Guest Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 We started our circumnavigation Christmas before last ( we are not counting the NI west coast because we brought Bintang up from Picton that way in 2006). So far we spent 5 months in 2010 gunkholing between the Hauraki Gulf and Cape Karikari, and four months this year between Great Barrier and the Mercuries. In September - Insha allah - we will go back to Great Barrier for a couple of months, spend Christmas at the Mercuries and then head south around East Cape to Cook Strait, the Sounds and Nelson. We are devotees of MetVUW and, when the weather packs in, we hire a car and do a road trip. So far we've been to Hokianga, Kawhia, Kaipara, Waimate, Cape Reinga, etc etc. What is this all about? Well, 20 years ago we promised ourselves that, when my wife retired from her Foreign Service Career, we would set of around the world and revisit old cruising haunts (Pacific, Med, North America etc) . Sadly, when that happened, we realised that time had caught up with us, as had the practicalities of world cruising - Red Tape - Insurance - old age issues - health issues- piracy - costs generally. We also realised that over the preceeding 40 years we had never spent more than 2 weeks at any one time on any of our 8 boats. What is more, although we were pretty familiar with New Zealand cruising grounds - from North Cape to Akaroa, we had hardl y touched the surface, having been always in a hurry to get from A to B or to catch a flight back to whereever it was we had come from. So here we are doing the super-slow-slow circumnavigation of NZ and it's the best thing we ever did! Link to post Share on other sites
SanFran 12 Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Heck! Some of us still have a job to hold down! My youngest is 14... wont come with us, so if we plan for a year next summer he'll be 16 and old enough to hang out with big brother.... Im guessing though the wife might want to drive, train, fly to certain ports... (unless I can get her on line in the mean time!) Its got to be do-able! Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 At 14 don't give him a choice. We know some people who actually kidnapped their own teenagers. They didn't want to go, so the parents said they were going to Bermuda for 3 weeks (from Boston), that was acceptable and off they went. The kids started to figure it out about 100 miles from Antigua, we met them in the San Blas Is. Link to post Share on other sites
Battleship 100 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Bintang DL is that the Indonesian looking Cat? If so I saw it at Mayor Island in January. Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 At 14 don't give him a choice. 100% agree. Link to post Share on other sites
John B 106 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Bintang DL is that the Indonesian looking Cat? If so I saw it at Mayor Island in January. Willow, Bintang is a circa mid 70's Bruce Clark of about 45 ft. Terrific boat. Link to post Share on other sites
Battleship 100 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Bintang DL is that the Indonesian looking Cat? If so I saw it at Mayor Island in January. Willow, Bintang is a circa mid 70's Bruce Clark of about 45 ft. Terrific boat. Ooops apologies if I offended anyone the name sound familiar. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 No apologies necessary. What about this Indonesian looking Catamaran. Is this boat people? Or what? Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 The Mana Cruising Club published an excellent guide to cruising Fiordland. It is called 'A Boaties Guide to Fiordland' and was first published in 1994 and updated in 1996. Excellent reading with plenty of pencil drawings of anchorages and good detail of Sounds and Coves. While some of the information may be out of date with respect to names and phone numbers it is a good start. It is available from Mana Cruising Club P O Box 57-045 Mana, New Zealand. Happy planning and cruising! John B Link to post Share on other sites
Battleship 100 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 No apologies necessary. What about this Indonesian looking Catamaran.Is this boat people? Or what? Perhaps the closest thing to boat people I've seen apparently the aysymetrical hulls were steel but it looked very traditional you could still see the knots on the mast where the branches were. Perhaps the most memorable thing about it tho was the scantily female passengers. as we sat at mayor over a beer or three we could really appreciate many aspects of the design of these fine craft. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Sounds like the Chathams are being left out of this. Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 No, you round East Cape via the Chathams Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Ha Ha so thats the way you were headed last weekend? Link to post Share on other sites
Battgirl 23 Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 An American couple on their yacht Nine of Cups have a website which includes their circumnavigation of the NI and of NZ. They included the Chathams on their circuit and posted some good info on what to expect, well worth a google. Link to post Share on other sites
wheels 543 Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Hey BBay, so I assume the weather is stunning in Gisborne this weekend and just perfect for tripping to Auckland Huh?? Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Yeh went out yesterday arvo for a trip about the bay. Large swell but all good otherwise. Today not so good as a bit rough, cold but would be fine to go north or north west. South easterly wind about 25,30 knots perfect. You've still got the tallest mast in gisborne All looked good on Leisure Lady as we went by. I was tee'd up to sail to the Chathams last summer onboard a Halberg Rassy 38 but one of those mean lows came by just as we were leaving Opua so went out to the Gt Barrier to hide from it. Then we ran out of time so sailed about the Gulf. Thanks Battgirl, I'll do the google, still keen to go out there and have a look. Link to post Share on other sites
B00B00 310 Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 We did a cruise to the chathams, its an interesting place. Not many all weather anchorages so you need to be onto it weatherwize. Locals are pretty helpfull as they dont get many yachts there. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Here's the link Battgirl mentioned....http://www.nineofcups.com/index.html Chathams looks an intesting place to go, lots of information here. Good cruising guides to the Bay of Islands and the Huraki Gulf also. Maori rowed there and had a bbq with the non violent locals so should be able to get there under sail with a gps. Yes Booboo, looks like a need to move about if the weather changes and thats why we chickened out. The low I mentioned was a cyclone but can't remember the name of it. After it went by there were headwinds predicted for the next week so we sailed the Huraki gulf which was fantastic. Link to post Share on other sites
rigger 47 Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Maori rowed there and had a bbq with the non violent locals so should be able to get there under sail with a gps. On one trip they chartered a ship to get there and had serious/final discussions with the locals. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I think the secret to New Zealand coastal (and for that matter, circumnavigational) cruising is to take your time. The weather is predictable and the weather forecasting is excellent. Tune in to the likes of metVUW http://metvuw.com/forecast/forecast.php?type=rain®ion=nz&noofdays=7 Link to post Share on other sites
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