We sailed into Tutukaka and moored alongside. The very well equipped marina provided the opportunity to get two loads of washing done and dried and our water tanks to be refilled. Calypso anchored nearby and Heather and Mike kindly took us out for dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate Simon’s 50th birthday, which falls later in the year, probably in New Caledonia. We had a night cap on Tuarangi before saying our goodbyes.
The next morning, I did a quick shop at the well provisioned, but eye-wateringly expensive local store, before we refueled the boat and headed back out to sea. Calypso sailed north and we once again drifted downwind towards the Hen and Chicken Islands, with Great Barrier Island behind. Fortune comes to he who waits and around lunchtime, the wind got up and we had a cracking sail across to Great Barrier, averaging 6 knts. We dropped anchor in Port Abercrombie at 7.30pm, floodlit by an almost full moon.
The next morning, we motored round into Port Fitzroy, and launching our leaky dinghy, rowed ashore. We headed up Mt Hobson, a really beaufiful walk through rain forest, huge ferns and Nikau Palms and regenerating Kauri forest. We stopped at the remains of a Kauri Dam, where loggers used to store and then release huge numbers of felled trees, some with a 2m girth, sending them crashing down the river below.
We continued on our way to the summit, climbing 2200 steps on the way! A step class in the bush! The views were well worth the climb (see picture), looking back at where we sailed in, seeing the layout of Great Barrier Island below us and planning the next few days sailing.
Down around a 1000 more steps a beautiful ridge walk saw us back on the boat for a swim and clean up by about 3.30pm.
This morning’s plans were a bit curtailed due to an unfortunate and quite smelly blocked holding tank incident. Simon was able to resolve it and we set off for Whangaparapara Harbour, where we are now sitting at anchor. An overcast and potentially wet afternoon provided the opportunity to catch up on chores, cook and eat a large pile of pancakes with our afternoon tea and for Simon to continue to send emails back and forth to the US, trying to activate our satellite communication system.
Tomorrow, the plan is to sail to Coromandel Harbour and meet up with the Spirit of New Zealand. It will be great to catch up with the crew.