March 28 we left Great Barrier Island and sailed NW to Burgess
Island in the Mokohinau Islands about 25 miles away. The island group consists
of a few isolated rugged, rocky outcrops, the biggest hosting a picturesque old
light house on its peak. We anchored on the SW side, and Gary and Gigi hopped
in the water to spear fish. Soon the wind shifted and came straight into the
bay, making the anchorage untenable. We headed around to the other side of the
islands looking for better shelter, only to be beaten to the only feasible spot
big enough for Nirvana by a power boat. As it was 6 pm, we thought we would try
1 more spot, but as we started to go into this narrow rocky pass between 2
islands, the steering chain broke. After a brief moment of panic, Gary turned
the boat around with the autopilot, so we were no longer heading straight for
the jagged reef. At this point we realized we had only 1 option, to motor/sail
30 miles to Whangarei. Of course the wind was on the nose, so we decided to
just motor. As we reached the entrance to Whangarei River, we decided to anchor
outside in Smugglers Cove, so we wouldn't have to deal with trying to turn
around the point in all the current in the river, with just the autopilot
steering.
The following day Gary spent many hours replacing the steering chain. Fortunately we already had the spare chain, as we had this same problem in Fiji, and had Sam bring us a spare from the US. Also it was fortunate that this problem didn't occur in a reef pass in Vanuatu, New Caledonia or during the big passage to New Zealand as this maintenance issue was not deemed important enough to get attention earlier.
With the steering fixed, we did a little sea trial then headed into Urquharts Bay. We spent 2 days here enjoying the wonderful hiking and eating the 40 scallops that Gary dove for.
It was finally time to head into Whangarei Town Basin, where we will leave Nirvana while we are gone. This involves heading 12 miles up the Whangarei River at high tide and passing through a lift bridge. It was a melancholy trip as we knew this would be the last journey on Nirvana for us. It was also exciting as many of our friends were in Whangarei and we were looking forward to being in a town again. Of special note, Gary's friend of 35 years, Phil Jonhston and his fiancée Naylene were tied next to us on the dock.
The next few weeks were a blur of boat projects, packing and shipping home our belongings, and cleaning out Nirvana so she could be left presentable for perspective buyers. We sold off many of the toys we had on board, like the kayak, dive tanks, surfboards, books, DVDs, etc. and gave lots to charities.
As we were giving things for other cruisers to bring to Fiji to help the villagers in the Lau Group that got hit so hard by Cyclone Winston, Gigi decided she wanted to do more. So she baked a lot of cookies, and with the help of her friends and brother, she raised $255 from 2 days of sales. She donated the money to SeaMercy, who with the help of a US Rotary group matched the money 3 fold, so her $255 in cookie sales all of a sudden became a $1020 donation. That is huge and can really make a difference. We are so proud of her, she was thrilled with the outcome of her work, and she realized that 1 person really can make a difference.
Elizabeth (Field Trip), Gigi and Ella (Varekai) selling cookies to raise money for Fijian Cyclone Relief
To give Gary a little space so he could varnish and paint the
galley, the kids and I finally went to Rotorua to check out the sights. We had
a brief, but action filled few days in Rotorua. We stayed at a nice holiday
park that had mineral hot tubs to soak in at the end of our busy days. As you
walked to the beach at Lake Rotorua, you needed to stay on the path as hot
water was venting out of the ground all around. We went to Rainbow Springs and
saw kiwis and other native birds. Wai-o-tapu was a geothermal wonderland, with
bubbling mud, water flowing over the silica terraces, the champagne pool, the
devil's bath, although Axel was not fond of the sulfur smell. Everybody devoured
delicious food at the night market in town. The local park offered more
geothermal wonders and a great playground. We toured the Rotorua museum. And we
went to Hobbiton. I loved the immaculate gardens, Gigi loved seeing all the
spots from the movies, and Axel liked the ginger beer in the Dragon's Breath
Pub at the end.
Kaurai Park in Rotorua
close up of the silica terraces
the silica terraces
The devil's bath, yellow-green from the high sulfur content
Hobbiton
Dragon's breath pub enjoying a ginger beer
Dave from Rewa threw us an awesome going away party. He was rafted
next to us, so the party spread across both boats and the dock. Unfortunately
it was a rainy evening, but with the help of many, we had a few tarps draped
over the dock and everyone stayed dry. Plus cruisers really aren't worried
about a little water. We borrowed the BBQ from the marina, people brought lots
of salads, and both Gigi and Victoria made yummy cakes. The most awesome feature
of the party was that Dave projected the new Star Wars movie on his mizzen.
This was a hit with both the kids and adults.
Max, Julie and Phil
Even though we did a lot of work on Nirvana while we were in
Whangarei, we really enjoyed spending time with our friends that we had met
over the past 2 years cruising. We shared many dinners with Dave from Rewa, and
every morning Gary and he went for coffee and talked politics. We loved
catching up with Field Trip and Varekai, the kids play together as much as they
could. They even made a movie when Fluenta was in town. We had a few dinners
with Phil and Naylene that were fantastic, but I wish we had even more time to
spend together.
Naylene at their property manning the BBQ
We will miss Whangarei, but we will really miss all our good
friends that we have met during our travels. We are so lucky to be able to have
spent so many good times together in so many different countries, and in so
many stunning locations, it is a camaraderie that is hard to find.
Of course not all was smooth in Whangarei. The last day was a
whirlwind of cleaning and stowing to leave the boat. We had to catch a bus at 4
pm to Auckland, where we were to spend the night on Fluenta, who was to drive
us to the airport in the morning. As 4 pm approached, Gary got more and more
stressed realizing he wasn't going to get through his long list to pack the
boat away for an indefinite period of time. About 30 minutes before the bus he
decided he just couldn't make the bus, so he decided to stay and finish his
work and then hitchhike later that evening. Thankfully this reduced his stress
level, but increased mine, which peaked the following morning when he still was
on the boat in Whangarei at 7 am. I called around to arrange a ride for him,
but thankfully by the time Sarah was ready to leave, he managed to get a ride
right to the airport. He arrived at the same time as the kids and I, but that
was cutting things tighter than I liked. As we were preparing to leave the boat
and catch the bus, Honey arrived after sailing 6 days straight from Nelson. It
was amazing to have a quick reunion with them, and even better when we found
out that Jude was on the same bus as us to Auckland, giving us lots of time to
catch up.
Leaving Nirvana after 2 years was difficult for all of us,
especially Gary. We have fantastic memories of beautiful tropical islands and
exotic locations. There were challenges sailing and living in tight quarters,
provisioning for months at a time, safely squeezing through narrow reef passes,
anchors dragging, all raising your adrenalin, but in a way that made you feel
alive. But the family bonding and the lasting friendships we made are really
what made this journey so special. We have been blessed to have had these 2
years of incredible adventures and friendships. We already miss our life on
Nirvana.
Fortunately the adventure does not come to an end as we step off
Nirvana, we are now going to travel over land finishing our around the world
travels. We will visit Thailand for 3 weeks, then to Europe for a month, and
lastly stopping in Canada to visit my family for 3 weeks.
Bon Voyage,
Julie
