March 27, 2016 Great Barrier Island

Tiritiri Island is a bird sanctuary where the conservation efforts have been extremely successful. There are beautifully manicured DOC trails zig-zagging across the island, with lots of informational signs to help you identify the different birds. The sound of the song birds is robust, differentiating this island from the rest of the country where the forest is almost silent. We saw some unique, endangered birds on this island, such as the takahe.

Since we enjoyed our time out at Great Barrier Island so much, we decided to go back. We met up with Varekai and Fluenta in Bowling Alley Bay. Gary and Max took Nigel out for his first time spearfishing, and they were all very successful. Although the photo doesn't show it well, Max's kingfish is bigger than Gary's, but both are enormous. With all this yummy fish we had a fantastic potluck dinner on Nirvana.

Nigel's first fish he speared

 Victoria filleting her dad's kingfish

 Crew of Nirvana and Fluenta

We woke up our second morning in Bowling Alley Bay to an uncomfortable southern swell jostling us at anchor, so Fluenta and us moved around to Port Fitzroy, and Varekai headed off to Auckland. Brian Krell on Heidseik joined us later that afternoon. We enjoyed more hiking around Port Fitzroy, then Fluenta headed off to Auckland, and Brian and us headed over to Kaikoura Island for a hike. At the end of the hike we ran into some friends from the Bay of Islands, and they told us there were 6 free, hot showers. I have never seen 5 people move so quickly to check out showers. We didn't bring anything for showering, but there was some soap there, so 15 minutes later everyone, including Axel, was clean. It felt so awesome.

The next day Gary speared a bunch of blue moki near Anvil Island and we headed into Kaiaraara Bay. The bottom was a slick black mud, so we dragged a huge distance until the anchor finally set. It was a windy rainy night, and the rain continued through most of the next day, so we didn't start our hike until late in the day. When we got back to the boat, it was dragging, so we moved back to Port Fitzroy. That night the winds picked up to about 35+ knots and it poured down rain. The following day the conditions worsened. Every time I looked at a forecast, the peak wind speed and swell size were higher and higher. That night was the worst night of the storm. It blew 50-60 knots. One big gust caused a glass bottle to fly over a container, off the counter and smash on the ground. The gusts were so intense they caused the entire boat to shake. Around 5 am the sunbrella on the genoa decided it wanted to go its own way. At first light I went up the headstay to lash the genoa so that the damage didn't get any worse. It was raining so hard you were soaked as soon as you went outside. It was quite a storm. Then by mid-morning it was all over and the bay was completely glassy. It was amazing how it just instantly turned off.

After many days of intense rain and wind and being trapped on the boat, we rented a car to explore the island. We wanted to see the beautiful beaches on the east coast, go for a hike, Gary wanted to surf, and we all wanted fresh food. Due to the storm, no ferries had come to the island for days, so the stores were completely out of fresh veggies, fruit, milk, eggs, bread,… Our first stop was at an organic farm and they offered to put together a box of food for us. We also checked the store in Claris, and found they were looking quite bare of food. Who would have thought that opening a box of veggies would feel like Christmas. Even the kids were excited, more for the fresh carrots and melon, but not the beets.

Windy canyon

Yesterday Gary and Gigi went spearfishing in the broken islands. Gigi speared a big butterfish and a red moki, and Gary only speared a tiny fish. She was pretty excited to have caught all of dinner, and to get way bigger fish than Gary. We anchored in Smokehouse Bay and smoked the fish onshore. We also got to have our first camp fire since we have been in New Zealand. The kids have been dying to make s'mores, and we shared this fine American treat with a bunch of Kiwis.

Today is Easter, and the bunny did manage to find Nirvana (the kids had been quite concerned). Tonight we will have a traditional Kiwi Easter dinner of lamb chops, enjoy some of that fresh lettuce, then top it off with our favorite Canadian dessert, Nanaimo bars.

Cheers,

Julie

March 14, 2016 Coromandel, Waiheke and Auckland

We spent a couple of days in the Coromandel Peninsula. We first anchored off the town of Coromandel, but found the mud flats extended way too far out for easy shore access. We motored for 20 minutes, then paddled in the shallows for 15 minutes, then dragged the dinghy through knee deep mud for over 30 minutes to reach the pier. Tired and dirty, we found out it was better to anchor off Te Kouma, so we moved there as soon as the tide rose enough to leave easier.

We rented a car and drove to Whitianga and Hot Water Beach on the eastern shores of the Coromandel. Gary got some good surf, while the kids and I enjoyed the hot springs that bubble out of the sand on the beach. We dug a pit in the beach to make a hot tub, and relaxed in some very hot water. This is an extremely popular tourist spot, so there were lots of people all crowded into the small stretch of beach where the hot springs reach the surface. Gigi went surfing on the inside waves once Gary got back, and we had a hard time getting her to leave.

We spent 1 night in Opopo Bay on the eastern end of Waiheke so we could hike to the Stony Batter. Axel was extremely disappointed when we got there that the WWII tunnels were barricaded, as that was a huge draw for all of us. Although the remains of the massive gun embankments and other structures were still visible.

We spent 10 days in Auckland at the Viaduct Marina. Everyone loved getting their fill of city living and unlimited internet. The marina is located in the heart of the city, so it is incredibly easy to walk to anything. The kids and I went to see the Phantom of the Opera and were blown away by the decor in the Civic Theater. It is an Indian theme, filled with Buddhas, tigers, elephants, serpents, and the ceiling in the theater is painted with the twinkling southern hemisphere sky. Gigi and I went to the world's longest catwalk fashion show, the catwalk zigzagged its way up an entire block. Axel and Gary biked all around Newmarket and found that Auckland is a very hilly city.

We sailed in the Classic Yacht Regatta on other people's boats, which was great as we now have made some good friends in Auckland. My boat beat Gary's across the line, but his beat us on corrected time, even though they are the same boats (they have some odd rating issues here).

We went to the Skytower, Art Museum, Maritime Museum, did lots of shopping, explored different areas of the city, and found a cool park in Ponsonby. One night we enjoyed dinner and a movie outdoors at Silo Park. Gary and I even got to have our first date night out in a year.

We left Auckland and headed to nearby Waiheke Island to get ourselves out of city mode. We toured the island yesterday, stopping to do a little archery and wine tasting, then build sand castles and swim at Onetangi Beach. We spent two nights at Waiheke Island, now we are off to Tiritiri Island and probably back out to Great Barrier Island.

Cheers,

Julie

Westhaven marina on the left, Viaduct marina on the right, seen from the Skytower