Tag: Russell

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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Sunset at Whale Bay
2021, BREAKING NEWS, February 2021, Whale Bay

Gorgeous Whale Bay

Morning has arrived and we are moving about early on Dazzler. We are ready to find a a beautiful anchorage and reclaim nirvana. But, since it turns out the Countdown supermarket in Paihia isn’t as fully stocked as we hoped, before we get underway again we have must head to shore to the Four Square here in Russell to do a bit of provisioning. While I get ready to go ashore Dan drops Sparkle from her hoisted position on the starboard side of Dazzler and puts the motor on.

We head to shore to take care of our errands. This crew is ready to get back to the more remote anchorages where boats and people aren’t crowding us. 

The Beach At Russell

On shore we go to the larger of the two Four Square stores and quickly realize we never needed to leave this place yesterday. This store is much better stocked than the Countdown is in Paihia. So, cruisers coming this way….tuck that little tidbit under your hat. You can save $13 NZD per person on a ferry ride and find everything you’ll likely need or want right here.

The Four Square Grocery Store in Russell is a great stop. Even have ice cold beer! Dan is in his happy place! 😂

As we’re checking out we start chatting with the cashier as usual. Somehow our conversation turned to us being on a boat and then about the fact that we had three guys who appeared to be preparing to nick our dink or our fuel tank the other day. The cashier is adamant that we need to walk down the street to the police station and speak with Michael. She said there have been a rash of these types of crimes lately and the fact that I had a photograph of the men could be helpful to the police. She further said we’d be doing a lot to help their little community.

We’ve have enjoyed our stay here and we do hate criminals so after paying for our groceries we make the short walk down to the police station located beside the Duke of Marlborough Hotel. Ironically enough the officer inside is, in fact, Michael. Not certain but we’re guessing since the population of this little seaside community is just 762 he’s probably the only officer assigned to this station. Of course when the store clerk said, “Oh yes, please go see Michael. If he’s not there leave a message and he’ll get right back to you”, that might have been our first clue. Sort of reminds us of Andy Griffith only without Barney Fife.

Michael turns out to be a really fine mate. We tell him why we came and show him the photograph I took of the men in question. He asks me to email it to him but says they don’t ring any bells with him. Of course we certainly don’t expect him to tell us if they do. He and Dan have a nice little chat about crime, policing etc… Dan always enjoys the opportunity to talk with his fellow brothers & sisters of law enforcement even though it’s been years since he was on the force himself.

Our civic duty complete we make our way back to Dazzler and prepare to move on. Dan fires up the engine as I get our headsets ready to go. Before we know it we are on the move again. This time we are heading north but not certain which bay we will end up in. Dan has a couple picked out and it will just depend on what we find.

The Navy Ship, HMNZS Otago

The trip north is stunning. We pass a series of islands that are nothing but black rock rising from the ocean floor. One of the larger ones is called “Battleship Rock” by the locals. It does sort of look like a battleship sitting on the ocean.

Just as we’re passing Battleship Rock we look out in the distance and a military ship is headed our way. It’s the New Zealand Navy Ship, HMNZS Otago. She’s a P148 protector class offshore patrol vessel. She was built in Australia and launched in 2006 but due to issues with her construction she wasn’t commissioned until 2010.

It turns out she is in the area to help celebrate Waitangi Day here in New Zealand. Waitangi Day is the national day of New Zealand and it marks the anniversary of the initial signing of the Treaty of Waitangi which is regarded as the founding document of the nation. We always love to see the Navy ships when we’re underway and this is no exception. To add to our joy there are dolphin surfing off of her bow and jumping very high into the air. We do love the wildlife!

We Found Nirvana At Whale Bay

Just seven miles north of Russell we find nirvana in a small cove on Whale Bay. It’s simply superb! There’s a small beach on the northwest shore and a big house sits high upon the cliff. From one side to the other it boasts huge plate glass windows that overlook the ocean below. Next to it are some smaller huts that we believe to be part of a resort. Today, however, there isn’t a soul around as everything seems to be closed up. Once again we are the only boat in the anchorage and finally all of the chaos and confusion of Russell/Opua is behind us. We are in our happy place once again.

Route from Russell to Whale Bay
Whale Bay Anchorage

The water here is clearer than anywhere else we’ve been in New Zealand. No, it’s not Fiji clear but it’s very nice with a gorgeous turquoise hue. The mountains around us are filled with deciduous trees and the smell, oh the smell. It’s a combination of forest and sea breeze. It’s sweet and pungent with the slightest hint of brininess. It’s something so wonderful and unique it’s almost impossible to explain but trust me…it’s AMAZING!

After a couple of anchor down beers and a little rest we put the motor on the dinghy and decide to take a little cruise around the bay with a fishing pole to see if we can catch anything. I’m in awe of our surroundings. The crashing surf sends white foam high into the air as it lands upon the sharp rocks lining the shoreline. Dotting the mountainous shore are caves that penetrate into the stone walls that tower above the sea.

Above the rocky shore a forest of deep green trees begins. The trees are large and strong and deeply rooted in the island soil. The ground here is brown and dry as it’s summertime and as is the case most years, there is a lack of rain. Upon the hillside we see sheep eating their way across the land. Yes, it’s a magnificent place to be and we’re so happy to have found this small piece of paradise.

Fishing and exploring the beautiful anchorage at Whale Bay!

We fish and tour this spectacular area for an hour or so and with nothing…not even a bite, we decide to give up and try again tomorrow. We know the fish are here and we won’t give up. In the meantime we will just enjoy this incredible place we are so blessed to call home for the next few days.

Until Next Time,

Jilly & Dan