Although there are many good anchorages in the Bay of Islands, only some of them are suitable when the wind is blowing from a given direction. We had enjoyed calm conditions at Otaio Bay but the wind was soon forecast to increase from the east and southeast. Thus, on Saturday (January 27th), after I had returned from my exploration of Urupukapuka Island and we had raised the anchor, we set-off for the neighboring Moturua Island in search of a cove that would be well-protected from both the predicted wind direction and from any swell that might wrap around from the open ocean.

We arrived at Mangahawea Bay on the northwest corner of Moturua Island to find quite a few other boats at anchor. Luckily, Randall noticed that we could squeeze in close to shore at the north end near the rocky islets and pinnacles that gave some protection from swell creeping around the north end of the main island. For once, we were not on the outside edge of the fleet. Many of the boats left in the afternoon and we shared the anchorage with only three other boats on our first night and just one other on the second night.



A steep gully seen from the around-the-island trail

In the Bay of Islands, Moturua Island is second in size only to Urupukapuka Island. While the latter island has plenty of grassland and active pastures in addition to some protected bush and the many trails, Moturua is completely managed by the Department of Conservation and has a single loop trail around all but the southernmost part of the island. In 1772, the island was used as a hospital camp and refitting base by the French navigator, Marion de Fresne.

In addition to the trail, the island had appealed to us because one of our cruising guides had suggested that there was good snorkeling around the rocky islets to our north. Needless to say, I jumped into the water that afternoon and was glad that it was not a long swim to the islets from our location in the anchorage. Of course, the water was not as clear as at the isolated Poor Knights and it was much shallower, but it was definitely worth exploring. I came across several large longtailed stingrays, some of the fish that are quaintly named spotty, pipers (a type of halfbeak), kelpfish, some reddish-colored goatfish, and some of the same species that we had seen at Poor Knights. Randall joined me for another snorkel the following afternoon.



Mangahawea Bay with the northern islets just beyond Tregoning (3rd from the right)

That morning, we had both rowed ashore to walk on Moturua's trail. Randall wanted to avoid stairs and walk slowly so as not to risk aggravating his tender knee, so I set-off for the circumambulation while he went about a third of the way and then turned back. It was a rather up-and-down trail that crossed four of the island's several beaches and despite having never been there before, I felt as though I already knew the route.



A small beach on the eastern side of Moturua Island

This was because as a charming Christmas gift, Gail and Dean had given us a CD with a recording of Gail walking this same trail at 5:30 am one morning, when the dawn chorus was in full swing. As recommended, I had read Gail's written description while I listened to the 75-minute recording with headphones. She had undertaken the journey in bare feet to minimize the pounding of her hiking boots and I was well-impressed that she could walk so fast in some places where the trail was pretty rough underfoot.

The bird songs had been fabulous on her recording but they were rather more subdued by the mid-morning time that we were out. Still, I saw some tuis, saddlebacks, North Island robins, and squawking pukekos. What I did not see that Gail was incredibly lucky to observe was a brown kiwi. Presumably heading back to its burrow after a busy night of feeding, this rare nocturnal bird shuffled across the path apparently unaware that it almost had to step over Gail's bare feet. How thrilling!



A view northeast from Moturua Island

Gail had started from Waipao Bay, the next bay south from us, but otherwise I followed her route in an anticlockwise direction. I could now see what I had only heard before, especially where she had walked across sandy or pebbly beaches, squelched through muddy bits, or been panting as she climbed the steeper slopes. It really was rather fascinating to add the visual component to an auditory experience.



A lone boat anchored in Waiwhapuku Bay

When I took the short detour to look at a Pa site on the northeast corner of the island above Waiwhapuku Bay, I saw that there was heavy rain over Cape Brett. With the wind blowing from that direction, I decided to scurry along the rest of the trail to try to beat the rain back to Tregoning. As it transpired, the rain just stayed north of us but as I trotted down to meet Randall in Mangahawea Bay, I realized that despite several stops to take photographs, with the accelerated ending I had almost exactly matched the time of Gail's audio-trail. That made me feel pretty good about my rate of walking but, of course, I had not been delayed by a kiwi passing within a few centimeters of my toes!