The mountainous Great Barrier Islands have several small, friendly villages, very low key tourism, and extensive hiking trails, one of which takes you to an ancient Maori dam. Great Mercury Island, 5500 acres of restored forest and extensive meadows complete with sheep, is privately co-owned by David Richwhite ( one of the wealthiest bankers of NZ ) and Michael Fay of America’s Cup fame. Yachties are welcome to anchor in the coves, swim off the beaches and go hiking ashore, though not where the houses are. Its remote location limits the number of boats – sailboats and sport fishermen-who take advantage of this very special place.

After a pleasant overnight stay with free WiFi in the main anchorage, we left Great Mercury at dawn and arrived with perfect timing at slack water late afternoon at the Tauranga Bridge Marina.

That night, using the Marina’s WiFi ( not free ) , I mentioned our whereabouts to Ginny Duba-Filiatrault of Punta Gorda FL ( onetime SSCA Editor/ Office Manager and lifetime Commodore ).

Ginny replied that Commodore Roger Young lives aboard BALLERINA at Bridge Marina. When I told her that we had met Roger and his then wife Marilyn in 1994 at Rum Cay, Bahamas, Ginny sent me their email addresses. So I emailed them, and Roger replied immediately: he had watched us tie up from the next dock where he is, but hadn’t recognised our boat. So there we were, getting reacquainted per email, late at night, a dock apart! The next day we had a fun reunion, and later Marilyn, who now lives ashore in Tauranga, joined us. She provided me with lots of great local knowledge about shopping and hiking that I’ll share in a future letter. Marilyn was SSCA Office Manager/Editor in the early 1990’s before they left to go cruising. Many will remember the BALLERINA from their involvement with the cruising community in Trinidad. Roger and Marilyn were awarded Honorary Commodore status for their substantial contribution to SSCA. They arrived in NZ seven years ago. Roger’s consultant job takes him all over the world, but when he’s aboard he warmly welcomes SSCA members to knock on his hull and is happy to lend his car for local errands. He’s a great resource for information about local marine vendors and services, as well as general travel around NZ (he can tell you about the best vineyard restaurants).

After settling into Tauranga, we purchased a used station wagon at auction (an easy and popular way to buy and sell a car in NZ) and also bought an air mattress and a cooler (“chilly bin”) Soon thereafter we departed for Wellington, where we visited Wellington’s impressive Te Papa museum; then we took the three hour ferry ride across Cook’s Strait , which was calm as a pond that day.

South Island: First stop was Renwick near Blenheim in the Malborough wine country. We celebrated the start of our South island holiday with a fabulous dinner at Swiss-owned Gibb’s Restaurant, one of several gourmet vineyard restaurants in NZ. Heidi Gibb was our gracious hostess and it couldn’t have been a finer meal. We rendezvoused with Californians Frank, Jeni and eight year old Abby of SEA CARDINAL at the Malborough Wine Festival the next day. The festival took place on a large grassy fairground with dozens of wine and food booths lining the perimeter. Together with around 8000 wine-loving Kiwis, we picnicked and chatted and listened to one live band after another. Though we had a lovely day, we were all disappointed in what we had thought would be a wine-tasting opportunity. Instead, for the $20USD per person entrance fee, we each received a free wine glass that we could refill only by paying several dollars for full glasses of wine, no sample tasting allowed. Instead of comparing local wines, we wound up just standing in the shortest line to buy a red or a white. All the existing cars were stopped by police for a breathalyser test. Many avoided the problem by coming by bus.

Inland Touring: Next day we embarked on a three week “ land cruise” around South Island. We drove 3000 km in a big figure –eight, first down along the rugged east coast, stopping to see the fur seals at Kaikouri en route to Christchurch, a very pleasant city. Then we drove across to Lake Tekapo. We visited spectacular Mt. Cook and hiked the trail to the glacier. Then we headed south through bustling Queenstown to Te Anue, where we were lucky to get next day tickets for a daycruise on nearby Doubtful Sound. ( We left out famous Milford Sound as too touristy and expensive; Doubtful Sound was touristy too, though we enjoyed it.) Doubtful Sound was named by Captain Cook because he was doubtful that the wind would allow his ship to leave once inside, so he passed it by. Next day we drove south along the scenic route to Invercargill, a rather unimpressive small city, and continued along the south eastern coast to Dunedin, stopping at the coastal attractions of the Caitlins along the way. One place in particular is wonderful for camping and made us wish we hadn’t already booked a motel room: Curio Bay in the Caitlins. Here you can swim off a beautiful beach in a sheltered cove with a pod of resident wild dolphins and watch the rare yellow-eyed penguins waddle out of the water at dusk. Sea lion and fur seal colonies are in many places along the coast ( having made a comeback after near extinction from hunting ); we loved watching the pups splash in the natural rock pools while the adults lazed in the sun. Although we didn’t get to see them, Royal Albatross make their clumsy crash landings on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin. From there we continued north and then west across Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth (an apt name for the town); north to Abel Tasman National Park (fun day of kayaking, hiking and swimming) and finally to the charming small city of Nelson. From there we drove to the ferry next day, stopping in Napier, the Art Deco town on the Coast, en route back to Tauranga.

In retrospect, travelling around South Island is all about the great outdoors, and we wish we had rented a small RV (“ campervan”) or tented instead. Finding accommodations is not a problem for RV’s or tent campers, but it was a daily scramble for us to find a room in high season February. The ubiquitous Visitor’s information Centres are very helpful for booking local rooms and giving out tourist information, and they have lots of free maps and guides. But using their free booking services sometimes meant standing in long lines. We stayed in a variety of holiday parks (with communal kitchens and ablutions) and modest motor lodges, avoiding the higher priced B&B’s by keeping breakfast food and drinks in a cooler.

A small bottle of fresh milk for afternoon tea is a tradition in NZ (“ would you prefer whole milk or trim? “); a mini fridge and an electric water heater were in almost every place we stayed. Backpacker hotels are everywhere and are a very affordable alternative if you don’t mind bunk beds and communal ablutions; they are very popular and book out in high season.

We passed thousands of sheep and cattle as we drove through the countryside though much pastureland has been converted to vineyards in some areas. Some enterprising farmers post road signs on shearing days, charging tourists to watch, but we pulled over one day when we spotted some freshly shorn sheep shooting down chutes (say that ten times fast), and we were invited to a free show with the farmer’s wife patiently answering all our questions. The South Islanders are especially known for their friendliness, and we found that to be true. We love eating lamb but found it surprisingly expensive in NZ (cheaper in Tonga, where it’s evidently subsidised), and we were told that much of the best quality meat is exported. Sailing around South Island can be very challenging – you’ve heard of the Roaring 40’s? It’s the Roaring 50’s at the south end of South Island, and the VHF radio report has daily gale and storm warnings even in summertime. But those hearty souls who sail there are rewarded with spectacular anchorages, especially in the Fjordlands. This year a dozen yachts left Opua mid January for the first annual South Island Rally sponsored by the Island Cruising Association. They reported having had too much wind or none at all, but they did have a good time.

NZ Cruising alternatives: Many cruisers arrive in NZ in November (spring) for only one summer season before continuing on with their voyage the following May (fall). Life in the tiny community of Opua is good; one can anchor or rent a mooring or a marina slip; it’s easy to socialise at the Club and work, or have work done, on the boat. There’s a 35-ton Travel Lift at Ashby’s Boatyard next to the Marina, and there’s a growing number of local marine businesses catering to yachts conveniently located between the marina and the boatyard. The only complaint cruisers have is that there’s no public transportation to the next town for shopping, and there’s no ATM machine in Opua. But cruisers use the morning VHF net to arrange rides to Paihia or Kerikeri.

Others choose to end their voyages in NZ, selling their yachts, having them delivered back home, or shipping them by Dock wise from Auckland. We’ve met quite a few cruisers turned ex-pats, among them families wishing to take advantage of the good school system and more relaxed lifestyle of NZ, though strict immigration laws limit those who qualify. One can avoid the import duty if the boat is considered part of the household when immigrating.

Quite a few foreign cruisers realize that there’s more to be seen in this part of the world than one can explore in one year, and choose to commute for a while before continuing on to new cruising grounds. These ‘snowbirds without snow’ enjoy NZ’s pleasant summers while escaping the South Pacific’s cyclone season; then they sail back up ‘up-island’ to Tonga, Fiji or Vanuatu to avoid NZ’s chilly winter. ( It reportedly gets mighty nasty, despite being sub tropical in the North.) There are no Customs and Immigration hassles with this arrangement, since you get a six-month temporary entry permit. We decided we wanted to leave the boat in NZ, so we applied for and received a 12 month extension of the import entry, documenting our request with the list of boat work we plan to do / have done while HALEKAI is in Tauranga. An extension will not be granted just to leave the boat in storage for a year.

Opua Marina VS. Tauranga Bridge Marina There are four main locations where cruising boats typically hang out in NZ: Opua, Whangarei, Auckland and Tauranga, all on the east coast of North Island. Most boats clear into Opua first ( over 450 each year, according to the Opua Customs Official ), though the others are all Ports of Entry, and some make a beeline for Tauranga. It takes three days, weather permitting, to day sail from Opua to Tauranga, though it’d be a shame to do it in a hurry since it’s a great cruising area. We can’t speak from experience about Whangarei or the several marinas in Auckland, though we met people who had good things to say about both places. Though we really liked Opua, Tauranga had been recommended, both in recent Bulletins and by cruisers we met along the way, as being somewhat less expensive and having more choice of quality marine vendors and services. This may be true, but the businesses are increasing in Opua as the marine centre continues to grow there, and the marina prices in Tauranga have increased. Tauranga is more central for land travel, Opua being a bit isolated in the north. Both marinas have floating docks, but the docks are more sheltered in Opua than in Tauranga. There is a 35-ton travel lift in both locations. For price comparison, a 12 metre berth costs $ 244 + $ 82 live aboard fee = $ 326 USD / month in Tauranga, $ 354 + $ 22 = $ 376 USD in Opua.

But a 16-metre berth costs $ 472 + 22 = $ 494 USD in Opua vs. $ 420 + 82 = $ 502 USD in Tauranga.

Power and water are included. The 12.5 % GST (Goods and Service Tax) is refunded upon departure with a valid temporary import permit. These are 2007 prices that can be found on the marina’s websites. In both locations it costs more to store a boat long term on the hard than in the water.

Marine Vendors in Tauranga Three vendors that we have used and were very satisfied with in Tauranga are Hucheson Boatbuilders, Marine Refrigeration Services, and Matamata Motor Trimmers (the latter for boat cushions). Steve’s Marine Supplies is a well stocked chandlery on sulphur point that can order things from other stores in NZ with efficient, overnight courier service; ask to open an account if you’re there for awhile. Give copies of your temporary import permit to everyone you deal with to avoid the 12.5% GST.

NZ Cruising Guides We were fortunate to find someone selling all his latest edition cruising guides to the northeastern coast at half price, so we were able to compare them while underway:

Destination NZ by Graham Brice contains a lot of general information for foreign yachties clearing into the four main ports of Opua, Whangarei, Auckland and Tauranga, but it is the least useful as a cruising guide. It has no index, and many names of places mentioned in the text aren’t included on the cruising sketches, which contain few details such as anchorage depths.

David Thatcher’s Northland Coast: Boaties’ Atlas and Hauraki Gulf: Boaties’ Atlas

Contain excellent harbour charts and descriptions of anchorages and are indexed.

The Royal Akarana Yacht Club’s Coastal Cruising Handbook is a good addition to the atlases and includes details of anchorages from the far north to Tauranga, including the offshore Islands.

The NZ Cruising Guide – Central Area by K. Murray and R. Von Kohorn covers Wellington and the Central Sounds. South Island is included in the Boaties’ Guide to Fiordland by Mana Cruising Club.

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For more information about the Bay of Islands: