THIS is Sailing

Huruhi Harbour, Great Mercury Island, North Island

Wednesday 16 June 2021

After two days of overcast, rainy and all-round dodgy weather, the day dawned with clear skies and a blazing yellow sun which streamed into the saloon as we ate our Weet Bix, coffee and toast.

It had been a wonderfully still night, with the sound of munching crustaceans on the seafloor echoing through the hull.  Not something you hear all the time, but maybe it was the shallow water that made the sound easier to hear.

The anchor was retrieved again by hand – we’ll get to that switch box eventually … in fact I just discovered that Gary is an electrical engineer by training, so he may well have scored himself a job – and by 9:30 we were hoisting all sail and setting course in a roughly northwesterly direction towards our next destination – Great Mercury Island, near the top of the Coromandel Peninsular

The weather just got better and better.  The sun beat down, the wind remained steady and the seas stayed slight, allowing us to plough forward at anything from 6-8 knots.  Even better, the engine was turned off and most power for the day was complements of Mother Nature and the Good Lord above.

The wind veered more to the west in the early afternoon, enabling us to better achieve our course, but still there was a need to point high and even tack from time to time, as we wove … or is it weaved? … our way between the numerous rocks and obstacles in our path.  In fact, we were surrounded by dots of land, all with a name speaking of its special significance at one time … Watchman Rock … Shoe Island (not to be confused with Slipper Island), Little King Rock … Big King Rock … Danger Rocks … Whale Rock … you get the idea.

Rather than chart a course through the “Hole in the Wall” and past Old Man Rock … we instead took the wider route, doing a dog-leg around Whale Rock, then on past Korapuki Island and around Ahikopua Point at the southern end of Great Mercury Island.  From here it was a simple sail across the bay to Huruhi Harbour – in the shadow of 95-metre-high Mt Cook.  I kid you not. Mount Cook … not to be confused with the “other” one … or, perhaps the other twenty or more…

Because, if this grassy knoll, covered in sheep, can first be labelled a “mountain” and second, deserve the name of the great man himself, then someone, once upon a time, must surely have had a sense of humour.   It was suggested onboard that perhaps an Australian thought it looked like a “Mountain”, which was a particularly low blow I thought …  

Local history of James Cook and his observation of the transit of Mercury in 9 November 1769  

The weather was so pleasant, and the sailing so “stable”, that there was even an opportunity to run the “watermaker”.  Always a bit “involved” … requiring the generator to be started and the equipment fired up and monitored.  In the end we made some very tasty freshwater, with the new filters (bought in Wellington) making all the difference. 

It was also a bread-making-kind-of-day … with our “system” usually knocking out two full laves, but today I thought I’d mix it up.  After all, we’d all agreed to delay lunch till we’d dropped anchor – which seemed to be getting later and later – so I thought we all deserved a herb and cheese roll, PLUS one standard loaf.   

In the end it all worked out rather nice, even if I say so myself, despite me putting in half the yeast I should have; Martyn even suggesting the rolls were as good as from a shop! 

By 3:00pm, with the winter sun fast sinking to the horizon,  we were ready to explore ashore.  The small dinghy was launched off the stern, and despite the vision of a mansion onshore, a helicopter on their lawn, plus high-class, trendy, architecturally designed, 5-star, barn-vertical-rustic-timber motif, B&B “sheds”, with their own private wharf, I dropped Gary, Martyn and Annette ashore for a stroll.  I then headed back to the boat to pick up John so we could race off to the nearby headland to get into some fishing.

“Ground crew to Chimere, ground crew to Chimere … come in please? “   Ahhh, the unmistakable sound of Annette’s voice on the mobile VHF radio from inside the drybag on the floor of the dinghy, under the fishing bucket.

“Chimere to ground crew, copy you”, I finally said, after digging out the radio, all the while wondering – funny they should be calling us so soon??!!

“Chimere, this is ground crew … apparently all this part of the island is private property”  

“Be back to pick you up in just a few minutes”  I replied.

So, here we had the most law-abiding members of Chimere’s crew being accosted for trespassing?!  

The good news was that other parts of the islands  didn’t have the same trespass rules, so it was just a case of dropping them somewhere else nearby.

In the end, the lack of light stopped play, with John and I keen to try some more promising spots elsewhere with something more than bacon for bait.

Back on board, the warm stillness of our little floating cocoon was like a welcome embrace as we discarded our wet gear, dried off and slipped on some warm clothes. 

Dinner is now well underway, comprising hamburgers … with the LOT, including pineapple, beetroot … and maybe even eggs  … and potato chups … the fish will have to wait.

Smooth seas, fair breeze and THIS is sailing

Rob Latimer

Great Mercury Island

This 5,000-acre isle, 30 minutes by helicopter from Auckland, is the private retreat of two millionaires—a haven so hidden that even the paparazzi can’t find the celebs who stay here. Mere mortals can visit, too, assuming they can afford the $20,000-a-day price tag. Included is free range of an island so large and varied that it feels like a small country, with miles of pristine white beaches, sensational scuba diving and fishing, and all manner of toys—from boats and Jet Skis to off-road trucks and motorcycles. There’s also a superb chef whose food is considered some of New Zealand’s finest. The two villas can sleep up to 16 (perhaps more if you count children) people between them and are airy mazes where irregular, white-plastered passageways lead to individually themed bedrooms full of whimsy, wit, and every conceivable creature comfort.