Circumnav NZ?

[SanFran 12]

Must do on my bucket list... How long does it take/time to alllow? Best month to depart? Which way - turn left or right? Who has done it before... highlights... pitfalls???

A thousand other questions.... are there any/many others keen?

Anyone keen for a convoy... has that been done before?

[Guest]

We've just started looking into it as a possible fun thing to do, maybe leaving Oct/Nov 2013, clockwise down the East coast back up the west - I'll watch this one with interest.

[ab1974 1]

A round NZ Rally - interesting concept! Certainly the round Tasmania rally looks like a pretty good trip. Surely something similar would work here. Just the West Coast bit that may turn the day hopping cruiser off??

[Grinna 2]

This is something that we are very interested in doing. Would feel like a prize dork sitting in a bar somewhere and having someone ask "What's it like to sail around the Marlborough Sounds?" and sit there going "durrr ... I dunno".

 

We're very loose about it at this stage but had thought of turning left and hopping down the east coast of NI to Wgtn, nipping across the strait and then picking the right window to sail down the west coast of the SI to Fiordland, maybe checking out Stewart Is and then up the east cost of the SI and back up the west coast of the NI. Sticking to a schedule is not really going to work and there may be some waiting about for the right weather to do some of those stretches, so patience may indeed be a virtue.

 

Haven't thought too much about timing, but would prefer to be further south during a warmer period rather than in the dead of winter .... don't have reinforcement for ice breaking in our boat.

 

Watching this thread with interest.

[tuffyluffy 76]

This is my plan for the summer of 2012/2013, and to act as a shake down for a 2-3 year offshore sojourn.

 

I was planning on taking 3-4 months to do it – no point having to hurry.

 

Stewart Island in late Jan/February is a cruising mecca – settled weather, endless sheltered bays with no-one in them, suicidal blue cod and crayfish so big you can put a saddle on them.

[Guest]

I was planning on taking 3-4 months to do it – no point having to hurry.

 

 

That's funny, I have friends who are 24 years into their circumnavigation of the globe, they are roughly half way but have every intention of going all the way round.

Once you've been cruising a while, 3-4 months will look like you are sprinting around.

[shanson 0]

I've look at it seriously but no further.

 

My plan was 6 to 8 weeks around Jan/Feb, going around clockwise, taking it slow and spending plenty of time in marina's.

 

I definitely be keen to talk about a convoy!

 

SHANE

[rigger 47]

In '98 I sailed from Akl - TGA - Gis - Napier - Wellington - M Sounds - Port Underwood - Lyttleton - Akaroa - Timaru - Dunedin - Bluff - Stewart Island - then the weather turned to complete crap and after several days storm bound the decision was made to head back up the East Coast - Akaroa - Picton - Worlds Ends - Wellington - Tga where we stopped to haul the boat out and do a bit of maintenance

 

Unfortunately I cannot remember exactly how long we took to do all that, we did not rush much but did have time restrictions meaning we had to be in certain places at certain times - I think we took something like 6-9weeks.

 

So those saying they are going to take their time and do it in 6-8 weeks you will need to add a bit more time otherwise you will really be rushing things. We only managed the east coasts and even then did not really get any decent time to explore Stewart Island and only really visited a few places in Pelorus and Queen Charlotte Sounds, did not get to Tasmand bay at all that time....

[Steve Pope 243]

I have been told that Fiordland in the winter mean fewer sandflies, colder, yes but still lots of good days.

[Guest]

The fishing in Fiordland is terrible too. You barely get time to open a cold one before the Cod are jumping in the boat.

[SanFran 12]

Great responses people.... thinking on it, it would be a good idea to plan more than a year ahead... say not this Oct/Nov but around that time 2012 possible!

 

Not prevaricating here, just want to get some reasonable sea miles under the keel first... (not even having been to GBI before (but have gone to BOI many years ago). Not new to sailing, but new to my Spencer32.

 

While Fiordland sounds fascinating, it might be the way to go... down the East Coast to Fiordland, then back up east again... is there much to see/do/stop off at up the Westcaost? Anyone?

[Battleship 100]

The East coast can be no less nasty than the West particularly once you get south of east cape, I wouldn't limit myself to one side look at both options and choose the direction you get the best weather at the time.

[SanFran 12]

Estimating sailing times, would 3 days get you from Auckland to Marlb Sounds? 4 days? A week?

[Battleship 100]

how long is a piece of string? 3 - 4 days would have to be a very good run alow at least a week maybe two and you would give yourself time to duck for cover and wait out any bad weather.

Big waves seem like fun for a little while but can wear you down in a very short time so having plenty of time up your sleave will keep it fun.

[wheels 543]

We had a stunning run from Marl across to Cape Palliser, then an +average run from there up to Napier and that took 47.5hrs darn near exactly. If we continue with that pace for the rest of the way, we should get to Auckland in just under three days, maybe two and a half.

From Wellington to Napier, there is no where to shelter, apart from if you are shallow enough draft, in behind Castle rock if you are caught in a nasty southerly.

Marl down to Kaikoura has no shelter. Kaikoura is a stop over if weather is nice. But not a long term stopping point. Nothing then till Lyttleton. Non of the bays around the Peninsula offer any shelter unless it is Norwest. East to South seas can create huge ocean swells into the long narrow shallow bays. Akaroa is lovely and lots of bays around for shelter. Nothing between Akaroa and Timaru. Timaru is a bit of a yawn and Oamaru further south is really only for a place of shelter if you have to. Dunedin is a good harbour and then you come to the Catlins, which is stunnign scenery best seen from the land. Once again, wild rugged beautiful coast and no real place to shelter. Invergiggle is really a stepping off place to head across to Stewart Isl and around to the Fijords, but you need plenty of time and pick weather and tides and prepared to be patient. Worth the wait though. Be prepared to spend heaps of time down there. I reckon you could spend a year seeing all that area. From Fijordland up the west coast can be a great run, but if it is nasty, you have no where to go. If it is nice, both Greymouth and Westport bars are still to be given great respect, but are not too scary. DON'T attempt if it is nasty Westerly weather. It is mostly a case of being a very very long way up that South Island West coast. You end up running a long way north to get around the top of the south and then back down into Nelson. Easily as far as West coast trip from Marl to Auckland. Golden bay, Able Tasman, Nelson is stunning and you can spend ages in that area. D'Urville, Marl sounds you can spend a year in. Lots and lots to see. 1500 Nm of coast line in the Sounds.

I met one couple in the sounds that spent a year to go right around and didn't make it all the way in a year. They left their boat in the sounds and we met them as they came back to take it on the leg up the west coast to Auckland. I have another friend that spent 5 years going around and he told us that if we really wanted to see NZ, it will take 5years. He spent 7 years going around the world and said NZ was the best and also the most challenging.

[Rangi1 50]

[quote="Grinna"

............................ but had thought of turning left and hopping down the east coast of NI to Wgtn............ .

 

 

You might want to brush up on those navigation skills before you leave Grinna

[Grinna 2]

Errr ... no .... its just a big left turn.

 

That's the second time this week that I've been thinking one thing and typed the exact opposite. Some kind of metathesis? Creeping senility? Just basically losing it? *shrug*

[Guest]

Don't worry, my wife does that to me all the time when we are in the car. Go left.........why did you go the wrong way..........you said left...........you should have known what i meant. Can't beat that kind of logic.

[Guest]

Hey Squid you should know by now! I'd like to go starting next summer. 5 years sounds a good time frame. Now how to get the admiral interested enough.

[Guest]

You can't call it a circumnavigation if you don't go up the West Coast of SI Sanfran.

Making 2 trips across the bottom of the SI is tempting fate as well.

The is a big cluster of lighthouses there for good reason.