Month: February 2021

Sunset BOI
2021, February 2021, Kerikeri, Rangihoua Bay, Russell, Wairoa Bay, Waitata Bay

The Great BOI Shuffle

We love exploring BOI! (Bay of Islands). But, after a few fabulous days of fishing in Wairoa & Rangihoua Bays we had to head into Kerikeri so I could have my now famous “bites” analyzed by a skin specialist. They were getting substantially worse and Dan refused to continue the circumnavigation until we had them under control.

So, we stopped in at the Kerikeri Cruising Club for a few days. They have a nice little marina with clean showers. The only issue is that it’s a bit remote. There’s nothing in the area there. There’s no shops until you get to town and the one restaurant there is only open on Fridays and Sundays. We arrived on Monday and left on Wednesday.

Dan's Birthday Pic

It was Dan’s birthday on the day we awoke to head to Kerikeri so I had decorated the salon while he was sleeping and had his gifts waiting for him on the table when he came out in the morning. Nothing too cool….just a new shirt, some lollies and a DVD. He was a bit surprised that I was able to pull it off though. As a bonus I even made him a cheesecake with black cherries for dessert that night.

We headed out from the anchorage around 1000. It was a bit rainy and wet out but fortunately we didn’t have far to go…just a few miles. It was the Waitangi holiday so when we arrived the marina office was closed. We docked Dazzler in the assigned slip, took garbage in and had a nice warm shower. The rest of the afternoon we just chilled on Dazzler.

Kerikeri Cruising Club
Kerikeri Cruising Club Marina and Anchorage as see from the restaurant up the hill.

The following day we had arranged to have Kerikeri Taxis pick us up and drive us to the very small airport there to pick up a rental car. Getting from the marina into the airport was a $60 NZD cab ride. OUCH! But, the driver, Cameron, was a nice enough mate. He’d just recently started driving a cab. Before that he was a farmer. We enjoyed our chats with him and to be fair it is a pretty good distance from the marina to the airport so the price was reasonable.

The BOI Airport is so small that when we returned our rental car there was literally no one other than us inside! Apparently the workers only show up when planes are arriving or departing.

Rental car in hand we headed out to do some provisioning and then visit the doctor. Turns out that these are not bites at all….they are definitely some sort of skin infection. She called them Granuloma Lesions but honestly there are a million reasons you could get them so we will likely never know how or why they came to be.

Dr. Dowd said she thought I just had not taken the antibiotics long enough so she gave me more Trisul and put me on a month long course. I’m happy to report that two weeks later they are all healed!!! HOORAY! Of course I’m going to have the beautiful reddish purple scars on my arms and legs moving forward but I’ll just consider them permanent souvenirs from Kiwiland. What else can I do? It’s not like I thought I was going to win any beauty pageants anytime soon anyway.

From Kerikeri we headed back to Rangihoua Bay where Marsden Cross is located. We stayed there a day then were off to Patunui Bay. There was weather coming in and this little bay would offer some excellent protection. There’s absolutely nothing there to speak of and quite honestly it wasn’t even very scenic but sometimes you just have to take shelter.

From there it was back to Marsden Cross to wait out more weather. When you live on the water you have to move depending upon where the wind and swell is coming from. Sometimes this can be a daily event. It’s okay though. We enjoyed a couple of rainy days. Even broke out our set of Dazzler custom dominoes so I could kick Dan’s butt!!! I’m sure he will dispute that but you know, whatever. LOL  When the weather cleared we headed on to Waitata and finally into Russell. In two weeks we crisscrossed our way around BOI enjoying little anchorages and interesting scenery along the way.

Sharks, Sharks Everywhere In BOI!

Dazzler Waves

On our way into Marsden Cross the second time it was pretty nasty out with rain and rough seas. As we turned into the bay Dan said, “Look! A Shark!” There was a Bronze Whaler shark about a meter or so long swimming right beside the boat. A minute or two later we saw another then another and before we knew it we had a school of eight or ten of them swimming on either side of Dazzler. None of them were really big but there were enough that I knew I wasn’t going to be swimming in this bay.

Then on our way to Waitata a couple of days later I was on the bow filming and taking pics when I looked off the starboard side and low and behold I see a Hammerhead shark come swimming along. He was well over a meter long. What the??? If I ever even thought that I would want to swim in the cold waters of New Zealand this has certainly set that notion aside.

I’ve done a bit of research and they say the bays here in BOI are full of these Bronze Whaler sharks. They can grow up to 3 meters!!! No more bleeding the fish over the side of Sparkle either. Just what I want is some shark to come chomping down on a fish and end up taking out an inflatable tube. No, we will bleed them in the bucket moving forward.

And I just read where a little further south on the North Island some guys were out fishing on their tinny. That’s what they call the aluminum fishing boats here. These things are everywhere. Anyway, they hooked onto a Mako Shark and the thing leaped out of the water so far that it landed on the top of their boat smashing the windscreen and bending the bow rail before bouncing back off into the water. These guys, who are seasoned fishermen, said it was easily the biggest shark they’ve ever seen in these waters. One of the men estimated it to be about 4 meters long!!! Yes, I think I’ll just enjoy the water from above! Thank you. Besides…it’s too cold for this cold puss anyway. (To read about their experience here…click here)

Tsunami Warming

Tsunami Warning Sign
This sign was posted at the entrance to the Kerikeri Cruising Club that morning.

One other interesting item of note….One morning in Kerikeri I found myself wide awake at around 0300. Not wanting to keep Dan awake I crawled out of the bunk and sat in the salon playing on my iPad. We were tied to the inside of an end tie at the marina and all of the sudden I started feeling something odd happening with the boat.

I stepped out in the cockpit to try to access it. We were moving quite a bit side to side but there was no wind. There was just enough light from the docks reflecting on the black water for me to see lots of swirls and quite a bit of current. It was odd, but nothing so odd that I thought I should wake Dan. It was only our second day here so maybe this was normal. Maybe I had slept through it the prior morning. I decided I’d just keep an eye on it for the moment.

I went back below and continued reading the news and checking out what the friends and family were doing back home on Facebook. At about twenty till six I came across a post on one of the cruiser forums stating that there had been a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in New Caledonia which had resulted in a tsunami warning for much of the South Pacific….New Zealand’s north island included. Okay….this may be something I should wake Dan up to discuss.

Mind you this was a full hour and a half after I had noticed the strong currents. I’m not sure he was really happy to be woken up but the fact is…he’s the Captain and it’s his job to assess these things. I made him coffee while he read up on the events of the morning. Turns out we were just to expect some higher than normal tides and strong currents…. AHA! That’s what I witnessed earlier that morning. My first tsunami effects! In the end that’s about all we noticed. THANK YOU LORD!

Back to Russell

After a week or so of island hopping we headed back to Russell to work on provisioning and prepare for the next leg of our journey which is to head over the top of New Zealand and down the west side to Marlborough Sound. You have to really watch the weather closely and plan accordingly as the west side can be wild and woolly. And, there’s really no place to pull into if you get into bad weather. They say this trip is not for the faint at heart. But, it’s just a four day jaunt so why not? The reward will definitely be worth it.

  • Shots Around Russell
Just a few shots from our anchorage in Russell.

While in Russell we visited a couple of museums. The Russell Museum and the Pompallier Museum (New Zealand’s oldest printery) where we took in a little of the area’s history. Russell was the original capitol of New Zealand in 1840. It has quite a history of missionaries, shipping, whaling and even some cannibalism. Of course the museums don’t talk much about that. I guess it’s not PC to talk about how the Māori used to eat their enemies.

Dan checking out the 1/5th model replica of Captain Cooks’ Endeavour (Left), Jilly & Dan outside of the Pompallier House Shop (Middle) A shot form inside the printery at Pompallier House (Right)

If you ever make it to Russell we highly recommend the Bayside Restaurant & Bar. It’s a great little place located right on the water. We ate there five times in a week and tried something different each time. We were never disappointed. The owners are wonderful too. And, the views of the wharf and the bay are simply gorgeous. Make sure you tell them we sent you!

Dan Loading Sparkle on Deck

It seems our time in BOI has come to an end for now. We’re all provisioned up…Sparkle is on deck and our window of opportunity has arrived. Tomorrow we’ll be leaving the Bay of Islands and heading north. We may make a stop or two along the way or we may just continue on. Only the weather can determine that for us.

We will keep you posted along the way. 

Until next time,

Jilly & Dan

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Pākehā at Marsden Cross
New Zealand

Historical Sites & Deadly Fishing

Let me see if I can get this right here….

We were fishing about a mile from shore around Motuterahiki Island. It’s a small island that consists of nothing but jagged rock that rises a hundred or so feet above the surface of the ocean. We hear that familiar singing of the reel telling us that a fish has snatched onto the blue and silver Rapala lure we’ve been trolling behind our inflatable dinghy. 

Dan is reeling in our catch while mountainous waves crash onto the rocks sending white foam fifty feet into the air just a few meters from Sparkle.  Suddenly our dinghy motor stops. I turn to look over my shoulder and see nothing but rocks and sea foam racing closer as the huge waves push us toward this deadly island that sports nothing but sharp edges and signs of impending doom.

I scream out to Dan, “We’re getting too close to the rocks.” He frantically hands me the fishing pole and I begin reeling in the fish while he tries to start Sparkle’s motor. My stomach is churning as I think of the sharks that will soon be circling as the dinghy sinks. The jagged rocks will shred my limbs as I climb this mountain of death and the oozing blood will invite these savage beasts to their next feast..…ME!  I’ve made it over 15,000 NM across the sea and here I’m going to die just one mile from shore. This can’t be happening! Oh the horror of it all! Goodbye cruel world!

Just when I start to see my life pass before my eyes a miracle occurs. It is as if God himself has reached down from the heavens and gently pushed us around the island and away from the rocks. Before I know what’s happening God tosses that fish into our dinghy and we are saved from doom. THANK YOU LORD!

Jilly's favorite fishing pic!
And I helped!

Okay, okay….it really wasn’t all that bad but, in my defense, it is a bit nerve-racking when you are in an inflatable dinghy that is being pushed with a significant amount of force toward sharp rocks knowing that the motor isn’t working and you are now at the mercy of the sea. It’s even more unsettling when a wave swamps the back end of said inflatable dinghy and water is now up to our ankles in our new swimming pool where buckets and other items are floating all around.

I did, in fact, complain that my arms were getting tired because, well, they were. I’m not used to bringing in the big fish. I’m the photographer and videographer. The most I lift is a camera phone that weighs just a few ounces. And yes, I admit that once that fish was in the dinghy I called it an asshole. I’m making no apologies there. At the time my adrenaline was racing and I couldn’t think of a nicer word for a fish that brought so much chaos and fear into my life.

All that said it was an amazing experience catching our first Kingfish and what made it even more amazing is the fact that it was a true team effort. It took every bit of both of us to land him and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.  And, that I was still able to get some video of it too! Click Here!

Off To Marsden Cross

The beach at Marsden Cross
At the beach where Marsden Cross is located.

But this is just part of our day. The earlier part of the day, while not quite as adrenaline pumping, was brilliant as well. It was sunny with a great breeze and so we headed off to shore. You see we are anchored in Rangihoua Bay which is the location of Marsden Cross. What’s the significance you ask? Well, this is the official birthplace of New Zealand. 

The actual cross located on the shore is said to be the place where Samuel Marsden, a missionary, held the first Christian church service on Christmas Day 1814. With the blessings of  Chief Ruatara of the Ngāpuhi Māori tribe Marsden also established the first Pākehā (European) settlement. 

The beach where Marsden Cross is located
The view of Marsden Cross from our anchorage in Rangihoua Bay

Pākehā

An interesting note here is that while many today use the word Pākehā as a derogatory term against the Europeans or others who are not of Māori descent, we’ve learned that the word actually has a very beautiful meaning.

The Hongi. Pākehā
The Hongi Greeting

Pākehā references three words:

Pā – means to come in to contact, to make contact.

Ke – is related to the word ‘rerekē’ which means different, or unique.

Hā – is to share and exchange the breath. 

The whole reason Māori do a hongi – (the traditional greeting where they touch noses and foreheads) is to share and acknowledge the breath, the hā, that connects us all.

So putting those three words together we have:

“To come into contact with a unique essence of the hā”. This certainly is a much more beautiful interpretation of the word than what we’ve come to know. I think we’ll stick with this moving forward.

Back to Marsden Cross

Dan & Jilly at Marsden Cross

Enough language lessons for today. Let’s get back to our visit to the beach and Marsden Cross. We landed Sparkle on the shore and headed up to view the giant stone cross. There were two Kiwi folks standing there taking pictures so Dan asked if they wanted one together. They in turn took one of us and with all of this we ended up having a wonderful chat. We talked for about twenty minutes about everything from the history of the ground we were standing on to our sailing from Mexico. They turned out to be very kind folks and certainly embodied the “Kiwi way”. Of course that’s not unusual. We find that just about every Kiwi we’ve come into contact with is delightful and kind and completely welcoming.

After our chat we decided we’d walk up the trail to see what else we could find here. It turns out this is part of the Rangihoua Heritage Park. Along the trail there are signs that provide information about the the pā (settlement), the people and the history of the area. It is really quite fascinating and the scenery is truly out of this world! 

  • Hansen Memorial
Jilly is standing at the Thomas & Elizabeth Hansen memorial. They were the first non-missionaries to settle in New Zealand. Dan is showing off some of the information signs we encountered along the trail.

We couldn’t have picked a better day to visit here with bright sun, clear blue skies and cool breezes. Grape Ape had the time of his life running through the hills, climbing trees and just doing the all the things purple apes love to do.

Grape Ape insisted on having his photo taken with Dan.

My asthma often prevents me from taking really strenuous hikes so I was a bit concerned when Dan said we were going to hike to the top of the mountain. As it turns out it is a pretty easy hike with fairly gentle switchbacks. There’s one short section near the top that is tad steeper than the rest but I just took my time and eventually I was at the peak. My reward? One of the most stunning views I’ve seen in all of New Zealand. We could literally see for miles and the ocean below was so clear and filled with so many different hues of blue and green. I could have stood on that mountain top for hours!

The views were amazing! The photo on the right is the Rore Kahu Lookout at the top of the mountain.

The bonus of all of it, aside from the magnificent views, is that we did the hard work on the first part of the hike. It was all downhill getting back to the beach and the boat!!! That’s my kind of hiking. 

Back on Dazzler I had an icy cold beer and a nice rest in the cockpit to celebrate my accomplishment. Of course after that Dan decided we were going fishing and, well, you know what happened there.

This day was filled with a beautiful hike, a chance meeting with some terrific Kiwis and a near death (or maybe not so near death) experience. No matter how you look at it, this was a day filled with all the things that make a true adventure.

Until next time,

Jilly & Dan

P.S. If you want the less dramatic version of the fishing story you might want to read Captain Dan’s version. Sometimes he tends to be a little more level headed than me. CLICK HERE!