Wild Thing - North Island Trip

Written by: Julia Loehr

Let me introduce ourselves: we are a German family with three children (now 9, 10 and 13 years  old). We left home in August 2021 with the view to do a 3-year circumnavigation on Wild Thing²,  our distinctive Outremer 45 sailing catamaran. A sailor’s plans, however, as you’ll appreciate if  you are a yachtie, are written in the sand at low tide. After more than 3-and-a-half years of cruising,  we have come half-way around the world. We first arrived in Opua, New Zealand in November  2023 to get out of the Pacific cyclone belt during cyclone season. 

We didn’t have much time to travel around the country then as we had arranged to fly home for a  long overdue family visit. We left Wild Thing² in the Bay of Islands Marina and came back in late  January so that our children could attend school in Opua for one term. They were welcomed with  open arms there and thrived in this exemplary school with the motto “sharing is caring”. We  realised that our children were starting to grow roots, which is a dangerous thing for sailors to do!  My husband and I had also made friends and loved being in this idyllic slice of paradise. 

Had it not been for our visa coming to an end, we may well just have stayed there and then. But  the reality was that we had to sail out of New Zealand again by the end of April. This is when a new  plan was hatched. Why rush to sail on towards Indonesia and further west when we all enjoyed it  so much here? And so, our family council decided to “sail back up to the islands” (as the Kiwis call  Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific islands) before returning to Opua in November 2024. 

I would lie to you if I told you that there hadn’t been moments when we were doubtful as to whether  we had taken the right decision. The pull of other kids’ boat friends was strong. For one, we were  tempted to sail after some dear friends from whom we had parted in October 2023 in Fiji when  they sailed on to Sydney, Australia whilst we were determined to come to New Zealand. Their boat  name should have been a warning to us: the aptly named boat “Miles Away” is now over 6000  miles away from us – “miles away”! We were also tempted to sail with other kid boat friends in  August/September 2024 towards Vanuatu, the Solomons, Papua New Guinea and other places  we dream of discovering one day. But despite all these temptations, the pull of New Zealand  prevailed.  

We knew how right we had been to follow our hearts the moment we re-entered the magnificent  Bay of Islands on 10 November 2024. We were overwhelmed by the lush greenery and the gently  rolling hills unfolding before us and the scent of earth and land being gently carried over to us by  the wind. We hadn’t expected to feel this intensely. To all five of us, it felt like coming home!  

We spent a couple of weeks in Opua to reunite with our Kiwi friends and explored some of the  beautiful anchorages in the Bay of Islands with other kids’ boats. Almost all other international  cruisers who come to New Zealand leave their boats in a marina for a few months, buy a  campervan and go on a road trip around the country. We decided to have a different sort of  adventure in the two months at our free disposal before our children were due to go back to school  here (at their own request). Our plan was to circumnavigate the North Island and to explore the  northernmost shores of the South Island. 

We waited for a consistent high-pressure system to be established before embarking on our  sailing cruise of New Zealand. On the first evening, we made it up to the Cavalli Islands, where we  stopped for the night before heading on towards Whangaroa and into Te Rere Bay. This is an  incredibly well sheltered anchorage in an estuary of Pekapeka Bay, just underneath the Duke’s  Nose, also known as Kairara Rock. The ascent is not for the faint-hearted as the last meters  consist of a near vertical rock climb along two grab rails. Our children enjoyed this so much that  they climbed up and down several times. Personally, I was just glad to have conquered my fear and succeeded in climbing up! Once up on the flat top of the rock, we were offered royal views of  Whangaroa Harbour and the entire coastline, with ancient volcanic bluffs erupting from native  bush, reminiscent of the landscape of a remote island in South-East Asia. 

From Whangaroa, we sailed north and stopped in Mangonui bay for the night, enjoying some fish  and chips at the famous local chippie. The next day, we enjoyed a beautiful sail up to Spirits Bay,  a fair-weather anchorage which would be untenable in northerlies or swell. We joined two local  fishing boats in the anchorage, a beautiful spot with a magnificent beach, horses grazing on the  hillside. We got the boogie boards and surf boards out and had fun in the shore break.  

We weighed anchor early the next morning, excited at the prospect of sailing past Cape Reinga.  According to Maori beliefs, this is place of leaping from where Maori spirits begin their final  journey. Unfortunately, our joy of passing this mythical place was superseded by the sound of the  bilge pump alarm. A tube had burst, and fresh water was quickly filling the starboard bilge. My  husband Chris managed to get the situation under control quickly, but we spent the best part of  the next two hours mopping up and drying the provisions that we store in the bilge.  

You can clearly see where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean in a spectacular swirl of  currents. We had calculated our passing of this area so that we would take the favourable tide  around the cape, but we were slightly apprehensive. There is a tremendous tidal rip clearly visible  for miles out to sea. We stayed well clear of Pandora Bank, a shallow submerged reef, and made  it past Cape Reinga in calm conditions. A couple of hours later, we were welcomed on the west  coast of the North Island by a pod of playful dolphins, who stayed with us for a good ten minutes  before shooting off again. 

We motored south for the best part of two days, staying around 10 miles from the coast, and then  managed to sail for the last day and night of our passage to the north of the South Island. The most  beautiful wildlife encounter was the sighting of our very first albatross. The sight of this majestic  bird of the Southern Ocean was something to behold. The albatross is one of the largest seabirds  in the world with a wingspan of over three meters and a good amount of curiosity, it seemed to  me. This wonderful bird stayed with us for a long time, circling us, flying away and returning  without flapping its wings. It seemed to glide effortlessly.  

We reached the dreaded stretch of Tasman Sea between the North Island and the South Island  around 1 a.m. of the third night. As expected, the conditions got increasingly sportier with wind  speeds gusting to 35 and disorganised wave patterns. It was not a pleasurable ride! As dawn  broke, we saw that we were surrounded by a thick blanket of fog. We battled on through the gloom  and, around 7 a.m., we suddenly transitioned into a calm, sunny, friendly sea just as we were  passing the latitude of Farewell Spit and the beginning of Golden Bay. The memory of our arrival  in the bay of Onetahuti, a pristine white sandy beach in the Abel Tasman National Park, will stay  with us forever. We had made it to the South Island! We had braved the Tasman Sea!  

We spent the next few days exploring the beautiful anchorages and landscapes of the National  Park. We had several encounters with playful seals; however the most magical wildlife encounter  was our crossing of a pod of at least 60 dolphins whilst my son Hugo and I were out on our small sailing dinghy. We couldn’t believe our luck and marvelled at them gracefully gliding through the  water, with the occasional jump merely for our entertainment, or so it seemed!  

During our time here we became friends with a lovely Kiwi couple who were also spending a few  days in the Abel Tasman on their boat. They invited us to stay on their guest mooring underneath  their house in Squally Cove, just to the west of the Sounds. We ended up staying for three nights  and enjoyed their warm, kind hospitality, exchanging sailing and other tales. From there, we sailed up to the remote D’Urville Island. Here, you feel as though you have really left civilisation behind  you. This is also where we picked up a new skill, fishing (as opposed to trolling to catch fish behind  the boat). The water here is full of blue cod, a relatively ugly-looking fish with the most exquisite  taste. Fishing for blue cod became one of our favourite new pastimes, making us feel a little bit  like Kiwis. 

We sailed through the notorious French Pass at slack tide when the current reaches a tame speed  of 1,5 knots. With rocks and strong currents, this narrow channel is dangerous if you attempt to  cross it at the wrong time. We marvelled at the dolphins escorting us towards the channel, making  us think of the famous Pelorus Jack, a dolphin that lived over 120 years ago, famous for escorting  ships towards French Pass. In 1904, after someone attempted to shoot Pelorus Jack from a  passing ship, this dolphin became the first individual sea creature in the world protected by law. 

We spent a few days exploring the Pelorus Sound and then made our way into the Queen Charlotte  Sound, stopping south of Motuara Island and Ship Cove and thereby following into the tracks of  Captain James Cook, these being the first anchorages he came to in the South Island of New  Zealand.  

Whilst we found it usually fine to anchor in the Sounds, there are often changing or catabatic  winds there, making it imperative to pay close attention to the wind forecast and the landscape.  You may decide to pick up one of the many mooring balls provided by the Pelorus Boating Club  instead. If you do decide to cruise the beautiful Sounds, I highly recommend the excellent Cruise  Guide to the Marlborough Sounds, a free and interactive app full of useful information on the many  anchorages and moorings in the area.  

We spent Christmas eve at Furneaux Lodge, an iconic historic homestead from the turn of the 20th century where we enjoyed a delicious meal. On Christmas day, we hiked to the nearby 1000-year old rimu tree. We spent a couple of nights on a mooring ball near Picton to sit out strong westerlies  and used this opportunity to go and visit a couple of ex-cruising friends near Blenheim, spending  a glorious day sampling local wines and reminiscing about old times.  

A few days later, we crossed the turbulent Cook Strait on a relatively calm day with tailwinds and  arrived in Chaffers Marina in central Wellington by mid-afternoon. New Zealand’s capital,  nicknamed windy Wellington, is the world’s windiest city by average wind speed. We went to see  the sights: we took the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens, visited the Weta Workshop and spent  a few hours at the Te Papa Museum. Stumbling across a Banksy exhibition across the road from  Te Papa was a pleasant surprise. We spent a very rainy New Year’s Eve on the boat with prime view  of the fireworks in the town basin. A highlight of our time in Wellington was our 32-km cycle loop along the coastline of Wellington all the way south towards the Cook Strait and back into the city. The views over the city from Mount Victoria are not to be missed – but make sure you have an e bike to make it all the way up there!  

We took the next weather window to leave Wellington, sailing southeast out of the Cook Strait and  back up on the eastern coast of the North Island. As much as we would have loved to sail further  south towards Akaroa or even Stewart Island, we had to head north to be in Auckland in time for  the SailGP racing weekend in mid-January.  

Just like the west coast, the east coast of the North Island is very exposed to the elements with  very few places to seek shelter along the way. You must carefully check your weather window  before setting off. We had hoped to make it around the East Cape/Cape Runaway before strong  westerlies were due to set in in the Bay of Plenty, but decided not to risk it and having sailed 200  miles from Wellington, we turned into Napier to sit out strong winds for a few days. Napier doesn’t have a marina as such, but the local yacht club will try to accommodate sailors who need to seek  shelter from the elements. Note that there is only one berth for a catamaran and a few berths for  monohulls. It is quite rare for sailors to cruise south of the Coromandel, and we have found the  locals going out of their way to welcome us and engaging in friendly conversations. Napier was  destroyed in a strong earthquake in 1931 and then rebuilt in the prevailing architectural style of  the time, Art Deco. The people of Napier are very proud of this heritage and try to conserve it with  the help of the Art Deco Trust. We recommend its guided walking tours run by volunteers to  finance the conservation of the art deco buildings.  

We untied the lines in the late afternoon of our fourth day in Napier and sailed into the night in light  easterlies. As predicted, the wind died overnight and we motored for a few hours before we could  raise the main and unfurl the gib to sail downwind in a moderate southerly.

We approached the  East Cape in squally conditions after dark on the second day of our passage and had a few hours  of with changing winds and swell, with the main in the first reef. After entering the Bay of Plenty, as we were passing Cape Runaway, we were heading into the wind and 1,5-meter waves for a few  uncomfortable hours under engine before being able to reach towards White Island. We could  smell the sulphur from 6 miles away and kept a safe distance from this active volcanic island.

We  crossed the Bay of Plenty and anchored by Slipper Island off the eastern coast of the Coromandel  after three days and two nights at sea, clocking almost 300 miles. The next morning, we went  anchor up and continued to Great Mercury Island where we reunited with our good sailing friends  on SV Kiapa Nui. We spent a few wonderful days together exploring the stunning anchorages,  enjoying the pristine beaches and the stunning views from the steep hilltops of Great Mercury  Island.  

Before we knew it, it was time to part ways once more as we continued sailing up towards  Auckland. We spotted several cute kororas (little penguins) during our 50 miles hop to the  Man’o’War anchorage in the southeast of Waiheke Island. This is a wonderful spot for cruisers with  anchorages around the island, providing suitable anchorages in any wind direction. There are  several excellent vineyards and restaurants and some gorgeous walks on Waiheke, making this a  favourite weekend destination for nearby Aucklanders.  

From Waiheke, it was only 10 miles to Auckland. Westhaven Marina near the CBD is a large marina  which was quite busy when we arrived, maybe partly because of the SailGP racing taking place on  the weekend we were there. If you go, make sure to have a meal at the club house of the RNZYS  where the America’s Cup trophy is currently on display. We spent a few exhilarating days watching  the SailGP racing and met up with some dear friends. We then sailed on and spent a few more  days exploring some anchorages to the north of Auckland including Tiritiri Matangi Island, Te  Haupa Island and Kawau Island where we met and spent time with some wonderful Kiwi families  holidaying on their yachts.  

Finally, it was time to sail north towards the Bay of Islands once again as our children were eager  to get here in time for the start of the school year. We spent a couple of days wingfoiling in Bland  Bay and exploring the ruins of the whaling station and nature in Whangamumu. We were very lucky  to witness a couple of dolphins playing in the anchorage in the late afternoon for a couple of hours,  slapping their tails loudly on the water at regular intervals and going from boat to boat, rubbing  their bodies on our bridle, observing us all the while.  

We passed the dramatic, breathtaking landscapes of Cape Brett and the Hole in the Rock on a  beautiful, sunny day at the end of January, returning to Opua exactly two months after we had set  off on our circumnavigation of the North Island. We are so glad that we took the opportunity whilst  in New Zealand to spend some time cruising its coastline and its numerous islands.

There are so many more places to discover, Great Barrier Island being at the top of our list of places to see by  boat when we next get a chance. Our Kiwi friends have all told us that Great Barrier Island is an  entire trip to itself – it must be stunning! We can only encourage you to consider sailing beyond  the Bay of Islands during your time here in New Zealand.

Be sure to check the weather forecast,  look at the wind patterns, think about where you might be able to seek shelter if you need to, and  go exploring this beautiful country’s shores and meeting some of the wonderful people that make  New Zealand so special. 

- Julia