Category: 2021

2021, Nelson, New Zealand

Charming City Of Nelson

We reached the charming city of Nelson just a couple of days ago after getting the most wonderful welcome by the dolphin and penguins. The arrival of these ambassadors of peace told me this was going to be a very special place and indeed, it is truly special! What a treat it is to have an opportunity to explore this city of 60,000 people. It’s lovely place and we’re delighted to be here.

Chart

As we approach the entrance to the channel that leads to the Nelson Marina we see the world’s largest natural boulder bank (breakwater) off to our port side. The Te Pokohiwi Boulder Bank is 13 km long and depending upon the tide it can be 55-250 meters wide. Near the entrance to the channel there is a white lighthouse standing tall upon the bank. The Boulder Bank Lighthouse stands 18.3 meters high and is made of cast iron that was imported from Bath, England. It has been standing on this bank since 4 August 1862. Now that’s some seriously solid construction there! It was decommissioned in 1982 but still stands as a beacon of hope and light for all who come to Nelson.

The entrance to the channel is a bit churned up with strong currents and upwellings everywhere. We’re coming in with the tide so it’s not so bad but Dan is staying well focused on getting us in safely.

Off to our starboard side there are some small sailboats racing. We aren’t quite close enough to see them but they look to be like lasers or maybe even snipes. Ahead of us in the channel we begin to see the large, commercial ships lined up along the docks. We pass by very close and their immense size is almost overwhelming. I sure hope we never have to be rescued by one of these buggers. I think I’d have a heart attack being pulled up the side of one in rough seas.

Entering Port Nelson

Commercial Ship

On the inside of the boulder bank and across from the commercial docks there are a few dozen boats anchored in the shallows beside Boulder Bank. Along the shore there are a handful of bachs. Bachs are a sort of rustic beach house here in New Zealand. Many bachs function completely off the grid and some, like these, have no power or running water. They are just simple shacks on the bank where Kiwis come to camp. Click below for an interesting article on these particular bachs.

https://thisnzlife.co.nz/ramshackle-baches-on-the-rocks-meet-the-colourful-community-who-holiday-on-nelsons-historic-boulder-bank/

The channel into the marina is narrow and everywhere you look you see fishing boats, commercial ships and sailboats. Along the banks there are families out fishing for the afternoon, even in this rainy weather. It’s certainly a bustling port.

The Nelson Marina itself is very well protected behind the commercial port. As we round the corner and head down the fairway toward our dock the water is completely flat. We find our berth and after five days it’s time for the oh so cherished anchor down beers!

It’s late in the afternoon and we’re pretty well beat so rather than cook on board we decide to head into town for dinner. We know from our friends who just left here that it’s not a long walk but today we decide we’ve earned a taxi ride.

We Need Masks?

The taxi driver finds us along the road outside of the marina and immediately asks where our masks are which is a bit startling to us. Apparently while we were at sea New Zealand went into level 2 lockdown because there are a few new cases in Auckland. Auckland actually went into level 3. Not knowing this and never having been asked to wear a mask in this country we were sort of blindsided.

We explained to Collin, the driver, that we’d been at sea and had no idea. He was very cool about it and decided to take us to the restaurant anyway. We promised to pick up some masks when we went into town the following day. Apparently in level two you must wear a mask on public transport. Not sure a taxi really qualifies for that but oh well. We won’t be needing one again which is good because I’m not a believer in the whole mask thing. But, that’s a conversation for a different time and place.

We had an absolutely amazing dinner at the Lone Star restaurant in town. Their filet is simply out of this world. Of course it’s New Zealand beef so that alone says everything you need to know. After dinner it was back to the boat where we both fell asleep trying to watch a movie. Oh how I love to sleep after a passage!!!

  • Filet at Lone Star

Exploring Nelson

The following day we walked into the city centre to get started on some provisioning. The walk takes about 20-25 minutes and is absolutely smashing. There’s a lovely park that runs along the Maitai River. Along the way there are sculptures, a skate park and signs that celebrate people of influence as well as talk about the area. 

There’s one tree sculpture that is particularly fascinating. It’s the Phil Price sculpture called the Divinity Tree. It’s a kinetic sculpture that moves with the wind. I swear I could have stood there and watched it all day but of course the good Captain insisted we keep moving. 

In town you can find just about anything your heart desires. There are two large grocery stores….A Countdown and another locally owned one. There are a few pharmacies, clothing stores galore and it seems there is a restaurant or pub on every corner. This is the the perfect small town. It’s quaint yet has all of the essentials and even a few of the more luxury items of life.

The city centre reminds me a bit of a European village with the high mountains surrounding it and the potted flowers hanging from the building overhangs along every street. There are several outdoor park areas and almost every restaurant has an outdoor seating area. It’s really quite lovely. I honestly think I could live in this place.

We managed to get all of our provisioning done in one day. The only thing left is to get fuel and that can’t happen for two more days. We ended up eating dinner again at the Lone Star. Gardy and Meike who work there are phenomenal and we decided we just wanted to go someplace we knew would have excellent food and a fabulous atmosphere. One again we were delighted!

The following day I did my least favorite thing….laundry, while Dan walked into town for a haircut and to pick up a couple of missed items. It was a rainy day so I was pleased that I wasn’t needed on the walk into town.

Time To Depart

Boulder Bank Lighthouse
Boulder Bank & Lighthouse

Before leaving this adorable place we needed to get some fuel. Here they have a fuel tanker come to one of the docks. We had ordered the fuel from Mini Tankers on the day after we arrived. On the way over to the dock we saw our first harbor seal swimming around the boats. He was adorable….just a meter or so long, black with jet black eyes. Just looking at him as he twisted and turned in his playful manner made me smile. Unfortunately I was on deck without my camera as this is a little bit tricky to get into this dock and I was on deck duty…not photo duty.

The fueling up was, as the Kiwis say, easy peasy. After fueling up we made our way out of the channel past all of the huge commercial ships and into the Tasman Sea once again. Next stop….a little place called Squally Cove at Oyster Bay. Can’t wait to spend time in the sounds.

Until Next Time,

Jilly

In case you missed it, click here to watch the video with the dolphin and penguins that greeted us on our way in.

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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