21 November 2024 -New Zealand-Waiheke Island- Coromandel Harbour

It was another grey morning but we had slept well. The weather forecast had not changed and it was looking like westerly winds 17-24 kts with gusts of up to 31 kts and then the wind late afternoon would turn Southwest. We had discussed going to the Coromandel Peninsula and thought we should go despite the wind.

We had been the only boat at anchor in the bay but overnight we now had another 4 boats anchored around us. We could have stayed and just rode out the strong winds but that was not our style and we wanted to explore while we can.

We had a cereal breakfast with bananas etc and then prepared the boat. This meant pulling up the dinghy on the davits and adjusting the staysail cars (they slide up and down on a rail and are a way of adjusting the sail- if you are sailing downwind you push the car forward and if beating (close to the wind you pull it back – it adjusts the twist in the sail). As the wind was likely to be quite strong we assumed we would be using the staysail and therefore prepared the running backstay (this provides extra support for the mast) in readiness.

When ready we upped anchor and headed out of the bay and North of Shag Island (yes that is its name!!). Once we could we got out the main (but with 3 reefs) and put it out with a boom preventer (a rope which prevents the boom swinging over in the event of a gybe).  We were not in a rush and so being well reefed meant we would not worry about the increasing wind. We put out the staysail even though the wind was only about 15 kts. We started at about 5.5-6kts f speed and pretty well on course for Coromandel Harbour and as time went on the wind increased and Stormbird hardly noticed it and got faster. The wind increased to 20 plus kts then gusted 25 and then 31. Our speed increased from 6 kts to 8 and then at times 9 kts and it felt some comfortable and in control as due to the direction of the wind this meant we were on a broad reach (wind on the aft quarter).

The sail across took a couple of hours if that and we began to approach the peninsula and the islands off it before long.

The Coromandel Peninsula (Māori: Te Tara-o-te-Ika-a-Māui meaning "the barb of Māui's fish") on the North Island of New Zealand extends 85 kilometres (53 mi) north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames (named by Captain James Cook) in the west from the Pacific Ocean to the east. It is 40 kilometres (25 mi) wide at its broadest point. Almost its entire population lives on the narrow coastal strips fronting the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Plenty. In clear weather the peninsula is clearly visible from Auckland, the country's biggest city, which lies on the far shore of the Hauraki Gulf, 55 kilometres (34 mi) to the west. The peninsula is part of the Thames-Coromandel District and the Waikato Region.

In Hauraki Māori tradition, the fish is likened to a stingray, with the Wellington Region being its head, the Northland Peninsula its tail, and Coromandel Peninsula its barb or spine.

The English-language name for the peninsula comes from HMS Coromandel (originally named HMS Malabar), a ship of the British Royal Navy that stopped at Coromandel Harbour in 1820 to buy kauri spars. The ship was named for the Coromandel Coast of India.

Geography

The peninsula is steep and hilly and largely covered in bush. The Coromandel Range forms the spine for most of the peninsula, with the Moehau Range at the northern end providing the highest point at nearly 900 metres (3,000 ft). The large Great Barrier Island, which lies beyond the northern tip, can be thought of as an extension of the ranges. The island is separated from Cape Colville on the peninsula's northern coast by the Colville Channel.

Although the peninsula is close to large centres of population such as Auckland to the west and Tauranga to the southeast, its rugged nature means that much of it is relatively isolated, and the interior and northern tip are both largely undeveloped and sparsely inhabited. The Coromandel Forest Park covers much of the inland part of the peninsula.

Numerous small islands and island groups lie offshore, such as the Motukawao Islands to the northwest, the Aldermen Islands and Slipper Island to the southeast, and the Mercury Islands to the northeast.

Owing to the nature of the land, much of the Coromandel's population clusters in a small number of towns and communities along the southeastern and southwestern corners.

The peninsula is a popular place to live for people who have chosen an alternative lifestyle, especially those who have left Auckland. The 1970s saw thousands of hippies relocate from large cities around New Zealand to the Coromandel in search of an environmentally friendly lifestyle associated with the counterculture back-to-the-land movement. As of 2010, increasing numbers of affluent Aucklanders have started moving to the Coromandel.

By the time we arrived a couple of miles off the islands off Coromandel the swell had got up to about a meter which hardly troubled us but we had to take down the sails and motor to the entrance of Coromandel Harbour avoiding a nasty rock outside and then we entered the Harbour – a large natural harbour with a wharf which is only accessible a few hours either side of high water.

The wind was due to stay quite strong and from the west until about 4.00pm when it will back Southwest but stay quite strong with gusts of up to 31 kts until the early hours. We therefore decided to anchor in a little bay just west of Te Kouma. As we came into Coromandel Harbour the swell and wind were evident and we got as close in as we dared and anchored in about 8 m of water but at high tide. We dug the anchor in well by reversing at 1500rpm.  

We then had lunch and had a few hours before the wind backed so we had to grin and bear a bit of swell. I put on the anchor alarm which went off when I had it at 30m as we were swinging around but our transits (things we line up on the shore to check whether we are moving- did not budge). We reset it to 40 meters. Near us was a fish farm and we could see the inflatable buoys moving around quite a bit. The boats on moorings in the next bay were moving a lot. The bay we were was quite small  but we were fine and there was just the odd house in the bay.

We chilled and read and had a rest. The wind would gust strongly every now and then and we would move around a bit but held firm. I had the instruments on to check the wind strength etc. We were well sheltered when the wind backed to Southwest and South so we were in a good position.

Whilst all this was going on after lunch I prepared a chill con carne and made a large lot from 1 kg of mince which will provide us a number of meals.

By 4.00pm the wind started to back SW and by 5.00pm this was well set. We therefore had a sundowner and then inshore I saw a large tail flap on the surface and thought it may be a whale. We watched for a while and realised it was orcas again. We saw their black fins and watched with amazement that we were seeing more orcas again.

This time the pod was smaller -say about 7-8 with one very large orca with a huge black fin. They gradually came closer and skirted round our bay and kept way from us, although two large orcas came within about 7 yards and swam past us and they disappeared out of the bay going between the fish farm and the coast.  Wow two sittings in a few days and I have never seen any before in the wild.

We then had supper and watched the sun go down in the wind. Things had calmed down a bit but every now and then there is a large gust. Supper was my chilli with rice and broccoli which was complimented by Keith and even I enjoyed it.

It had been an interesting day and the picture of the day is the bay in which we are anchored. The wind is due to continue in the night and move South before returning to Southwest but we are in as sheltered spot as we can get. We hope to see more of the peninsula tomorrow.

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