Randall was so keen to see whether all of his installation work had been successful, that we tested the new electronic autopilot in Auckland Harbour right before meeting Scott for our sea trail. In fact, our test went so well that there was no need to go out again once Scott arrived, much to the disappointment of his colleague, John, who had come along to experience a sea trial. There were a few issues for Scott to sort out while we sat at the dock, so his trip was not wasted and he suggested that to be able to sail in a constant angle to the wind direction (an electronic version of Susie-New) it looked as though we would need a new anemometer at the top of the mast. This is not a high priority so we will be happy with all of Otto's other functions. John was not entirely disappointed by the end of our hour-long session, because I had made some popcorn to offer as a snack and he happily took a bag of it away with him.

We were finally free to leave Auckland, so in a lively southwest breeze we motor-sailed quite hastily north, only running the motor to help replenish our rather depleted batteries. After passing west of Rangitoto Island, we aimed for the passage between Tiritiri Matangi Island and the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Although the former is ultimately our intended destination, the small anchorage there near the ferry dock is exposed to the southwest so would not be safe nor comfortable in existing and forecast conditions. Instead, we rounded the northeast headland of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and continued west until we were almost back to the corner between the peninsula and the mainland. We eventually anchored on the west side of Waiau Bay, which is very well protected from the south and west.



Houses along the cliffs on the west side of Waiau Bay

Waiau Bay has a long sandy beach with boldly striated sandstone cliffs at either end. It is one of those anchorages that is not wildly exciting but the anchor held well in the sand bottom, and we could row to shore and leave the dinghy safely on the beach while we explored the neighborhoods. There are expensive-looking houses lining the beach and clifftops, and many retired people walk along the shoreline throughout the day. A few, more hardy souls, go swimming. In a fit of enthusiasm, when the wind had died down and the sun was out, I actually donned my swimsuit and dived off Tregoning a couple of times, just so that I could finally say that I had swum in the sea in New Zealand. It was fairly bracing but actually warmer than I had expected. Instead, it was the slight murkiness to the water that sent me scurrying back aboard Tregoning rather than swimming laps where I could not see my feet when treading water. The water had been clearer earlier in the day so it was unfortunate timing.



The Manly Sailing Club amphibious inflatable boat on shore and at sea

Mid way along the beach is the Manly Sailing Club and on Wednesday evening this was busy with youngsters sailing small dinghies. Talking to a member on the shore we discovered that Russell Coutts, I'm sorry that's Sir Russell Coutts, one of New Zealand's premier sailors (gold medal winner in the 1984 Olympics, winning skipper of the America's Cup teams of 1995 - Team NZ, 2000 - Team NZ, and 2003 - Switzerland and CEO of the winning US Oracle Team for the America's Cup 2010 and 2013) lives in the neighborhood and funds much of the youth sailing. His program aims to teach any child to sail who wants to, regardless of their ability to pay. The club clearly has a lot of equipment for children including dinghies, wetsuits, life-jackets, helmets, etc. There were three inflatable dinghies to help this novice class, including one which Coutts owns and drives and which has a bow wheel and two transom wheels. The dinghy can be driven around on the sand on these wheels (using battery power) and then driven into the water where the outboard is lowered, the wheels are raised, and off it motors. Eat your heart out, James Bond! We had admired this amphibious craft and briefly spoken to its captain before we learned that it was Sir Russell Coutts. It was really good to see that there were plenty of children enjoying the perfect sailing conditions on that fine evening.



Part of the flock of fluttering shearwaters off Manly Beach in Waiau Bay

Calmer waters the following evening and Friday morning appeared to attract thousands of black and white birds, and I mean, thousands. Based on their general shape and behavior, I was pretty sure that they were diving petrels but, frustratingly, they did not exactly match the description in my New Zealand bird book. I asked a local man fishing from his kayak what they were and he confidently called them dotterels and explained how they catch the baitfish that are driven up to the water surface by predator fish. Given that dotterels are much smaller brown-and-white shorebirds, I sadly had to conclude that in this case local knowledge was not as helpful as I had hoped. In the end, however, given their long bills and size, I was convinced that they were, in fact, fluttering shearwaters, which commonly form flocks in coastal waters and harbors.



Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that this is a fluttering shearwater

The fluttering shearwaters formed massive rafts that almost stretched from one side of the mile-wide bay to the other. Groups of birds in one area would take-off, a drawn-out procedure that includes significant distances of furious wing-flapping while running along the water surface, flying to another area, and then diving into the water. A few white-fronted terns and gulls joined the melee when the baitfish were particularly active but mostly we were surrounded by just this flowing dark sheen on the water surface of petrels swimming, often with their heading dipped into the water, and flying low from one spot to another. It was quite an extraordinary sight and sound but completely disappeared when the wind picked up on Friday afternoon. Later, in choppier conditions, we saw many small groups of fluttering shearwaters bobbing around at the water surface rather than in the huge flock we has seen in the Bay.



Three fluttering shearwaters swimming along while peering into the water



A fluttering shearwater running on water while trying to take off

The birds attracted people to go fishing from kayaks and other small boats and this, in turn, got Randall excited enough to get out a fishing rod and lures. He had a few bites but nothing was hooked. He was similarly skunked when he put out the crab trap that we have been dragging around uselessly since Alaska. In New Zealand, sandy bays are supposed to be good habitats for catching crabs, so Randall was optimistic but after two attempts he found only one half-inch specimen on his bait. There are native crabs but Randall was especially hoping to help remove some of the invasive, non-native crabs (e.g., the Asian paddle crab) for which there is a very liberal allowance of 50 of either sex per person, per day. I supposed that he should be glad that the exotic crabs were not running amok in this bay, even if such encouraging news does not taste particularly succulent. His immediate response to this observation has not been recorded...



Randall about to launch his crab-trap in Waiau Bay