Cruising New Zealand 3

Sal Darago on the piles, having her bottom attended to ;-)

Forestry Bay, Great Barrier Island
We motored all of 3 miles to this bay and anchored. The land here is owned by the Department of Conservation and several trails have been provided and a campsite. We walked to a waterfall, which had 3 or 4 deep pools. The trail continued through the forest to Port Fitzroy village. The shop was well-stocked and we were able to buy supplies for the next two days. Jeremy saw a notice advertising items for sale. He phoned the number and before long we were the owners of a solar ventilator, a walking pole and a sharp knife in a scabbard, all in new or good condition for a very reasonable price.

Cruising New Zealand 2

View from the Smokehouse








The Bath House, including bath and boiler.

Cruising New Zealand 2A

Smokehouse Bay, Port Fitzroy, Great Barrier Island
We’d heard about this bay from Ray, who was anchored near us in Tutukaka Harbour. I was intrigued to find out more about the hot baths provided here. We went ashore with our towels and swimming costumes, not sure what to expect, and found an amazing facility. A local family had provided scrubbing piles on the beach, a wooden bath house, a barbeque and picnic area, 3 ovens to smoke your own fish, a fish preparation table, 3 double sinks with mangles, 3 rotary washing lines and a self-composting toilet. There were no staff and no charges, just a request for donations. In order to have a bath, we had to collect dead wood from the hill, light the stove and wait about an hour for the boiler to heat up. We felt we had earned the deep, hot bath in which we finally luxuriated, our first bath for 13 months.

We had the bay to ourselves until the evening, when some local fishermen came in with snapper to smoke. One of them gave us two fillets of fresh fish to try. It made a great starter for our supper.

The next evening, after a day stop at Forestry Bay, we were back. The guys had smoked their fish and the following morning we were given a large smoked fish for later. Jeremy decided to tie up to the scrubbing piles so he could replace some of the antifoul paint and make sure there were no barnacles hitching a ride. Because of the tide, we were up early and tying up about 6.30am. Jeremy fixed a support “leg” to SD’s bow, just in case she decided to nose dive, and we waited for the tide to go out and the boat to settle on her keels. Whilst Jeremy was thigh deep in the sea scrubbing and painting, I did the washing, making use of the mangles and the washing lines. We kept the wood stove burning and later had another deep, hot bath. Such treats are rare for travelling sailors. Cheers to the Webster family and the volunteers that made it all possible.

Cruising New Zealand 1A

We had a fresh southerly wind soon after we left Tutukaka Harbour and headed south. Why is the wind always coming from the direction you want to go in? To avoid the worst of the swell, we kept as close inshore as we dared. Just to add to the spice of life (as if we haven’t faced enough sailing challenges already) we arrived at the entrance of the 15 mile river that leads to Whangarei, just as the tide was flowing out strongly. We had to turn almost 180 degrees to stay in the channel, so that meant wind over tide (pretty rough seas) and a constant danger of gybing ie the wind taking the mainsail and boom across the boat from port to starboard or vice versa at high speed. Jeremy turned into the wind to tack, which is a much safer way of going through the wind, but as soon as he was on course, he gybed anyway! No damage done, fortunately, except to pride.

Urquart Bay
We were very happy to arrive safely at Urquart Bay, an anchorage close to the channel, out of the tide and sheltered from the wind. We stayed the night and took the flood tide up the river the next morning.

Whangarei
We followed the river channel, which was well marked with red and green navigation posts, almost all the way up. We had the route on our electronic chart and all was going well – until….. the chart came to an end but the river didn’t. The abandoned dock alongside certainly was not Whangarei, so we continued following the channel markers, which took us round a series of bends until we saw the marina ahead of us. Right at the end there was a cardinal marker, with a broken top mark. We argued. It’s an east marker. No, it’s a west. Which side should we pass? A boat came the other way and our argument was settled. We entered the Town Basin Marina and faced our next challenge. We’d chosen a pile berth, but we had to secure Sal Darago to four big posts and avoid bumping any other boats while we did it. The lines had to be fixed to floating rings, which were round the posts at sea level. The dinghy had to be launched. With a bit of advice from the marina manager, we were left to work it out. About half an hour later, we were tied up without incident.

Whangarei is a great place. The town is used to building and supplying boats of all descriptions. It had several marinas and boatyards and many international boats haul out here during their stay in NZ. There are also lots of shops and a supermarket, close to the marina. We stayed five nights. Sal Darago was booked into Northsands Boatyard for a haul out in February and we reserved a pile berth for two months to cover our absence at Christmas and New Year, and the time we hope to be travelling around South Island in a camper van.

Our outward trip down river was fine once we’d safely passed a huge barge towing another huge vessel on one of the double bends. I was on the helm and Jeremy was down below, but he was quick to respond to my cry of, “Come up here, NOW!” We went to the only fuel berth on the river at Marsden Cove Marina, near the entrance. The “serve yourself and pay with your card” pump refused all 4 of our cards. Several phone calls later, we were told that it doesn’t like European cards. Great! Fortunately, a local yacht arrived and the skipper used his card with no problems. We paid him in cash.

Stead Bay, Hen and Chicken Islands
After an overnight stop in Urquart Bay, we motored in calm conditions to Stead Bay, where we anchored very close to the shore and had our lunch. No landing was permitted in this nature reserve. It was very quiet and peaceful.

Te Titoki Point North, Little Barrier Island
We motored another 24 miles. On the way, we saw a school of large whales, which we believe were Bryde’s whales, 11-13 metres long. They were blowing, feeding and diving, occasionally showing us their huge, open jaws. Once we were anchored, we put on our wet suits and scrubbed all the town dirt away from SD’s waterline. Once again, we were not allowed to land on the island without a permit. As it was flat calm, we stayed overnight, but swell came in about 4.00am and we were pitching uncomfortably until we left soon after breakfast. We were amazed to see another whale, not as big as the ones we’d seen the previous day, close inshore. We sailed by slowly, watching it blow and dive. About half-way to Great Barrier Island a pod of dolphins swam out to us, and rode our bow wave, bumping each other out of the way. We felt very privileged to see the whales and dolphins enjoying the freedom of the sea.

Cruising New Zealand 1

Whangarei Marina
A Bryde's whale feeding








Today, Blogger/Picassa decided not to let us publish pictures and text together so we are back to publishing them separately. Sorry!

Tutukaka

Tutukaka Harbour

I suppose the wind had to arrive sometime. It was forecast, but we thought we might make it to Tutukaka before it was too strong. We reefed down about an hour later and put the radar on as heavy rain enveloped the coastline. Soon we were motoring into a headwind, avoiding big seas by keeping inshore once the visibility improved. We anchored in the harbour in the early afternoon. A local yacht called “La Di Da” arrived about an hour later and the skipper, Ray Morris, came over after supper for a chat. The next day, we walked round the marina in the next bay and took a stroll towards the lighthouse. On the way we met a family from Blackburn, Lancs, my home town. One of the women attended Billinge School, but was four years my junior. Small world indeed!

Whale Bay and Whangamumu

Whale Bay
What a difference a day makes. We woke to grey clouds and the threat of rain. Once again (making 3 in a row) Jeremy dived on the anchor to dig it in properly. He was very cold afterwards. We went for a walk on the beach, but the caves I’d seen from the boat turned out to be disappointing crevices. It rained all night. The next day, on our way to Russell for provisions, in thick fog, we were hailed on the VHF radio by a NZ warship. It came quite close to us. We told them our destination and let them know we had cleared in over a week ago. They let us proceed.

Whangamumu Harbour

We left Russell before 8.00am. Visibility was better but dampness was hanging in the air. Nearing the most northerly point of the Bay of Islands, the fog closed in again and the radar was turned on, along with our electronic charts. Out of the gloom rose the high island of Piercy with Dog Island beside it. Piercy Island had a huge arch called the “hole in the rock”. We watched a boat motor through it. Trips to this arch cost $75NZ per person, but it is a magnificent sight. The fog cleared once we left Cape Brett behind us. Soon we were anchored off an old whaling station at Whangamumu Harbour. We went ashore and explored the remains of the whaling station. We were reminded of the shark station on Soay Island, near the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Our water bottles were filled in a fresh water stream and we clambered up a waterfall as far as we dared. Jeremy slipped and fell into a clump of thistles – not the best thing for his sore ribs. Then we saw several trails signposted and chose the shortest one, 30 minutes. It turned out to be largely uphill, very steep in parts, but it led us to a lookout with spectacular views. Back at sea level, Jamie, from yacht “Shannon”, gave us some abalones to try. He invited us to dinner but we had fresh pork to cook and had to decline. We weren’t too impressed by the fried abalones.

Opua and the Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands

Opua
At about 9.00am on our day of arrival, we were boarded by Customs/Immigration, Ministry for Agriculture and Food (MAF) and a sniffer dog. Everyone was pleasant and friendly. We were given lots of information about Opua and the Bay of Islands and several small gifts including a miniature bottle of Mount Gay Rum. This was a first – being given alcohol by Customs. All our remaining potatoes, three coconuts and our honey were confiscated. The sniffer dog found nothing and we were cleared in for 6 months with no charges to pay.

Later that morning we checked into the marina. We ate huge beef burgers at the marina café and drank our free bottles of beer. There was a well-stocked shop nearby and we were ecstatic to see clean, fresh fruit and veg (no creepy crawlies), vacuum packed cooked ham and fresh milk (no more UHT). Next stop was the shower block. Sheer bliss! I stood under a hot shower, but I was only allowed 4 minutes of joy for my dollar. Fortunately, I had two dollars with me. By late afternoon, I was able to get some sleep while Jeremy emptied and refilled our water tanks from the tap next to our berth. He must have looked ragged because a man passing by gave him a pizza, so that was supper sorted!

The nearest town was Paihia, about 5 miles away. As there was no public bus and no marina shuttle bus that day, we hitch hiked. We were picked up by Brian, the MAF officer who had taken our potatoes the day before. Paihia was lovely. It had everything we needed within short walking distances and soon we were fixed up with NZ currency, food, a local SIM card for Jeremy’s mobile and a Vodem device to give us access to the Internet via Vodaphone. A local boat owner gave us a lift back to the marina.

Soon Jeremy was like a child in a toy shop checking out the various products on sale at the two chandlers and the electrical shop. Within a few days we had new anchor chain, a new dorade vent (remember one was knocked off in the Panama Canal) and several LEDs. I found the hairdressers and booked myself in for a cut and blow dry plus a free massage and hair treatment. Amazingly, the hairdresser and his partner had recently sold their shop at Onchan in the Isle of Man called “Kaha”. There was a large self-service laundry and I think it took two half days to do our washing, including the 15 tog duvet, which got wet with sea water during our passage to NZ.

It was lovely to meet up with some British boats again. James and Lucy on the catamaran “Snow Leopard” invited us to share their hire car and go to the Bay of Islands show. We had a great day with hot sunshine, food and drink tent, bar, best cakes, flower arrangement, embroidery etc. There were children showing calves, sheep, hens and horses. We watched a leading rein class and some hunter trials. Jeremy correctly identified the winners. It was so good to smell the grass and see the landscape, which was just like north Lancs or the Yorkshire Dales. We all went to see the oldest stone house in NZ and the oldest wooden house at Kerikeri. We found out later that Wattie Bigwood’s daughter works in the stone house. Wattie on yacht “Cariad” had been anchored near us in Tobago last year and we’d met him again in Trinidad. Now he has just arrived in the Marquesas.

John and Chris on “Sara II” had caught two tuna fish on their way to NZ. They gave us two fillets, which we had for supper one evening, and the day before we left Opua they invited us for dinner, where we ate more lovely tuna and fresh strawberries with yoghurt. They also gave us useful information on marinas and boatyards in Whangarei, which they had visited in their hire car. We declined their offer of a night away in Northland as we had to move from our berth the next day.

Russell
We anchored about 5 miles away from Opua, close to Russell Boat Club. There, a board said they were serving roast lamb, mint sauce and veggies that evening, it being Sunday. We booked for two straight away. The town of Russell was once the capital of NZ and a centre of the whaling industry, notorious for its pubs, brothels and riotous living. Nowadays, it’s a pleasant, tourist town offering trips to watch the whales and dolphins in the Bay of Islands. Our Sunday roast was magnificent with 8 different vegetables and lashings of gravy. Naturally, we had to have desserts and draught beer. We were almost overwhelmed, as it was a year since we’d experienced such delights.

Roberton Island
This lovely, small island is about 6 miles from Russell by sea. We anchored off the beach at the second attempt and took the dinghy ashore. It didn’t take long to explore the beach area and to climb up to the lookout, where the views were superb. Captain Cook landed here and had to fight off the Maoris. We had only ground nesting birds to face, which warned us with their wings to keep clear. We both swam, but I wore my wetsuit. It was still cold in the water.

Urupukapuka Island
This was a 4 mile motor from Roberton Island and the first day I wore shorts in NZ. We decided to walk a trail around the whole island (4 hours). Places of interest were marked with information boards. What we didn’t realise was the trail had many steep uphill and downhill parts, which made our sea legs ache and our heart rates quicken. The views were stunning out across the ocean on one side and over the Bay of Islands on the other. We rewarded ourselves with glasses of beer at the one and only café and refused to let small measures and short change spoil our day. Tourists beware.

Bay of Islands 2

The view from the top of Roberton Island. SD is just visible.

We walked all round Urupukapuka Island. About a four hour walk. I prefer atolls as they tend to be flat!

Bay of Islands

The Bay of Islands Show. We were lucky enough to watch some horse jumping.

Sal Darago in Opua Marina with half the World beneath her keels. Well done SD.

To New Zealand

Jeremy sorts out the mainsail.


Kathy prepares to ford the river at Kerikeri, New Zealand.

Nomuka Iki

Jeremy sees if he can float an old wreck




Kathy finds an al fresco seat in the jungle

Tonga to New Zealand

Tongatapu
By the way, the ham referred to in the last blog was actually salted beef, which is often eaten by Tongans.

We left Nomuka Iki at 5.00am and it was still dark. We motored past the other anchored boats, navigated our way around islands and reefs and reached deep water safely. About 10 hours later, we arrived at the port of Nuku’alofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga, on Tongatapu Island. We anchored off Big Mama’s Yacht Club at Pangaimotu. The trip reminded us of numerous passages to the Isle of Man from the Lancashire coast, motorsailing and bashing into a headwind.

Checking in at Customs was quick and easy. We soon found our way around Nuku’alofa. It had a big fruit and veg market, a wonderful bakery and two adequate supermarkets. The town was a good 20 minute walk from the harbour. We were pleased to see our Austrian friends Flo and Nina anchored near us and even more pleased to hear that Nina was 4 months pregnant. They were clearly thrilled at the news and did not mind ending their cruising in Tonga instead of NZ. Their catamaran, Flina, is for sale at Vava’u, Tonga. The next day several more boats arrived from Nomuka Iki. We were invited to have dinner aboard a New Zealand yacht, Stella Mauris. Simon and Marie gave us starters/nibbles of prunes, raisins and pumpkin seeds and a main course of ratatouille, rice, grilled steak, and various salads. All this was followed by homemade chocolate chip dessert. We played Scrabble using our tiny travel version. Naturally, we had to let our hosts win!! At the end of the evening we decided that whenever Stella Mauris left for NZ, we would leave too, as they had sailed the passage twice before.

They took us by surprise and left for NZ the next day. We hadn’t cleared with Customs and Immigration, we hadn’t bought diesel and we hadn’t bought food for an ocean passage. After a short period of rushing around like mad things, we decided to stay. The weather window they were risking was already 5 days old. However, after a rough few days at the beginning, Stella Mauris arrived safely in Opua, NZ eight days later.

The anchorage filled up again and we were reunited with the British yachts – Endymion, Sara II and Gryphon II.

Exactly one year after leaving England on 29th October, we went ashore to help Big Mama celebrate her yacht club’s birthday. We joined in the sports, playing volleyball and table tennis. Amazingly, we were playing volleyball with Dave from Nikita for the second time, the last time being at Valentina’s on Toau Atoll in French Polynesia several months ago. Both teams won a game and after a closely fought final, our team lost. Jeremy was later named “man of the match”. He certainly threw himself into the game and on to the ground with great enthusiasm. We returned to Big Mamas in the evening for a free Tongan banquet and dancing to live music, provided by the local police band. We had a great time. The next day there was a prize giving and all the boats that had taken part in the sports received a basket woven from palm fronds containing fruit, corn on the cob, coconut and a bottle of nono juice. We had previously tasted the Pacific health drink and gave ours away to someone who liked it. Jeremy presented Big Mama with one of his rowing tankards as a thank you for her fantastic hospitality.

She hadn’t finished yet. The prize giving was followed by a talk given by representatives of Whangarei Marina, which included all we needed to know about arriving in NZ, including informing the Customs in advance.

The next day was Halloween. The cruising kids dressed up and went around all the boats in a dinghy doing trick or treat. We were glad we had some sweets on board. Later that day (Sunday) many boats left to go to NZ. We had booked a taxi tour of the island for Monday and felt quite pleased that we had not gone with them, as there was a weather warning out for rough seas in Tongan waters. We weren’t quite so smug the next day when Ben, the taxi driver, did not turn up. We waited an hour and phoned him twice during that time. Both times he said he was coming. In the end we walked away, went to town, bought our provisions and set off for NZ at first light on Tuesday morning.

The Passage to New Zealand
Mixed is the simplest description. The rough Tongan seas were now moderate but that did not prevent a wave breaking into the cockpit, soaking me through to my knickers in an instant and leaving me standing shocked as sea water covered my leather boat shoes. Sal Darago heeled with the force of the assault and two rivers of water flowed over the starboard cockpit coaming and back into the sea. At the same time sea water flowed over the stern cabin and found its way under the closed hatch, wetting Jeremy’s pillow and part of his duvet. We had the bottom board into the saloon in place, but sea water still entered and gave the cooker a dousing. This was our first day!

Each morning we listened on our short wave radio to the Peguin Net. All the boats on passage checked in and Jeremy noted their positions and weather conditions, so we soon had a good idea of what to expect. Some days we motored in near calm conditions. Other days we had great sailing weather and made top speeds. One day Jeremy was in the saloon filling our flask with hot water from the kettle. The boat lurched and he stopped himself on the ladders which lead up to the cockpit. The boat lurched violently again and he was thrown into the edge of the chart table across the other side of the boat. He screamed as his ribs hit the wooden edge and hot water scalded his face. He may have cracked a rib or two as he was in pain if he breathed hard or twisted. He started taking painkillers. A day or two later the gale hit us. We watched and recorded the fall of the barometer. Just before the conditions changed, Jeremy refuelled and sorted out a jamming of the furling gear for the genoa. I don’t know how he lifted the 5 gallon containers. The wind rose from 6 or 7 knots to 22 knots in minutes and we both worked as fast as we could to put two reefs in the mainsail. The next 24 hours were boisterous. We kept the engine on and the reefed mainsail keeping nearly close hauled ie about 55-60 degrees off the wind. The yachts 100 miles ahead had much less wind but those behind us had worse. Perhaps we should have left on the Sunday after all.

After almost 8 days at sea we arrived at our waypoint off the Bay of Islands at about 1.00am. We motored the last 10 miles taking note of ships, lighthouses and navigation marks. Our electronic charts were accurate once again, all the lights were in place and working and we found our way in the freezing cold stillness of the night to the Customs Q berth. We tied up, It was 3.30am. I had started the passage in shorts, vest top and short sleeved blouse. I ended it wearing long fleecy trousers, socks, T-shirt, long sleeved blouse, fleece, ocean jacket, woolly hat and thermal gloves. Who said it was summer in NZ?

Haafeva Island, Tonga

Part of the Tongan Feast to which we were invited by a family on Haafeva.

Jeremy on the walk around the whole of Haafeva.

Uoleva Island, Tonga

Paradise Island?
Kathy trying to take up residence in Paradise.

TONGA

23/10/10 Haapai Group, Tonga

The 170 islands that make up the Kingdom of Tonga are split into 3 main groups. Most yachts go to the Vavau Group in the north and make their way south to the Haapai Group, ending up in the Tongatapu Group where Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga, is situated. As we were reaching the end of the cruising season, we decided to go directly to the Haapais and head south from there.

The passage from Niue to the Haapai Group took two days and equalled or excelled our previous passage in its roughness. The most surprising factor was the variability of the weather. The wind ranged from zero to 34 knots and switched 180 degrees. The swell started as a long, gentle rise and fall and turned into 16 feet high, short, sharp mountain ranges with breaking waves on top. Jeremy had lots of sail changes to do and sometimes we were motoring, worried that we would not reach the Haapai Group before dark. We had a scary half hour one day when the strong but fickle wind shifted. I was asleep down below, off watch. As the main sail was backed, Jeremy was releasing the preventer (a line which stops the boom being blown across the boat from one side to the other). The fixing that holds the main sheet and the preventer on the boom broke, they fell to the deck and Jeremy was left holding a loose preventer while the boom with a reefed mainsail on it whizzed uncontrollably from side to side. This is a good way to knock yourself unconscious or find yourself swimming in the ocean after being swept overboard. I heard a loud shout, “Kathy!” and I leapt out of my bunk, naked as I was, and rushed up the steps to the cockpit. Jeremy was standing on the side deck avoiding the swinging boom. We managed to get the mainsail down by starting the engine and steering head to wind. Sailors can imagine how rough the sea was as we turned into it. The boom took on a new lease of life without the sail to steady it and whipped back and forth across the roof and cockpit. Jeremy managed to get a line round the kick strut (this supports the boom) and tied it first to one side, then the other side of the boat, rather like you restrain a difficult horse, by fastening pillar reins from opposite sides of the stable to the horse’s headcollar. At last, Jeremy could take a close look at the damage. The boom end had 3 fittings for lines. Two of them had snapped off and one remained intact. He attached the mainsheet to that fitting and we went back on course much relieved.


Lifuka Island
Lifuka is the main island in the Haapai Group. It takes about 3 hours to reach it from a gap in the barrier reef. We enjoyed the peaceful motor on flat water but soon realised our electronic charts were inaccurate once again. Most of the navigation markers were missing and the few big poles that we could see had no colours on them to indicate which side you should pass. We had to rely on our eyes and our depth sounder but we made it to the anchorage off the village of Pangai and anchored amongst several other boats. We had lost 8th October when we crossed the International Dateline so it was now Saturday. Customs and Immigration do not work at the weekends here, so we were confined to our boat until Monday.

We went ashore on Monday, found Sam, the Customs man and he asked us to bring Sal Darago into the harbour and tie up to the wharf. We were boarded by a woman from the Dept of Health, who apologised for having to ask us to pay 100 paanga (about £30). Sam looked around the boat, asked a few questions and told us to come to his office to pay the fee (7 paanga). A man from the Dept of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Food came next and we paid him 23 paanga. After about 2 hours, we were able to do our shopping.

One day we hired bicycles, which they called beach cruisers. They had no brakes and you stopped by pedalling backwards. It was OK once you got the hang of it. Our first amusement was the level crossing. We had to wait at the airstrip for a plane to land. Then we pedalled across the runway. We went across a causeway between Lifuka and Foa Island, avoided pigs and dogs and finally reached a small eco resort on the north end. What a lovely location! There were beaches on three sides, turquoise water and palm trees. We walked, swam and went to the small café for lunch. I think there were two families staying there and everyone was friendly. We worked out we’d cycled 20 miles by the end of the day. We were worn out.

Uoleva
Brilliant. This lovely island, about 5 miles from Lifuka, claims to have the 10th best beach in the world (not as good as Seaburn!). It also has a good anchorage, sheltered from most winds. We spent two days here. We found one small eco resort, popular with backpackers. Residents stay in fales, huts with woven palm walls and thatched roofs. They do have a shower and toilet block but everything is hidden in the forest. We enjoyed swimmimg, snorkelling, walking and generally chilling out.

Haafeva
This island was about 20 miles from Lifuka. We were first to anchor, but were soon joined by two other boats, Emily Grace and Sail Away. We were all invited to church the next day and for lunch afterwards by a Morman couple called Caleb and Aifa. Heavy rain prevented us from getting to church, but we all went ashore for lunch in a shelter near the wharf. The rain stopped and we had a glorious afternoon. The food had been cooked for hours in an earth oven called an umu. Caleb and Aifa had started the umu at 3.30am. We ate lamb wrapped in taro leaves, corned beef wrapped in taro leaves, fried chicken and hot dog sausages (Western food, they said!) sweet potato, taro and another starchy vegetable. Knowing the custom by now, we had all taken gifts. We enjoyed eating, chatting and getting to know some local people as well as fellow cruisers Tom, Kim, Emily (aged 9), Dirk and Anne from the USA and Canada respectively.

Caleb and Aifa run a small store, so on Monday, we walked to the village and bought some things from their store. It was the only shop. Most people go fishing and work on the land growing fruit and vegetables. As a parting gift, Caleb sent all the boats lemons, limes and mangoes.

Nomuka Iki

Kathy spotted two hump backed whales as we motored the 30 plus miles to Nomuka Iki, a small island south of Nomuka. It used to be a mini “Alcatraz”, but there were no prisoners now. Some friends of ours on Callisto had dragged onto a reef here one week earlier, so we carefully anchored and snorkelled to check it was dug in properly, pleased that we were the only boat there. By five o’clock, four more boats had anchored behind us (no skinny dipping here then).

Up early on the second day to bake two loaves, we dinghied ashore by 10. First we explored Tokau, a wreck on the beach. We walked to the East of the island, battered a coconut off a tree and broke my Sowester knife getting a drink. It did taste good and we now eat the very soft white flesh with teaspoons, which is much kinder to our teeth than the mature coconut. We found evidence of habitation – a large water tank, and separately, a bath and toilet pedestal, both these surrounded by jungle! Finally, at the West end of the island there were two pretty goats. The Billy goat was pretty Awful and we both got sticks to defend ourselves. It rained almost all afternoon. In the evening, we had fried eggs, corned beef and pasta cheese source, eaten to the sound of The Beatles Double Album.

We crossed the mile and a half over to Namuka in the dinghy, as it was flat calm. We found the bakery only produced bread on Sunday (J suggested it might be for Communion). The “shop” was Spartan. Sal Darago might have more supplies. But it did have a freezer. Kathy asked for a kilo of beef. About this time a squall hit the island. Monsoon-like rain lashed down and visibility vanished. We sheltered under a corrugated roof. On our way back to the dinghy in sandals, we noted that the dirt road had neither gutters nor drains, but it did do a good impression of a river. Emptying the dinghy, we set off in a stiff head wind for Sal Darago. We arrived safely and had a couple of hours on board Stella Maris, a NZ boat (they suggested we sat on towels). Later we spent an hour snorkelling around a reef, made the three day stew and prepared for the 60 mile journey to Nuku’alofa on Tongatapu. We were both surprised when the beef turned out to be HAM? We were to leave at 0500 the next day, so it was early to bed.

Lifuka and Foa

Jeremy riding his bicycle on the causeway between the two islands







...And with that the pig got up and walked away

Nuie

Pig butchering at hair cutting and ear piercing ceremony







The Pacific

Niue

Tavela Arches

Aitutaki and Niue

041010

Aitutaki, Southern Cook Islands

The passage to Aitutaki from Mopelia took 3 days. The winds were light to moderate and dead behind. The swell was uncomfortable. We lost VHF contact with Gryphon II after one day and found out later they had decided to go to Raratonga. We arrived at Aitutaki, with about one hour of light left to negotiate the shallow pass through the reef. We knew we could anchor off until morning. Once again we found our electronic charts were not accurate. We couldn’t see any beacons or markers, the reef seemed to be a continuous line of breaking waves and we didn’t know whether it was high or low tide. We would have to sound our way into the anchorage and leave the pass until morning. Then a voice called over the VHF. It was Arthur from the yacht, Aquarius, and he was in the harbour. He told us it was nearly high water and to look for some sticks, which marked the north side of the pass. I could see some sticks further in but nothing at the entrance. Jeremy saw a stick marking a narrow gap in the reef and in we went. We ran aground twice and the second time we were next to the pass marker. Arthur was great and talked us through the pass and into the harbour, where his crewman handed us a bowline and we dropped our stern anchor. The bowline was secured to a palm tree ashore. At last my heart rate returned to normal as darkness began to fall.

We later learned why this port of entry to the Cook Islands was marked by sticks. Aitutaki was hit by a cyclone in February and suffered 90% damage but no loss of life. When we saw all the roofless and demolished buildings and many people still living in tents, we felt humbled. Everyone was very friendly and they all spoke English. Clearing in was easy, the bank exchanged our French Polynesian francs for NZdollars and we soon found our way round the few shops. We had run out of fresh produce days ago in Mopelia but could only find tomatoes and lettuce. There was no fruit, as the trees had been flattened in the cyclone, except for a few bananas and papaya.

The next day James and Lucy on the catamaran, Snow Leopard, arrived so there were 3 British boats in the small harbour. We had a great time socialising for 3 evenings in a row. Jeremy and I hired a scooter for 2 days. We had to get a Cook Island licence, which seemed to be a formality, but the policeman looked at Jeremy’s driving licence and told him he was not qualified to ride a scooter. He would have to pass a test and pay the charge before a licence could be issued. As we had driven round the island all morning, that was enough to be qualified and a licence was issued for 7.50NZD. We were not allowed to wear crash helmets. There weren’t any. The government had decided they would have speed limits instead of 40kph in villages and 60kph elsewhere. We zipped round the island like a couple of teenagers, stopping to climb to the highest point, from where we saw hump back whales blowing and diving close to the barrier reef. We returned the scooter half way through the second day as the brakes failed going downhill. I got off and walked. Our second scooter was in better condition and there were no further incidents.

We were able to have our propane cooking gas bottle refilled in Aitutaki, but there was no laundry – just a tap near the wharf. The day before we left Jeremy washed all our towels and clothes on board and I took them ashore in 3 buckets and rinsed them at the tap. Soon everything was drying in the rigging. The next day I made a 3 day stew for our sea passage, using lamb chops, potatoes, onions, green pepper, aubergine and green beans. We had our first helping on a rocky rolly sea and all that green slop looked far from appetising. We forced it down.

Niue

The passage to Niue was one of the most uncomfortable since leaving Panama. The swell came from two directions and was short and steep with breaking waves on top. The wind was behind again and we lurched, sometimes violently, from side to side, for hours at a time. After 14 hours, I was seasick on my first night watch. Once I had recovered I took 2 Stugeron. They knocked me out and I slept solidly for 3 hours. I took Stugeron for 24 hours and then I had my sea legs again. We were going to stop at Palmeston, another Cook Island, but realised we would arrive there at midnight and have to gill about until dawn. We did not fancy doing that in the horrible swell so we altered course for Niue and arrived 4 nights later. We entered the wide bay in the dark using our radar, depth sounder and electronic charts, which were accurate once more, and our engine. The “ship’s buoy” I saw from afar turned out to be a large yacht when we were nearer. We called Niue Radio and they told us the moorings were on the south side of the bay. I stood on the bows and shone a torch. Bless Niue Yacht Club! They had put reflective tape on their moorings and they lit up like little beacons. We tied up to the nearest one at 2.20am, drank a toast to our safe arrival and went to bed.

Checking in was easy. We called Niue Radio and they arranged for Customs to meet us on the wharf. We walked to Immigration and to the yacht club, where we obtained a key for the hot showers on the wharf. The catamaran, Snow Leopard, was moored in the harbour and Gryphon II arrived after 2 days. Everyone was complaining about the swell out at sea. We hired a car, which we shared with Chris and Lorraine from Gryphon II. We snorkelled in the Limu Pools which were a mixture of fresh and sea water formed by wave action on the coral inside the reef and we walked to the Taleva Arches. These are caverns with stalactites and stalagmites along with caves and arches carved out of the coral. They were amazing. The most stunning sight of the day was on the walk to Togo Chasm. Thousands of pinnacles of limestone stretched for miles along the coast like myriads of tiny fairytale castles. Suddenly, a ladder dropped down to a sandy cove, surrounded by steep sided cliffs, where palm trees grew but were dwarfed by the cliffs. Beyond the sea battered the rocks the spray creating rainbows as we watched. This was a calm day. Wow!

Perhaps the most unusual sight was a village celebrating a haircutting and ear piercing event. Children aged between 5 and 10 are chosen by their families and afterwards food is given to all the guests to take home. Everyone donates money and the food you are given varies according to the size of the donation. We saw row upon row of taro roots and, quite a gruesome sight to our Western eyes, lots of dead pigs having their heads sawn off and their bodies chopped up into portions for the guests.

I went to the Ekalesia Niue with Yvonne and Danny from the NZ yacht, Ocean Pearl, on Sunday morning. The whole Methodist type service was in the local Niue language. The singing in harmony was a joy to hear but we could not understand a word of the prayers, Bible readings or sermon. In the afternoon, Paul and Marietta from the Dutch yacht, Nije Foam, invited us to go for a walk in the bush with them. After 8km in heavy rain followed by hot sunshine, we were glad to rest at the Wash Away Café, where you serve yourself, order your food and pay whatever you want.

All the people here have been friendly and helpful, especially Jim and Mamata at Niue Yacht Club. Apart from the 2 hour wait for Customs in order to clear out, we’ve had a great time. Our next destination is Lifuka Island, Haapai Group, Kingdom of Tonga. Cheers!

Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Brmm, brmm. Kathy on our hideously dangerous hired scooter. We returned it as both brakes failed.
Jeremy holding up an ancient stone in a Marae (religious site)

Mopelia

Kathy standing in the wreckage of a house destroyed by a cyclone. This was a common feature of both Mopelia and the more populated Aitutaki
Burning the rubbish on a beach in 20+ knots of wind.

Maupiti

The view from half way up the mountain. Rain stopped play on the way up so we did not get to the top!
Rather an idyllic holiday home on the entrance motu beside the tricky pass.

Bora Bora

If you are old enough, you'll recognise this from "South Pacific"

Raiatea and Tahaa

The only navigable river in French Polynesia
A Vauxhall Corsa - no parking zone on a beautiful Motu