It is autumn in New Zealand, and we’ve been anchored at Opua in the Bay of Islands for about ten days waiting for a weather window to escape back up to the tropics - along with several dozen other yachts. The window is beginning to open and we expect to leave tomorrow. We have misty mornings and chilly evenings, but the shorter days are still warm. We have thoroughly enjoyed our six months stay here, and it will be sad to leave. Life here is much like in Britain but so much less crowded, and people have a more relaxed lifestyle compared with back home. Shop-keepers, tradesman and medical staff have time to chat to you. Their mannerisms are uncannily British, and this includes the Maoris who seem to be at ease with the later immigrants and just as welcoming to visitors. In the shops we found fresh lamb: wonderful apples, pears and plums; tasty, crumbly cheese; and English style beers and ciders. We were surprised at first to find that most of the kiwi fruits were imported from Italy, but then realised they were out of season. Now the shops are selling delicious, locally grown ones. The mild climate means that citrus and tropical fruits grow here as well. We sometimes encountered delightful throw-backs to the British ways of our childhood: for example bacon and egg pie is regularly on the menu in cafes. As a final bonus, the weekly expatriot version of the Telegraph newspaper, including all the Matt cartoons, is always available.

We kept Egret during the early and latter part of our stay at Whangarei, the largest town north of Auckland. Situated 15 miles up the Hatea River, there is an attractive town quay several boatyards and almost every type of marine business one might need. We were pleased with our choice of the Riverside Drive Marina as we could divide our time between being afloat or on the hard, and because it was such a friendly, family-run business. We worked our way through a five page list of jobs ranging from making a deck-bag for the staysail to renewing the vhf aerial at the top of the mast, as well as all the regular maintenance items. The most difficult task was replacing our corroded genoa tracks as it meant dismantling some internal joinery and head-linings to gain access to the bolts. We did most things ourselves, but we used local firms to do some work on the engine, check the rigging, re-galvanise the anchor and chain and polish the topsides. Prices on the whole were reasonable, but we were surprised at the cost of new sails, so we ended up ordering a new genoa from the UK. Life was very sociable, what with the comings and goings of fellow cruisers, and every Sunday evening a group barbecue. Culturally, there wasn’t a lot to entice us, but we did enjoy a competition of Maori music and dance at a local stadium – at which non-Maoris in the audience were notable by their absence.

We made time to cruise some of the New Zealand coastline, but early on we had decided that venturing down to the South Island in Egret wouldn’t be worthwhile. Of the few boats we heard about who had attempted it, several had failed and all had spent long periods stuck in harbour by bad weather. The Bay of Islands in the far north gets very busy in the peak summer months, not surprisingly as it is very beautiful, but there aren’t that many places to go ashore. Russell is the most attractive small town and also happens to have been the first capital of New Zealand. A significant historic site in the Bay is the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi, where the Maoris signed a still-disputed agreement over land rights with the British in 1840. We saw our first Maori cultural performance, including the haka, there. There are many good anchorages as you head south to the Hauraki Gulf, which is a fabulous cruising area right on the doorstep of Auckland. The islands in the Gulf are popular locations for “baches” – the name given to holiday cottages in New Zealand. Kawau has a subsidiary club-house for the RNZYS, an elegant Mansion House and a disused copper mine. Sophisticated Waiheke has a small town on a par with Salcombe, several vineyards and a WWII defence system of tunnels and gun emplacements. Rangitoto Island is a perfect volcanic cone that appeared out of the sea only about 650 years ago – coincidently round about the same time that the Maoris first arrived in New Zealand. One can walk across its sparse landscape to the top and look down into the crater and across to the City of Auckland just a few miles across the water. One wonders about the consequences of a similar volcano emerging today. We had hoped to visit Great Barrier Island, but the weather was often unsettled and we couldn’t risk missing deadlines to return. The furthest south we reached was the Coromandel Peninsular, where we sheltered for two days from gale force winds in Tekouma Harbour before visiting the “wild west” gold-mining town of Coromandel. We stayed some time in Auckland, firstly at Westhaven Marina and latterly at Bayswater on the North Shore. On a couple of evenings each week, hoards of people would rush down from work, pile into yachts and head out for a race in the estuary – whatever the weather.

We met up with lots of old friends from home as well as fellow cruisers, and made new acquaintances at two Ocean Cruising Club parties. Stuart and Judy, friends from the Chichester Cruiser Racing Club, joined us at the New Year, and we sailed back up to the Bay of Islands so that we could also meet up with fellow C.C.R.C. members Peter, Di and Colin Wallace, who were staying at KeriKeri for a wedding. We really appreciated this memorable reunion. Jane, an old friend of Amanda’s, and her husband Paul live in Devonport – a pleasant suburb on the north shore of Aukland (and also, of course, the Naval Base). They ferried us to and from buses and trains, welcomed us into their lovely home overlooking the Harbour and insisted we stay at their charming bach at bohemian surfing town Raglan for a couple of nights. Then John and Dorothy arrived for one of their regular visits to see family, and we enjoyed visiting them at their apartment in Takapuna. We even had an invitation to a day out on the east coast to see the gannet colony and black sand beach at Otakamiro with Stuart’s father Phil and Yvonne (we had cruised in company with Stuart and Steph in the Caribbean and America). We were particularly pleased that Amanda’s mother Mary was able to make the long journey out to see us after visiting relatives in Australia. With her, we went up to KeriKeri to stay with Louise, who is Amanda’s sister’s partner’s sister (work that one out) and her husband Wayne. They couldn’t have been more helpful and generous with their hospitality. By happy coincidence, Craig and Avril and their four children, whom we’d last seen two years ago when they were living in the British Virgin Islands, had just moved to New Zealand, so we were able to join them for lunch at their new home – complete with alpacas. Finally, Tony, Debbie and Rory dropped in for lunch on “Egret” at Whangarei, having just emigrated here.

We have only skimmed the surface of what we have seen and done in the North Island. We haven’t mentioned our visit to the hot geysers at Rotorua; the surprisingly good museum at Matakohe dedicated to the kauri tree, and seeing “Tane Mahuta” - one of the largest remaining kauris with a girth of 13.8m; our picnic on Ninety Mile Beach; peering at captive kiwis in the dark and enjoying the other indigenous birds including the Tuis, Fantails, Wekas and Pukekos in the wild. We are beginning to understand why so many cruising people decide to end their travels in New Zealand.