Anchoring/mooring limitations?

[nicko252 0]

Hi. New to the sailing world sowondering if anyone could help me out. I'm trying to work out what restrictions there are far as time limits on anchoring/mooring in specific areas in the top of the south.Not talking about harbour areas, rather areas such as Mapua/Rabbit island, Delaware Bay/Cable Bay, and the Marlborough Sounds. I've seen the respective regional maps which show no anchoring zones, but not sure whether there are specific restriction on duration where anchoring is ok. Any help greatly appreciated. Cheers, Nick

[wheels 543]

I assume you are going to be moving around from bay to bay. Or are you wanting to leave the Boat and wander off?
There are no restrictions as such, although technically an Anchor being left in one place for longer than (is it 3 days or 3 weeks?) is then deemed as a mooring and then must have consent.
Be aware that many bays in the outer Sounds are very deep and thus difficult to anchor in. There are certainly plenty that offer great anchoring as well, so just make sure you check the depth before you choose where to anchor.  The big plus is that most of the top of the South is not that crowded. Absolutely nothing like Auckland. The busiest place is usually "Anchorage Bay" inside  "Torrent Bay" bay, between Xmas and NYE. The day after NYE, everyone tends to leave.

[nicko252 0]

Thanks Wheels and Not Me for your posts, very helpful. I guess the main point is just not to take the mickey, obey the exclusion zones and try to avoid giving anyone a reason to complain by lingering too long in one spot. Thought there might be some hard and fast limits on numbers of days or whatever, but perhaps it's not explicitly enumerated. Certainly couldn't find anything about duration limits in the the Nelson or Tasman navigation bylaws. Cheers for your help.