Cruising the Bay of Islands

Opua

Bay of Islands

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Photo By:

Sandy Austin Whanau

Opua, in the throat of the Bay of Islands, twenty-one days from Tonga, is a hurricane hole for an international collection of yachts. There is a small store with good ice cream where you queue up for the mini-auto ferry to Russell and not much else. Although Northland and Far North have an occasional hurricane, Opua is tucked in tight.

Rag Baggers, as those sailors who only know how to pull back on the throttle and steer, sometimes call those cruisers packed into Opua for the season, take their sailing seriously. Some are waiting for a weather window to catch the next leg of their circumnavigation, others will head north to catch the currents and winds then drop back along the Alaska/Canada west coast.

There are cruisers and day sailors proudly trimming their sails in the Bay of Islands. For lack of a better description, cruisers live aboard, poke around and anchor out or wharf-hop. Day sailors usually like to race the closest sail boat– even if that other sail boat doesn’t know it’s racing– then hang around the dock or clubhouse at the end of the day and swap rose-colored sail tales.

Sailing on Open Water

My

Pacific SeaCraft

Dana 24

New Zealand, although it’s the land of top mega yacht racers, is not a cruiser friendly country. We passed Whangarei on our way north. It’s almost impossible to find a slip in the crowded boat basin and most cruisers anchor out. A little farther south is Auckland, the City of Sails. You can anchor or dock at Tauranga, Wellington, Picton or Christchurch. But where do you go from there? Remember you’re straddling the

Roaring Forties. A circumnavigation of both islands is possible with a little good weather and a lot of good luck, but the west coast of New Zealand is so shallow, it’s pretty hard to slip in anywhere if the weather turns ugly. Remember the movie The Piano? Her piano came ashore on the beach in a flat bottom boat. The Piano was filmed on the east coast of the North Island.

If you want to cruise– charter a yacht at Opua, hop in and tour the Bay of Islands. The weather’s warm, the water’s warm and the fishing is hot. Take that fancy sail boat out yourself, or hire a skipper and sit back and enjoy a beer while you burn. New Zealand is close to that hole in the ozone we’ve been watching for years. You can turn to toast in a hurry even on a cool cloudy day.

The Moorings has always been a top of the line charter company. They’ve been in business worldwide for many years and provide quality boats– with or without a skipper. If you want to cruise the Bay of Islands and hang out at the Opua Yacht Club with cruisers from several nations, the Bay of Islands is easy sailing. If you only know how to pull back the throttle and steer, the Moorings has power boats, too.

If you’re traveling by auto or RV, don’t be shy about stopping in at the Opua Yacht Club. It's not fancy– just friendly.

And we made it to Opua– that tiny town in the Bay of Islands with the good ice cream.

Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand

Tutukaka & the Poor Knights

Poor Knights

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Photo By:

shutterfinger

If you’ve bought or rented an auto or RV in New Zealand, you can take a loop to the Tutukaka Coast on your trip up Hwy 1 to the Bay of Islands. New Zealand has some of the best water in the world, so why not enjoy a little diving, fishing or sailing?

We doubled back to Whangarei from Bream Head to get around the Parahaki Reserve. Now, if you follow the signs to Whangarei Falls, you’re headed up Ngunguru Road to the Tutukaka Coast– a thirty minute drive east. If you missed Whangarei Falls while wandering around Whangarei, this is your chance to visit the most photographed water fall in New Zealand. You’ll find easy access walkways and a picnic area at the falls.

It’s not far to Tutukaka, so take your time and enjoy the drive. If you’ve brought your lunch or want to explore a little, Ngungururu, a small settlement on the river, has a picnic area at the north end of the beach near the school. Kayaks and dingies are rented at the motel. The current can be strong at ebb tide, so check the tide table before leaving shore or you might find yourself exploring Ngungururu Bay. If you’re RVing, there’s a Holiday Park nearby. Just don’t park too close to the river unless your RV floats. We pulled into a Holiday Park late at night. The next morning we couldn’t step out– our movan was up to its bumpers in water.

Arches

at
Poor Knights

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Photo By:

don_elle

Tutukaka is the jumping off spot for the Poor Knights– one of the world’s top ten dive sites. Even if you’re not a diver, you’ll find plenty to do in and around Tutukaka. The harbor has small sheltered beaches– one at the end of the marina. You can rent a kayak or dingy and poke around the harbor. If you’re not a diver but would like to try a little snorkeling or fishing,

Sea Safaris will take you on a personalized tour of the Tutukaka coast and the Poor Knights. If you just want to visit an alpaca and bring back a warm souvenir,–a sweater or blanket, not the alpaca– Rocky Bay Alpacas welcomes visitors.

From January to April, there are many events in the area such as: The New Zealand Big Game Fishing Competition Nationals (Feb), the Northland Mountain Bike Challenge in nearby Glenbervie (Feb) and the Small Boats Fishing Tournament (Mar). If you like fishing or cycling, you’ll find some special event while you’re around Tutukaka.

Maybe you’re really not excited about smelling like fish all day and just want to spend time relaxing in style. You can lay back and view the Poor Knights and the harbor from the Pacific Rendezvous resort.

You won’t want to miss the Poor Knights if you’re a diver. With good underwater visibility and a warm current from the north, you’ll find tropical species such as spotted black grouper and mosaic moray. Reef fish include pink and blue maomao and two-spot demoiselle. The steep cliffs of the islands drop 100 meters below sea level in places to a sandy sea floor. Wall diving, you’ll find fissures, caves, kelp forests, and sponge gardens. South Harbor provides shallower area for novice divers. Experienced divers can find challenging dives all around the islands.

Pinnacle 2

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Photo By:

Shutterfinger

The Poor Knights were named by Captain Cook because they looked like sleeping Crusaders– heads to the south, feet to the warm northern sun. The northern island is Tawhiti Rahi. The southern island Aorangi. In the early 1800's Maori on Aorangi bred and traded wild pigs (released by Captain Cook) with the mainland Maori. An argument over a bad trade ended in a massacre of the Maori on Aorangi. Since then, the islands have never been inhabited nor claimed as native land. On Aorangi, those Captain Corkers damaged the environment until they were exterminated in 1936. Purchased by a European in 1845, the islands were bought by the crown in 1881 and designated a lighthouse reserve. Today, a marine reserve surrounds the islands and landing is not permitted. Limited recreational fishing is allowed.


Between October and May, millions of seabirds return to the islands to breed. Batter shearwaters (rakes) live on the Poor Knights. Their feeding grounds range across the Pacific between the coasts of New Zealand, the Chatham Islands and California. They return each year to New Zealand– the only place in the world where they breed. Tuatara are found on the larger islands as well as two species of gecko.


Dave and I have spent a lot of time around Tutukaka. We’re both divers, but never dived the Poor Knights. If you want to try one of the world’s top 10 dive sites, you can find a charter dive operator here.

Sting Ray,

Poor Knights

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Photo By:

mattkk

If you’re looking to charter a sailboat, the Bay of Islands is a better choice. Or, if you just want to enjoy an isolated beach, try Matapouri a little farther north on your loop back to

Hwy 1.

If you have a self-contained RV and want to explore the coast and sample some fresh seafood, ask at the hotel in Tutukaka if you can spend the night on their property. If you want to get back to Hwy 1 to get an early start for the Bay of Islands, parking is available behind the hotel in Hikurangi– just mind your manners and ask first.

Air New Zealand has a Fly to New Zealand and Get Australia Free special. You can visit New Zealand AND Australia for about $950. From LAX– including taxes and fees. This will only be available a short time, but air fare prices change as often as the New Zealand weather. If you’ve passed the "Wish I could visit New Zealand." and moved into the "Let’s go!" watch for those bargains.

The loop to Tutukaka brings us back out on Hwy 1 a little south of Hikurangi. The Tutukaka coast is only a little over three hours from Auckland. Even if you’re not headed north to the Bay of Islands, if you have a day to spare while staying in Auckland, why not rent a car and explore this secluded part of Northland?

We’re headed for Pahia next with a brief stop at Opua, that hurricane hole packed with yachts hiding out for the summer.


Lyn Harris

RV in NZ: How to Spend Your Winters South in New Zealand