To and from Great Barrier Island
22 February 2007 | Opua
Jo
Here we are back in Opua, lockers open and tools, varnish, brushes, wires, manuals and the signs of work in progress surround us! It is the worst aspect of living on board, as ones bedroom turns into a workshop at the drop of a hat!
No complaints, because there are lots of jobs that need to be done, and as Brother Wind has been in full time use, they build up, and are dare I say more important to us than weekend sailors on the Solent. So currently with lots of trepidation, Giles has dismantled the radar wiring. Chafe, the enemy of cruising yachts, had exposed the wires at the top, our fault for having a complicated gimballed radar! It needs some welding as well as rewiring. Then there's the VHF, which receives beautifully, but transmits poorly, my computer cupboard that looks to the casual observer like a tangle of wires, which only I comprehend, and of course the inevitable varnishing!
The most exciting project is that we are soon to have a beautiful stainless steel arch added, along with a wind generator, it will tidy up our solar panels and our aerials too, and we will hopefully be able to see our transom again, but sadly this has meant that our beautiful davits that Larry Wood made for us in his workshop in Pennsylvania, and fitted for us in Annapolis, have been taken off.
We squeezed them and ourselves into our trusty car - Kiwi (a very ancient Nissan Bluebird), and took them an hour south to Whangarei where last Saturday there was a yachties jumble sale. We all just laid things out on the grass, and they either sold or didn't. The davits to our great delight did, and off they went with a New Zealand couple for their (oh dear) motor boat! They were so nice and so pleased and we felt it a good home for such stylish kit.
Now for a leap backwards, James and Carolyn Spencer Ashworth came out to join us in late January, and apart from the first and last days of their two weeks with us, we had glorious weather. We had a wonderful gentle cruise south as far as Great Barrier Island, leaving them on the Coromandel peninsular, where they caught a bus onwards to cousins in Tauranga.
Our cruise took us firstly into the Bay of Islands, which in January is pretty crowded, but it has many stunning anchorages, lots of which combine well with a good walk. The Ashworths were an example to us in keeping fit and exercised, so early morning swims, strenuous walks, (New Zealand is very hilly), and more swimming, became the pattern, not to mention some fun sailing along the lovely coastline, as well as much enjoyment of New Zealand's delicious wines!
It's hard to say along such a beautiful coast where one's favourite anchorages are, but Whangamumu, on the south side of the Brett peninsular certainly rated as one of them. We spent two nights there in the beautiful almost circular bay, and had a lovely barbeque and bonfire on the beach one evening.
Next day we caught a Barracuda just before going into Tutukaka Marina. This is a big game fishing area, and when we announced that we were about to eat Barracuda they were all appalled, but agreed that if it wasn't wormy it wouldn't do us any harm. Giles and I have always caught Barracuda inshore in coral areas, where because of the risk of ciguatera (a toxin build up from reef fish), we have always had to throw them back, so nothing was going to put us off this catch! Poor James and Carolyn nobly agreed, and we had a delicious feast of this evil looking beast!
On down the coast, we were treated to a wonderful meal in Leigh at the Sawmill, then next day a sail to Kawau Island, where we fortuitously anchored in Lady's Bay, a stroll away from the 'Mansion House', one time home of NZ's twice governor Grey, and Premier of NZ. Clearly an honourable man who respected and built bridges with the Maori, but didn't speak to his own wife for 36 years! He had been governor of Australia too, and imported wallaby to Kawau, who along with possum, have devastated everything except for some very fine and unusual trees that he imported. His house is open to the public, it was charming and very liveable in, but modest in size.
From Kawau it is a mere 10 miles to the island of Tiritiri Matanga which we had set our hearts on visiting. It quickly became apparent that the only bay listed as an anchorage, was not tenable in a 25 knot onshore breeze on a rocky coastline. Undeterred, we sailed around to the lee of the island, as the chart showed a possible bay, which turned out to be just the job, fortunately there was a path up the rocky cliffs, while landing the dinghy took much careful negotiation of rocks and waves.
We were well rewarded for our determination, as this is a nature reserve, where several very rare and endangered bird species have been successfully established. We almost immediately saw a saddleback (no not a pig), and then the black robin, and during our five hour walk ashore we spotted the kokako, kakariki, stitchbird, bell bird and whitehead.(see photos). We saw penguins sitting on eggs in the nesting boxes provided, and later when back on board a penguin swam past us. It had been well worth finding our anchorage.
We managed to catch another fish on our way to Gulf Harbour, a detour for much needed internet access. This time it was identified for us as a Kauwai, and my prayer was answered , not too big, just perfect for four!
A long day spent frustratingly for the most part motoring saw us at Whangaparapara on Great Barrier Island. This is a beautiful fjord like bay, perfectly situated for a walk up to a sulphur spring, through a long fascinating tram track, once used by loggers who forested the kauri tree. This once huge tree has been hugely depleted, and on our five hour walk, largely through forest, we only managed to find some very frail examples. Great Barrier Island is very beautiful, and at 88kms from the mainland, it is very underpopulated, there is no electricity, and the roads are unsealed. Tourists are probably walkers and divers.
We needed to get the Ashworths to the mainland, and plans of heading on to Tauranga with them evaporated as a strong wind picked up from the south east, and would have made the next leg a very slow business. The Mercury Islands will have to wait for another time. Our own thoughts of getting work done in Tauranga were swayed by knowing that our arch could be very well made in Opua. So we decided to sail down the Coromandel peninsular, and drop James and Carolyn. This turned out to be a windy sail, with some torrential rain storms to go with it, and on arrival in Coromandel, we realised how far the dinghy ride would be against, by now 30+ knots of wind. Not for the first time we blessed the mobile phone, and arranged a taxi for the early morning pick up, confusingly later than the bus left, and we thankfully retreated to a far better anchorage.
So sadly we waved goodbye to the Ashworths early the next morning, and we meanwhile pleased with our early start set sail for Auckland, with 35 knots behind us!
It was a lovely sail right into the heart of Auckland, passing some beautiful islands on the way, and taking special note of Whaiheke, where we will be going to Luke Condon's wedding in April!
Westhaven Marina couldn't fit us in when we arrived there, so we had to go on the other side of the estuary to Bayswater, where we benefited from stunning views of Auckland by night, and connected very easily by ferry to the city centre.
We spent four days in Auckland, sightseeing, doing boring yachtie things, like getting an electronics guy on board to sort out my computer, and then a two day first aid course, which we thought we should do, but turned out to so far surpass anything that is available in the U.K. that we were delighted to have done it. New Zealand hasn't lost the need for self-sufficiency, and the nanny state where you fear to help someone for fear of being sued, is thankfully seemingly not a problem here.
So, running late by now for our appointed slot with Chris our stainless man, we headed back up north with a satisfyingly helpful wind, and a night in Whangarei en route, where we managed to catch up with many fellow yachties last seen in various corners of the Pacific.
We had a good day for wildlife on our last day before the Bay of Islands, a shark cruised silently by as we left the Whangarei entrance buoys; later Giles spotted a whale sounding, it slowly came alongside, sounding regularly, and swimming mostly submerged alongside us, eventually disappearing. Everything always all happens at once and as we rounded Cape Brett into the Bay of Islands, Giles was busy hauling in an Albacore Tuna, and I was about to negotiate the passage between the headland and the off lying island, and needed to gybe. Then suddenly the sea was alive with a huge shoal of white water followed by hundreds of terns. It was an extraordinary sight - birds everywhere, fish literally making the sea boil, and me wanting to race to get my camera, but having to negotiate the boat. The fish was landed, and then sadly too late, I did get some shots. It was a wonderful sight, emphasised by the high cliffs and dramatic landscape, and made me think of how mundane our lives are, while these astonishing natural phenomena carry on mostly unobserved.
So I end as I began, work time for a bit, and then make time for South Island ( by car).