LAST DAY IN NEW ZEALAND

We are sitting in Auckland airport waiting for our flight back to Cayman. We had hoped to get a flight on Friday night but they were fully booked. Instead we drove down to Lake Taupo.

Before we left we were able to give Luke a hand with getting the head sails off. A heavy job so we were gland to have the help of a fellow sailor on the dock, a Kiwi who as just completed a seven year circumnavigation with his family. Now Luke can get on with the big job of cleaning and covering up all the surfaces which could get damaged or dirty on the ship.

The town of Taupo is very disappointing, consisting mostly of low cost accommodation for the many tourists visiting the local attractions. We thought it would have the bars and restaurants that give Queenstown such a buzz, but it seemed more like Worthing on a wet Monday. The lake is large and attractive but the real interest lies in the natural features like the Haka Falls and the Wairakei Terraces which are a few miles out of town.

We stayed in an out of town resort and just relaxed and slept. Strange though it may seem to you working folks we are tired after 35 days touring by car, train, plane and boat. (Sounds like Burt Bacharach)! We did see the Haka Falls and the Wairakei Terraces, which in quite different ways supply a large percentage of New Zealand’s electricity; Haka Falls by Hydro Electricity and the Wairakei Geothermal Power plant by hot steam. You have to hand it the Kiwis for making the most of the natural resources they are blessed with.

The plant using hot steam is amazing. Bore holes are driven down 600 metres collecting water at a temperature of 260 degrees C. The steam is then piped to the power station where it is turned into electricity. We stood on the nearby spot where for hundreds of years the local Maoris used this thermal spring for cooking and washing. The boiling water bubbles up like a giant jacuzzi, creating a huge cloud of steam, and the water cascades down a series of steps that form the famous Waikarie Terrace. The change in harnessing and using the steam is a dramatic example of the man’s progress.

Luke has emailed us to say that he saw the ship that will carry Moonraker arrive in Tauranga from Australia. It has three yachts on board; the 42 foot Contest, Coconut, the Norwegian yacht that we made such good friends with crossing the Pacific, Leopard, a ninety foot racing boat and one other. We will be number four.

The hold cargo being loaded is onions. Let’s hope the smell doesn’t last! Luke will be there to bring Moonraker alongside and keep an eye on things. Two cranes on the ship will lift our seventy tons out of the water and onto the ship, where it will be stowed in a cradle. We are glad we are not watching!

G

THURSDAY 14 FEBRUARY

Tauranga.

Kelly Archer is the man who built Moonraker at his boatyard here in Auckland in 2000. We had the privilege of meeting him yesterday when he and his wife Jos spent the morning on board with us in the Viaduct Marina. They both inspected the boat carefully and could see immediately the changes that had been made since she was built for the first owner, Michael McGowan. The love that a craftsman has for the boats he builds shone through and they were clearly delighted that we have been using the boat to its full capabilities and enjoying it so much. Kelly was very complimentary about the condition of the boat which was a credit to Luke but it also speaks volumes for the quality of the build.

We sailed from Auckland at six last night for Tauranga, the port from where she will be shipped to the Mediterranean. Luke had been planning to have crew to help him take the boat down and prepare it to be shipped, but it didn’t work out, so we sailed down with him and he will find some day workers to help with the heavy stuff like getting sails off.

Tauranga is a 125 mile sail south from Auckland which was uneventful and with little wind. The barometer dropped from 1012 to 1004 in the last 12 hours, a certain sign of bad weather and we were glad to get in at ten this morning before the forecast gales arrive.

As we motored up through this large commercial and container port our thoughts turned to the mechanics of how Moonraker will be lifted onto the container ship and then stowed. We understand they will use two cranes but Janet and I decided we did not want to be here to watch! This is the time when you start thinking about the small print in the insurance policy! It will be a new and interesting experience for Luke which I am sure he will approach in his usual professional way.

The weather has changed and we are now trying to get a plane home tomorrow, Friday 15 February. We have had a wonderful experience in New Zealand and leave with fond memories but are ready to go home and get on with other things that we have to do before we leave to rejoin Moonraker in Palma around 7 April.G

At last we have wireless and so have managed to upload some more photos … all the ones we have taken since being back on Moonraker with Luke and friends.

The winds turned light yesterday as we motor sailed the 25 miles from Kawau Island to Waiheke Island. We had enjoyed it so much on our first visit we thought it would be interesting for Ken and Val to see it on their last day with us.

The bay we anchored in had a long shelving beach making it difficult to land the dinghy to go ashore, so they enjoyed the dubious pleasure of wading ashore in shallow water at low tide on the way to dinner. It’s a goods job that shorts are acceptable dress code in New Zealand!

One of the attractions of New Zealand is that it is very low key, no hassle, no pressure. Kiwis ‘work to live’ rather than ‘live to work’. However the downside is that you may not always get what you want when you want it.

Luke has been trying to get a Vodaphone Sim Card to replace the one that now resides at the bottom of the ocean. There were none available in the Bay of Islands. Having arrived in Auckland this morning he set off to the Vodaphone shop in the city, but they are out of stock too!

Waiheke is a busy island and tourist destination only 25 miles from Auckland and when we finished our vineyard tour we were dropped off in the sea side town at 5pm. A cup of tea was top of our wish list, but the fist five café/bars we tried closed at five! We did find one open, the Island Queen. Unfortunately Ken left his camera there so when we arrived in Auckland at 9 this morning Ken phoned to be told by voice mail that they only open at 4.30 every day! Nice work if you can get it.

Whilst the others were having tea I thought I would catch up with news in the nearby internet café. Guess what? Closed all day Monday!

It could get frustrating but it is counter balanced by friendly and helpful service everywhere. This morning we phoned Rochelle, the vineyard tour bus lady, with our tale of camera woe.

“Don’t worry. I’ll collect it from the café, put it in an envelope addressed to you, take it to the ferry and put it in the captain’s bag, and it will be held in the ferry office in Auckland for your collection”.

With service like that you can forgive a lot of inconvenience.

The winds were forecast to be lighter and we started off with full main but it has turned out to be stronger with gusts up to 30 knots, still behind us, but we reefed after two hours for a slower but more comfortable passage. Val has been fine after a mild bout of sea sickness early yesterday and I think she is enjoying it. Ken of course takes it all in his stride.

We had a shorter sail today, just 45 miles, and arrived at Kawau Island around 3pm with time to look round. Bon Accord Harbour is a delightful anchorage, being both totally sheltered and picturesque. Yachts and fishing boats are at moorings and the wooded hills surrounding the inlet have pretty houses dotted around them. The winter population is only 40 but in summer up to 200 residents come back to their summer homes.

We anchored off the Kawau Yacht Club and went ashore to meet the locals for drinks in the evening. What a bunch of characters! They were old salty dogs that fish and do a bit of this and a bit of that, and clearly spend all of Sunday afternoon drinking Jack Daniels and Coke. One character, John, kindly offered to take us out in his fishing boat to collect scallops. Luke was tempted to go but John was clearly well into his cups and the most sober member of the group, who said he was the non elected mayor, suggested we decline. Not knowing what would be in store, or how long it would take, Luke backed out as politely as possible.

I think he regretted it because two hours later John came back to our boat with a bucketful of scallops for our supper, and showed Luke how to open and clean them. He wouldn’t take any payment and we felt rather sheepish for having turned down his offer, but he was, even by his own admission, very drunk. We put the scallops on the BBQ with our chicken and they were delicious. Another first!

In the afternoon we had visited The Mansion House, for which Kawaua Island is most famous. It is a historic house, built in 1845 but restored to its original state by the Department of Conservation in 1979, along with furniture, glass, china and paintings of the period. The house was interesting, but Sir George Grey, the man who originally owned it appears to be a fascinating man.

Sir George came from an army career to be Governor of South Australia in 1841 at the age of only 29. He became Governor of New Zealand in 1845, and was knighted in 1848. Following a spell as Governor of South Africa he returned to New Zealand for a second term as Governor in 1861. He bought Kawau Island, built the Mansion House and retired there in 1870. But that was not the end of this illustrious career. In 1875 he was elected to the New Zealand parliament and became Prime Minister in 1877. What you might call a Foreign Office high flyer.

Perhaps strangely, after spending most of his life in New Zealand, he returned to London at the age of 82, died four years later, and was buried in St Paul’s Cathedral. England must have always been the home.

Today we left the Bay of Islands to sail back down to Auckland. Ken and Val Spedding came with us. It is only 130 miles and we are planning two overnight stops to make it a cruise, but it is still a big step for Val who has not sailed offshore before and is prone to sea sickness. Full marks to her for being up for it.

The winds have been quite strong, 20/25 knots true, but it was behind us and we had one reef in the main so we were comfortable and made good speeds, averaging 8 knots over the 65 miles. The weather has changed and now we have full cloud cover with occasional showers It was the kind of weather when you are hoping for a sheltered anchorage for the night and we found one tucked in behind Busby Head, the headland that leads in to the oil port of Whangarei.. (Pronounced Fungeray!)

We arrived at 6pm and found some twenty yachts tucked in there. This is obviously a popular stopping off point for boats heading North or South. The view of the oil refinery was not what we were used too, but it was spectacular at night.

Friday 8 FEBRUARY

It is always nice to meet up with friends on boats we have seen on our travels and at breakfast time yesterday we met up with Alan and Diane on Moonfleet. We last saw them in the Yasawwa islands in Fiji. They have spent the last three months in the Bay of Islands, and they like it so much they bought a house here last year as an investment. They are a lovely couple, English, and true liveaboards addicted to the blue water cruising life.

They are going back up to Fiji for the NZ winter season, then probably sailing to SE Asia and up to the Philippines the following year. We have met many people like them whose objective is not to sail round the world, but to explore anywhere in the world that takes their fancy. The only black cloud on the horizon is the need for major shoulder surgery that Alan has been putting off for the last four years.

it was lovely to see Pav (Peter Kandiah’s sister) again today. She and Mark came for a days sailing and enjoyed wonderful weather, warm sunshine and enough wind for a pleasant sail. We visited a small island with a bird watching hide and had the benefit of their knowledge of New Zealand birds, including a lovely white fantail, which looks as the name sounds.

They are such an enthusiastic couple, busy with their joint project to build a famhouse out in the bush and their new careers, Pav breeding Alpacca’s and Mark with his own machinist business. On Saturday Pav is flying down to Christchurch for a meeting of the Alpacca show association of which she chairs. I am sure she will make a sucess of her plans.

A gale passed through on Tuesday, but we were well tucked up in a bay and spent a convivial evening on Moonraker with the families from Surcouf (first met in Grenada) and Barbara Ann (first met in Curacao). Janet served rum punches to try to recreate the Caribbean atmosphere, whilst the wind howled outside. It is a pleasant surprise and such fun to meet up with old friends from so many miles and months ago.

On Wednesday we went to the celebration of the anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi. This is the treaty, by which the British Government negotiated the handing over of the sovereignty of New Zealand by the Maoris on 6 February, 1848. It marks the founding of the modern day New Zealand and takes placed at Waitangi here in the Bay of Islands.

Although it is a celebration attended by all, especially Maoris, it is controversial as there was a fundamental misunderstanding between the Maori version of the contract and the British. The British paid a sum of money and gave rights and assurances for the defense of the country in return for the ownership of the land and the rights of the Pakeha (Europeans). The Maoris however thought that they were giving the British the right to use the land.

So the police took up their positions guarding the flag and the annual Maori protest march faced them up, but it all passed off peacefully as it usually does.

Elsewhere the Maoris were much in evidence and very friendly. We particularly enjoyed the six large war canoes that were launched following a Haka war dance in which they seemed to be competing with each other.

The Treaty House where the agreement was signed is a preserved and historic building but it seemed a pity that there was not an enactment of the moment when Captain Hobson stepped ashore from HMS. Rattlesnake (Hmmm,unfortunate name in the circumstances) to greet the chiefs of all the tribes and walk up to the Treaty House for the signing.. However everything in New Zealand is very low key and non commercial so the band from the NZ warship played on the lawns and everyone had a jolly good time.

We met Ken and Val Spedding there and today they came out for a days sailing with us, bringing two Australian friends, Mike and Pauline with whom they are touring NZ. The weather and wind was perfect and they have enjoyed a lovely day on the water.

We are anchored off the small sleepy seaside town of Russel last night and this morning we have met up with Edmond and Yossi, Belgian friends on a yacht called Surcouf. We first met them in Grenada, then again in the ABC islands, but although we kept in touch we were never able to meet up with them as we crossed the South Pacific. Now at the end of our voyages here we are together again in New Zealand. They are also having their boat shipped back to Europe.

Their story is an interesting one. They set off to sail around the world in convoy with three other boats, all Belgian; Yossi’s cousin and his wife and a couple who they had become friends with when they bought their boat.

As none of them had real blue water cruising experience the idea was that they could support each other on the way round. It seemed a good idea, and it worked from Belgium to Panama. But then things started to go wrong.

Edmond, who had grown enormously in sailing experience and confidence wanted to go off on his own, whilst the others wanted to stay in convoy. Then business differences emerged. They had sold their main business before they left but retained a retail business which was badly managed in their absence. They couldn’t agree what to do about it and it led to a break down of the relationship and Edmond buying out the cousins shares.

Now Edmond is shipping his boat back to Belgium and will take over the business again. The cousin has decided to settle in New Zealand, and the other friends are continuing their circumnavigation to arrive back in Europe in September 2009.

It seems that the only thing that is certain when you go off sailing is the rise and fall of the tide and the coming up of the sun and the moon.

A final note on the endless resourcefulness of Luke. Janet and I took the dinghy ashore this morning but had to paddle back. The problem with the engine was soon identified; the lever that stops you starting the engine whilst it is still in gear was also stopping us from starting it in neutral. Luke fashioned a new part from a Sprite can, attached it, and it starts first go again. How nice not to have these worries!
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We anchored in Port Fitzroy, Barrier Island last night around 9pm. just as it was getting dark. Port Fitzroy is like a huge lake, and to enter you sail into a bay which looks as if it has no exit, but as you reach the head of the bay you see a narrow gap open up. It is narrow but deep and when you pass through it you enter another world; a large lake with many bays providing perfect sheltered anchorages, each one with only one or two yachts in. The hills are covered in pine trees that reach down to the shore and the wonderful smell of pine pervades the air. You could be in Scotland or Luke thought even Norway.

Port Fitzroy sounds imposing and ferries come here from the mainland about 50 miles away. We dinghied around the corner to explore this morning and had a shock. There is a wharf, a dock master’s shed, a coffee stall, a small general store and information centre, a dive shop and that’s it. The population of this village is 20 and there are 800 on the whole island.

We had a coffee from the coffee stall, in New Zealand you generally have a ‘long bleck’ or a ‘flet woite’ (long black or flat white) and sat at a picnic table watching the world go slowly by. The main event seemed to be a children’s fishing competition on Sunday. People come here to visit because they want to do precisely nothing for a few days. So that’s what we did.

In the afternoon we moved to another anchorage, Smokehouse Bay, which has the most unique facilities for yachtsmen I have ever seen. It has a smoke house where you can take the fish you caught that day, make a fire and smoke them. It also has a bathhouse! Water is caught in a reservoir up the hill and piped down to the bath house where you can make a wood fire to heat the water. You can use the tub and mangle provided to wash and dry your clothes. I even swam for 20 minutes in the calm water which was not nearly as cold as I had imagined. This place is so ideal for cruising yachts.

We were sorry to leave early the next morning. The sail up to the Bay of Islands was ninety miles, which we did in 12 hours, averaging 8 knots. The wind was around 15 knots on the beam, but with some motor sailing at the end as the wind came behind us. It is good to be able to make such fast passage times.