We traveled to Great Barrier Island and anchored in Port Fitzroy harbor. On the way (about 50 miles) we ran though a huge pod of whales. One was right between our bows and we had to put the motor in neutral so as not to overtake him. They were fairly small thankfully, about twice the size of a bottle nosed porpoise. Great Barrier is a very quiet place. One of the highlights was the hike (tramp in Kiwi) to the top of Mt Hobson (Hirakimata). 621 meters high with 1000 steps, 814 continuous steps at the end to reach the summit. The Kiwis have incredible hiking trails; the effort put into building some of the trails is impressive. Alec and I went over the side to clean the waterline before leaving as this might be the last clear water we see for a while.