18 November 2024 -New Zealand-Waiheke Island -Orca Visit

The sun was up when we woke and it looked like it was going to be a good day. Keith went off to get some bread from the Milbo Café round the corner and said the yard was full of activity. We had squashed avocados on toast for breakfast and a nice coffee.

We were waiting for the plumber to come back and sort out the drain on the washing machine. I had looked at the instructions and it clearly said not to raise the pipe more than 10cm so it is either that the pipe is too high or that there is a blockage in the pipe. The man came at 9.00am and lowered the pipe. I suggested we try to empty the water into a bucket to check the machine was working which we did and lowering the pipe had done the trick. In addition, the pipe was too long so he cut it and then re connected it together (with Sikaflex which needs to dry) and it seemed to work. The true test will be when I use it for the first time properly again. Hopefully the issue is now resolved.

Once this was done I checked with the yard manager but in the circumstances he said he would not charge us for another night which was good. Keith and I prepared our lines and before long we were reversing out of the pontoon and then motored out of the marina into a busy Auckland Harbour.

The wind was easterly 15-20 kts but on our nose so we motored along the channel and decided to go and have a look at Half Moon Bay Marina which is up the Tamaki River not far from Auckland. This river extends so far inland in the Auckland Isthmus that if it went a little further and met up with Manukau Harbour, which extends inland from the west coast, New Zealand’s North Island would be cut in two. When I checked the chart I realised the entry to the river is quite shallow and you therefore have to pay heed to the tides. We got into the river ok but the tide was going out so I went far enough to see the marina and then we came out. I need to check the tides for the 3 December 2024 as that is when we bring Stormbird for her lift out.

We motored out and again the wind was on the nose so I decided to motor round various islands and up to Waiheke Island and I planned to go to Rocky Bay on the south side. This would be sheltered from the wind and looked quite shallow. It took a few hours to get there. The wind was a good strength but quite cold and even when the sun was out you needed a jumper although I had gone back to shorts.

We came round the southeastern end of Waiheke which looked lovely and green with rolling hills and bays and looks quite devonesque. We eased into Rocky Bay which has quite a few rocks either side of the entrance (hence the name) and we motored over to the east side and anchored in about 4.5 meters of water with the tide to drop another meter so at low water we would only have a meter under us which should be fine.

We had a late lunch and read and rested and enjoyed the scenery. We were the only yacht at anchor. We got the deck chairs out and tried to sit out the back but the wind made it quite cool. Suddenly we saw on our right some black fins and could hear blow holes. There were several of them and at first we thought they may be pilot whales. However, as they got close we could see white on them and realised they were Orcas- Killer Whales.

They came closer and there were little groups swimming and what appeared to be playing. Their black floppy fin out of the water, sometimes erect and other times flopping about. Some rolled around and you could see their white underbelly. A couple of large ones swum under the rear of Stormbird and the rudder and then a couple went along and under the bow. I hoped they had not been talking to their European cousins who bite rudders and attach boast. Luckily they are not on their Christmas card list and we heard nothing so assume no damage was done. They stayed about 20 minutes and then gradually headed off out of the bay. This was astonishing as the bay was only about 3-4 meters deep. What a treat to see these creatures so close up. Apparently they sleep by closing one half of their brain and one eye (and alternate) as if they shut the whole brain down they would not sleep. They also cruise about 40 nm a day. I have heard in NZ that there are about 200 orcas and we have just seen about 8% of them. How lucky we were and to do this safely and from the deck.

The orca (Orcinus orca), or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. A cosmopolitan species, they are found in diverse marine environments, from Arctic to Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Orcas are the largest extant members of the dolphin family. Males typically range from 6 to 8 m (20 to 26 ft) long and weigh in excess of 6 t (5.9 long tons; 6.6 short tons). Females are smaller, generally ranging from 5 to 7 m (16 to 23 ft) and weighing about 3 to 4 t (3.0 to 3.9 long tons; 3.3 to 4.4 short tons). Orcas may attain larger sizes as males have been recorded at 9.8 m (32 ft) and females at 8.5 m (28 ft). Large males can reach a weight of over 10 t (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons). Calves at birth weigh about 180 kg (400 lb) and are about 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) long. The skeleton of the orca is typical for an oceanic dolphin, but more robust. Orcas are apex predators, meaning that they themselves have no natural predators. They are sometimes called "wolves of the sea", because they hunt in groups like wolf packs. Orcas hunt varied prey including fish, cephalopods, mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles.  In New Zealand, sharks and rays appear to be important prey, including eagle rays, long-tail and short-tail stingrays, common threshers, smooth hammerheads, blue sharks, basking sharks, and shortfin makos. With sharks, orcas may herd them to the surface and strike them with their tail flukes, while bottom-dwelling rays are cornered, pinned to the ground and taken to the surface.

We sat down and pinched ourselves. We had a drink and watched the sun go down with a smile on our faces. We had fish and vegetables for supper and enjoyed a film in the TV on board. We will explore more of Waiheke tomorrow.

The picture of the day is one of the orcas right alongside Stormbird at the bow.

Opportunity Year Two

In year two I will be going from New Zealand in early January 2025 across to Sydney and up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025. I will need some more crew.

If there is any interest do email me at  hine.nick9@gmail.com  

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com