As we may have mentioned before, New Zealand is a very windy place. One thing all boaters learn here very early is to pay attention to the weather forecast - and specifically to the wind direction. While this applies to all cruising, it seems to be particularly emphasized here. We were recently out in the Bay of Islands and chose our nightly anchorages based almost exclusively on wind direction and strength. The VHF radio weather forecast one day predicted 30 knot winds with gusts to 40 from the North and Northwest. This is enough wind to really pay attention! So we looked at the chart and a guide book of New Zealand anchorages and chose Pipi Bay on the Southeast side of Motorua Island (see picture above, pin marks our spot, North is up). Although quite small, we shared the bay with about 5 other boats. We anchored closed to shore to get out of the predicted wind. (Maybe a little too close as a low tide we only had 18 inches below our keel!)
The next day the wind came up as predicted and according to the weather service it reached a peak of 42 knots. In our little bay with steep sides we had barely a ripple on the surface and only the occasional zephyr blowing across the bay. The next day after the wind had passed, we went for a great hike only to find it still blowing like mad on the Northwest side of the island. What a difference a bay makes!