Auckland – Bay of Islands

My departure from Auckland for the Bay of Islands marked several milestones. It was eight weeks since I had left Mana and 1000nm under the keel. While more than half my time had been used up, this leg would at last see me passing the halfway point in distance.

Around midday on the 19^th Feb one crew (John) from Devonport, came aboard and we motored across to Westhaven to fill the water & fuel tanks and then down to Admiralty Steps to collect the third crew member who had flown up from Wellington for just this leg of the journey. We had a pleasant sail down to Rakino Is. where we anchored for the night. Early the next morning we hoisted the sails to a gentle breeze but as we ate breakfast what little wind there was died away and the motor was started. In fact the motor was needed on and off all day. As dark fell I was heartily sick of the sound of the motor and began to look on the chart for a good spot to anchor off the Hen and Chickens.

The sudden arrival of a rapidly rising NW wind changed my mind. We quickly reefed the main and agreed to sail through the night. The next afternoon John insisted we put into Whangamumu which he said was his all time favourite Bay along this bit of coast. What a surprise to come through the tiny entrance into this hidden treasure.

Instead of hoisting the sails the next morning we motored close under the cliffs and enjoyed watching the under-water scenery slip by below us in crystal clear visibility and I left the motor running so that we could get a good close up look at Hole in the Rock. We came in through the Albert channel, found a quiet bay for a swim and decided to stay put for the night in spite of a flock of honking geese on the shore.

The next day we put John ashore at Pahia to return to Devonport, had lunch and bought some supplies at Russell and headed back out to Moturua Island where we walked up a track to a waterfall. Several lazy days followed out amongst the islands until a gale warning on marine radio made us head into Opunga Cove for shelter. This is a great spot for an H28 which can get close to the protection of the shoreline. Some of the larger boats with deeper keels were further out and dragged their anchors, providing us with hours of entertainment from the comfort of our better position. Two days later we saw one unlucky yacht had broken free, been tossed up onto the rocks and was badly holed.

Don was sad to be leaving at this stage but I on the other hand was looking forward to seeing my wife who was coming up from Wellington to spend two weeks on ARCA with me. On the way in to drop Don off the engine began to overhead badly and I could see that there was not enough cooling water coming out the exhaust. I decided to continue up to Opua so that I could have the cooling system looked at but just as we passed the point where the Opua ferry crosses, the water pump impellor failed and the smell of hot exhaust from inside the cabin filled the air.

I killed the motor and with 20 seconds to decide pointed the bow in amongst some moored boats and let the anchor go!  I was not very happy with my position near the edge of the channel and so close to ferry but the weather forecast was good and the anchor was holding well so decided to stay put until my wife arrived that evening. The following 24 hours were something of an emotional roller coaster ride. That night my wife surprised me by giving me a wedding ring to mark our marriage three years earlier. This should have been the beginning of a “second honeymoon” but a phone call early the next morning informed us that my wife’s mother had died during the night.

There was now an urgent need for both of us to get back to Wellington. First however I had to arrange for a tow into the marina. It would have been foolhardy to have left the boat unattended on an anchor in such a vulnerable position. As many readers will know, a strong tide flows through the Opua marina. Getting ARCA into the berth would require care and skill. I made contact with a local workboat who came alongside and rafted up tight with springs fore and aft as well as bow and stern lines. I winched up the anchor and we headed into the marina. The most difficult manoeuvre was turning up into the berth without being pushed down onto the opposite poles. We had just begun this turn when a “fizz boat” decided go past us. At the very same moment we noticed that the yacht next to the berth we were about to enter had tied up their dinghy across the entrance to our berth. The skipper of my “tow” let rip with a torrent of colourful language which had an instant effect. The “fizz boat” made himself scarce and the owner of the dinghy quickly appeared to move it out of the way. Suffice to say not a scratch or dent anywhere.

When Joss and I returned from the funeral I was able to easily replace the water pump impellor on my own and we still managed ten relaxing days exploring the islands and sipping latte’s on the Russell waterfront.  Joss returned to Wellington by air and I began to prepare ARCA and myself for the sea journey home as well.  Ahead of me lay 400nm to New Plymouth and no safe harbours to run for if the weather turned bad but I was ready to go home.