Bay of Islands Marina, Opua, North Island
Monday 28 June 2021
Having been in the marina berth for the past few days it seemed somehow strange to be backing out and actually driving away. Like being let off our leash … albeit a self-imposed leash …
But today was special. It was an opportunity to take Gary AND Theresa out for a fun time on the water. Of course, Gary had been on board from Tauranga and by now was quite familiar with the ways of Chimere, but Theresa had only ever been on board for cups of tea at the marina – mostly in Wellington and last year in Mana – so today was a chance to broaden the horizon somewhat.
Fortunately, the day was a little less inclement than yesterday. For a start … there was no rain, plus, we even saw the sun briefly and patches of blue sky here and there. The wind was initially from the north west, so reasonably warm, then later in the day it strengthened from the south west. But still, the temperature remained above 16 degrees for the most of the day, so it wasn’t exactly cold, or at least nothing a jumper and our wet weather gear couldn’t ward off.
As the photos show, we got to experience some of the region’s classic features … a variety of secluded bays and anchorages, offering protection from any particular wind direction – all within a short sail of each other. PLUS, there were onshore tracks, beaches and a variety of terrains to explore – all of which we had to ourselves. A side-benefit of sailing in winter.
On one particular walk, we were almost knee deep in kikuyu grass, wading our way from the shore to the uphill part of a track, and as Aussies, Linda and I were instinctively keeping a weather eye for snakes and NOT stumbling onto one inadvertently – obviously NOT an issue in snake-free New Zealand. We’d have a greater chance of being pecked to death by a weka than we would of stepping on a tiger snake in these parts?! Still, some habits are hard to break.
Apparently, there are 144 islands in the Bay of Islands … and today we sailed close to five of them, anchoring at two. At this rate we’re going to have to be here for a while to get around to them all; five islands being little more than 3% of the total.
In summary though, we really had a great day. John expertly backed us out of the berth around 9:00am, and after sharing the driving around, a walk ashore, a fantastic lunch (complements of Theresa and Gary) in a calm bay, plus some brisk sailing at times – even under some sunshine – I “landed” our good ship gently back in the berth around 5:45pm – close on dark.
In tying up we made extra especially sure to pull the bow far enough forward to ensure the stern davits sat within the confines of our berth – don’t want to upset the lady with the clipboard.
The engine off, Chimere safely back in her berth, a mood of satisfied weariness was definitely in the air as we devoured yet another cup of tea … or was it coffee … and … “oh, yes, just one more Tim Tam … oh, Chewy Caramel – who would have thought – and another slice of Theresa’s amazing sultana loaf … maybe just one more … buttered? … yes please” …
As for dinner? No one was jumping forward with a recipe book, that’s for sure, and whilst we still had plenty of 2-Minute noodles, Cuppa Soups and tins of baked beans in the stores, I wasn’t brave enough to make that suggestion. No … it was definitely a night to dine OUT. But where? This was Monday night, Opua, in winter. Maybe fish and chips from the shop down near the car ferry?
In the end, our first choice became our only choice, with everything else shut. Even the fish and chip shop closed at 7:00pm and we just made that with 20 minutes to spare.
Back on board with our fish and chips fast becoming piles of empty paper wrapping it was hard to believe the time was only 8:15pm. It seemed like 11:00pm, the activities of the day starting to catch up with us as we contemplated heading our separate ways for an early night.
It was good to be able to share the experience of sailing with Theresa – particularly after all the assistance her and Gary had provided to me during my time in lockdown at Mana, near Wellington, last year.
Tomorrow, Gary and Theresa start driving home and with a bit of luck John will play tour-guide for Linda and me as he takes us for a couple of days to visit his home in the Hokianga … near Opononi. It’s a place we’ve heard so much about – ever since John and I flatted together at university in 1980 and 81 – so we are really looking forward to it.
On the topic of boat maintenance … my initial inquiry with a local boat maintenance guy fell flat – he’s just too busy – but the second business I contacted can send a guy tomorrow morning at 8:15 to check out the job and assess whether any parts might be needed. So, here’s hoping the problems are only small ones!
Smooth seas, fair breeze and day sail – there and back again
Rob Latimer
NZ2020 