Sailing around the world

What a sailing paradise this place is! On shore, everything is available for sailors, and offshore there are some of the most beautiful anchorages in the world, the choice is staggering. We mostly headed south along the east coast, half way down the Coromandel peninsula we turned back and headed towards Auckland.

Starting from where we checked in, Opua, situated in the Bay of Islands, there are many bays and inlets one more stunning than the next, each with its own unique features or characteristics - E.g: beach, flora. The water is not as clear as some seen in the pacific islands. As a sailor what struck me most is the is shelter all along the coast. If the wind turns nasty you can anchor in a bay or cove. No matter what the wind strength or direction there is an inlet providing respite. There is also a continuous weather forecast transmitted via VHF (called “now casting”), which gives current wind and sea conditions, plus a 3 to 4 day forecast.

Places we have been and seen so far:

Bay of Islands and Hole-in-the-Wall rock: An enormous rock marking the southern side of the bay. This rock has a massive gap in the middle where the water gushes through. If you are brave and/or stupid you can sail your boat through, but you might loose more than just your mast.

Tutukaka: Moving south along the east coast Tutukaka is a great place for a stop, very picturesque, with a marina and town surrounding the bay.

Poor Knights Island: Just a few miles offshore is a marine reserve and top dive site, but we did not stop there, yet!


Whangarei: A big town (close to where we did our haul out at Norsand boat yard) with very pretty yacht basin in the centre of town, many good anchorages along the 15 mile river that leads into the town. We stopped at Smugglers cove, McLeod bay and just off Marsden cove marina.


Kawau Island: A favourite stop is Mansion House Bay, we had Christmas Day and dinner on the boat here with Renee, Lynn, Bryan, Ben and Terry.



Great Barrier Island: We sailed here after Christmas Day. It's a must see stop with ideal cruising in the most wonderful bays. We spent over a week exploring, caught snapper and were given a few crays.






Great Mercury Island: Stopped here for a New Year’s Eve party laid on by the owners of the island who welcome the yachties to their private island. Met Hayley Westenra and had a brief chat to her, what a lovely person she is, approachable, down to earth and what a credit to New Zealand.





Whitianga: Stopped at Cathedral cove. We were the envy of many of the people on the beach as they had to walk a few kilometres to get to this magnificent spot. It is not accessible by road, only by sea in good conditions. Proceeded a few k’s on to Whitianga to pick up some supplies.




Whangamata: Stopped here for almost 2 weeks. This is Lloyd and Ngaire’s home base when not sailing. They built an apartment block here and have the pent house. They overlook the beach and have breath taking views of the bay and the nearby islands (Clarks and Doughnut) Clarks you can walk to at low tide and Doughtnut has a gap in the side which you can enter by dinghy, the inside seems completely enclosed and has a tiny beach. We climbed up the inside and walked around the rim, real adventure stuff.


Lloyd and Ngaire took us out and showed us some of the local beauty spots, including Hotwater Beach, Onemana and Cathedral Cove by car. We have spent some of our best times with them, they are such generous people and superb hosts who are justifiably proud of their country.




Slipper Island: Stopped for a night great spot, lovely bay and walks.

We have had a wonderful time with family and guests on board almost non stop since we arrived. We are now on our own again, relaxing at Kawau Island’s Mansion House Bay for a few days before going on to Auckland.



James and Lorna