The sun was rising at 6:15 as we sailed with the wind behind us nicely out of the Bay of Islands New Zealand. Leaving in a rush with the only weather window we could see before my flight in 10 days time. The passage looked a bit challenging with the last two hours of tacking in 25 knots gusting 35….
to reach Smugglers Bay just outside Marsden Point and we did not know how much shelter it would provide at anchor.
We love our life on the water. Excited to meet up with friends Don and Julie in the marina.
Whangarei is a small town which has attracted and blossomed around the large cruiser community who stay here for the summer. You go up the river and under the bridge Te Matau a Pohe at high tide to get to Whangarei.
We chose to anchor 3 kilometers out of town along the Hatea river at the former Whangarei Port near the Oceana Marine Shipyard. Up until 1967 it was the industrial hub of the area with logging, fishing and oil. This decade it is being transformed into a waterside community called Port Nikau. There is a Greek restaurant in the middle of the 100 acre site which we did nt go to. Somebody has a beautiful vision.
It is a Maori fish hook which lifts on its middle curve to open. Very classy.
We couldn’t help comparing to that disaster in Newry see here where they chose to build a non opening bridge spanning the Newry which bans sailboats to reach the Albert basin and Newry canal for ever…
The walk along the river Hatea is very nice indeed with sculptures to be seen in different light at each passing. Information boards telling us the history of the area every few metres. Well done.
We get good German bread from a local shop in the center and quickly walk back home to the boat 5 km down the Hatea rivier again because we have also have to do a dinghy trip to the airport today. That is a practice run at the same height of tide as 04:00 on Monday next week when Stella will fly to Ireland.
