together at the Mudbrick Vineyard and Restaurant – mudbrick because of building materials used.  The restaurant has superb views across the water towards Auckland, and fine dining with additional choice ingredients from the kitchen garden or ‘potager’.  It came as a top tip from the owner’s brother who we had met quite by chance on the hill overlooking Squadron Bay, Coromandel and fell into conversation with him and his family.

Bob, Mo and Nigel at the Mudbrick

From the anchorage we were able to see some of the Headland Sculpture in the Gulf exhibits – large and wacky sculptures by NZ artists dotted along the coastal path.  This is a major biennial tourist attraction for six weeks in the summer.

Temple made of short planks?

And so, the circumnavigation complete, we were once again bound for Westhaven marina, where Mo and Nigel departed in a very swish corporate taxi, and we reverted to the mundane jobs of provisioning and laundry, not forgetting the odd bit of maintenance! After two nights we left to return to Waiheke, this time to anchor and tour the island in a rental car.

As background, Waiheke is a 93 sq.km. island just a 35 minute ferry journey away from Auckland.  Its population of about 7,000 swells to around 30,000 during the holiday season with tourists, enjoying the microclimate, sandy beaches, cliffs, hills, dales and pastureland, cafes and bistros, boutique wineries and olive groves.  Over the last thirty years the face of the island has changed from an alternative hippy scene to one where those preferring the bohemian arty life have millionaires with luxurious residences as neighbours.

Vines and olives

We were immediately struck by the road signage that leaves much to be desired and appears to be endemic in NZ.  No problem for the locals, but we were literally going round in circles at one stage and the map provided with the car was no help!  Once we found our way out of the maze we left the heavily populated west of the island and were soon driving on unmetalled roads through rambling hills and farmland in the centre and east.   Our first stop was Stony Batter, where the Kiwis spent a considerable sum constructing underground tunnels to help protect Auckland from a Japanese invasion in the last war.  Unfortunately though, cost delayed construction and work was finally completed in 1944 but it was never manned by the army or used in anger.  We were amused that the Kiwis could not understand why the British design and specifications for the size of tunnel or drainage system should be followed, so took short cuts.  This in turn led to minor flooding, and having to mine greater width later on, when they found they could not manoeuvre guns into position!  NZ is renowned for its DIY attitude!

Round the bend?!

Cheers!

The end of our brief visit was timed to try out the Man o’ War winery with its beachside location at the bay of the same name, where Captain James Cook landed some centuries before.  After tasting the wines on offer, we enjoyed a rather good bottle of Viognier plus a snack lunch.  Our return took us along the south coast, again through stunning scenery, but parched due to lack of recent rainfall.  Most rural areas across NZ rely on rainfall to be collected from roofs for all their water. It has been so dry that the islanders were running out of their own supplies and there was a three week waiting time for delivery by ‘Aqua’ lorries, of which we saw a number.

We had refit work scheduled at Whangarei on the 11^th February, so we made tracks via Rakino Island for Gulf Harbour, where we berthed on A pontoon.  Having looked at Stephen and Katherine’s blog (the previous owners), it was interesting to note that once again Pipistrelle was in exactly the same place 11 years later!  Here there was yet more socialising.  Bob celebrated a milestone birthday which means he has joined the elite club whose members collect a monthly allowance from HM Government.  To mark the occasion we dined at a restaurant aptly called ‘Carpe Diem’.  We met up with Graeme and Lynne from Adamite who we first met in Fiji; Michael of Raconteur and Bruce from Alaria; and Patricia and David from Chameleon who provide a fantastic service running Gulf Harbour Radio, a weather forecasting service that we listened to in Tonga and Fiji.

Birthday Boy!

Overlooking the marina

Our next stop was Kawau, where we had arranged to meet up with Geoff and Pat from Duetto, who we first met in Tahiti, and then saw by chance in Islington Bay.  Whangarei was a 50nm passage in light winds, and we met up again with Matt and Jean on Superted by chance, and shared an anchorage and sundowners together off Limestone Island, before they were hauled at Dockland 5 the next day, and we made our way to the marina at Town Basin.

Duetto in Kawau with Mansion House in background

Minding the gap!

Passing Whangarei Heads on our port side we set a course for Great Barrier Island, some 50 nm to the south east, but passing several other islands en route.  We were making for Tryphena Harbour, to the extreme south west of the island, and only 20nm from the Mercury Islands, where we were hoping to celebrate New Year.

Great Barrier Island is 20 miles long and 10 miles wide, with two mountains, Mount Hobson 626 metres and Mount Matawhero, 424 metres.  At the beginning of the 19^th century it was completely forested with Kauri trees, but these were felled in their thousands to feed the need for ship builders and general building in NZ, as well as being exported.  Very few of the original trees remain, though many have been planted in the last 50 years.

We had a glorious beam reach the whole way, sailing comfortably at 6-7 knots with warm sunshine and light winds, reaching the bay in the late afternoon.  While enjoying sundowners, we spotted a pod of Orca (killer whales) swimming fairly close to where we were anchored.  Unfortunately the light was fading fast, and it was not good enough for a photo.  We had a quiet night, but then the weather decided to disrupt our plans so we decided from a safety angle to abort the passage to the Mercury Islands.  Strong winds were forecast on New Year’s Eve, which were going to be boxing the compass, and without local knowledge created an unnecessary risk.

View over Fitzroy area on a fine day …

Instead on New Year’s Day we headed north to Port Fitzroy, a magnificent area of protected water, with many different anchorages that we could visit to shelter from the expected strong winds.  After an overnight stop in Oneura Bay where we raised our glasses belatedly to welcome 2013, we moved to Kaiarara Bay, which enabled us to hike along several different trails across the island, and climb to the remains of a kauri dam, which was built in the 1920s.  The Department of Conservation (DOC) has done a brilliant job in NZ of creating and maintaining tracks which make access to many places so much easier – an example being this suspension bridge, one of many bridges over the river up the mountainside.

In suspense!

The Kauri Dam is at 410 metres, quite a climb in just over two hours, was one of three built to hold back the waters on the river.  The lakes behind the dams were then filled with kauri tree trunks, and when at their capacity, each dam was triggered in turn, washing thousands of tons of timber down the mountainside to holding ponds at the head of the bay we were anchored in.  Apparently the noise and weight of water and timber shook the whole area, and could be heard many miles away.  Once enough timber had collected, it was towed to Auckland for processing.

The Dam

We were soon joined by our friends Michael and Penny, who we first met in 2003/4, and by chance they were in the Opua Cruising Club on New Years Eve 2011!  We had hired a car from Port Fitzroy to see those parts of the island that we couldn’t sail to, and Michael and Penny joined us for the day.  It is worth mentioning that Port Fitzroy boasts a wharf, a well-stocked but expensive store for provisioning and an information centre.  Our first stop was Windy Canyon, which is the initial part of the trail to the summit of Mt Hobson.  We soon discovered how it was named, with the wind accelerating upwards through the canyon.

Bob, Michael and Penny

The area around the mountain summit is still forested with kauri trees.  They were too high to access, fell and extract and so have survived.  It has been learnt that kauri trees are at risk from organisms brought in from other parts of the island, so hikers are encouraged to cleanse their footwear with disinfectant.

Disinfectant tank, mat and grille

At the top of the canyon we were rewarded with beautiful views of a windswept sandy beach on the east coast of the island, one of many that we would see on our way south.

Stunning landscape

and another beautiful beach

Walking along one of the beaches we came across a Variable Oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolor) with two young, and as a contrast we also visited an art gallery where some of the exhibits were surprisingly good.

Mum and chicks

Prima ballerina – cleverly made of chicken wire

We were taken fishing a day or two later by Michael and Penny on their yacht Raconteur and taught the art of fishing for snapper with squid as bait.  New Zealanders are fishing mad, one in seven Kiwis owns a boat, and we are always amazed to even see sailing yachts bobbing around in 70 metres of water, in the hope of catching some fish!  Within 35 minutes, as promised by Michael, the first snapper was landed, and this was followed by another three at roughly half hour intervals – strange that!

Bob’s catch of the day

The evening was intended to be a joint effort on Pipistrelle of a snapper supper, but the weather had other ideas, and the wind began to howl.  Bob helped Michael re-anchor Raconteur, and then we moved Pipistrelle.  By 2100 we were seeing 45 knot gusts, and so enjoyed supper together, and Michael and Penny stayed on board for the night rather than risk Bob returning on his own by dinghy, a wise decision.  At 0200 in 50 knot gusts a power boat was dragging very close to us, and the Pipistrelle anchor watch was maintained until 0430.

Flipper alongside!

We then enjoyed some time visiting two other anchorages, which afforded more walking and stunning views from Wairahi Bay, and being greeted by dolphins in Nagles Cove, before heading south to the Coromandel peninsula, to meet Anthony and Kathryn on Cobalt.

Looking down on Squadron Bay

We met them in Squadron Bay, just south of Coromandel Harbour and enjoyed a number of meals together.  They joined us for an early morning jaunt on Pipistrelle when we took her into the Coromandel Wharf to refill with water and to reprovision.  For us this is only possible at high water because of our draft.  Thus we had to leave the wharf as soon as the tank was full and anchor in deeper water, going ashore and into town by dinghy for stocking up.

Bob, Anthony and Pipistrelle at the wharf

Pipistrelle then left for Waiheke Island, and immediately came across more German friends.  Yet again another area of low pressure was tracking across N Island, so we had to move on to Auckland for boat maintenance commitments and have not yet set foot on Waiheke. In Islington Bay, Rangitoto Island, we met very briefly with Geoff and Pat on Duetto, who we last saw in Tahiti in 2011 – a very small world!

Norfolk Pine on Great Barrier