7 November 2024 -New Zealand

We got up at 5.45am or at least some of us did as we were going to have to go to Whangarei to drop Carolyn off some 42 nm away odd and high water being about 12.30pm. We dressed, got the kettle on and the upped anchor and headed out of the bay. It was a beautiful still morning and all was quite apart from the odd birdsong.

We put the navigation lights on and put Stormbird onto gori and we were off at 7kts and motored like that the whole way as there was little wind to speak of. The sun came up and there was very little cloud and it was a lovely day.

During the journey we saw lots of wildlife. We saw a couple of whales just swimming along the surface with their blowholes going up 15-20 feet. Theye we so graceful and we think there was so much to eat they did not need to dive. There were thousand of sea birds (they flew like puffins but were not) many of whom were sitting on the water like a great convention. We saw some small penguins swimming around and we saw quite a few balls of fish which was evident on the surface of the water which looked like little islands or reefs as their volume raised the water by an inch or two. The birds often sat on the top or nearby. It was all like being in an Attenborough documentary.

We motored along the coast seeing the lovely cliffs of different colours, beaches and hills rising behind some with trees and others plain. There were a number of islands we passed or could see a little more offshore which are now wildlife sanctuaries and apparently in the Top 10 diving spots of the world. The journey took about 6 hours before we came to the entrance to the Whangarei channel which is quite a major commercial wharf. We stayed just outside the channel and let the commercial shipping go past. We had to go a few miles down the channel before we could head over to the channel to the Marsden Cove Marina which is a little inland in its own basin. We had been allocated a berth and so after checking on the radio we headed over to this berth and reversed in.

The marina is some way out of the main town and has an estate around it with some shops and restaurants. It had quite a lot of land around which they plan to turn into additional housing. There was the hull of the boat which won the 2000 America’s cup on a cradle. It was a monohull and looked amazing.

We had lunch and the ladies went off for a walk. Keith and I went to explore and first dropped off to say hi to Ruffian, the boat that lost its mast. Ian and Fiona Lewis were on board and in good spirits. They did an amazing job of getting rid of the mast and rigging when it happened so it did not puncture their hull. They then motored the remaining 800 nm or so using fuel supplied by other boats. They are now getting quotes etc for a new mast and liaising with their insurers. We hope they will sort it all out as they have been through quite an ordeal. They were amazingly positive despite what they had been through.   

Keith and I looked round the shops and chandlery and they had a quick drink at the Fisherman’s Cave which overlooked the marina. We then returned to Stormbird to change and then we all went out to dinner at the Marina Café which was surprisingly good.  We will explore more tomorrow.

The picture of the day is of an island on our passage today.

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