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Cruising NZ
  • Nathan Laurie
  • Vela Huang

Cruising NZ

Sailing a 45ft sailboat around NZ, exploring islands, diving, and sharing our experience with mates along the way Read more
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  • Cruising NZ
    Sunrise in Kennedy Bay
    Sunrise in Kennedy BaySunrise in Kennedy BayVela in her happy placeGreat Barrier Island in the distanceApproaching Port CharlesThe dream teamShag BayTime for a new furling lineYum!

    Kennedy Bay to Shag Bay

    March 14, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After a stunning sunrise that Vela even managed to get up in time to see, we made our next move up the coast towards Port Charles. Along the way we got as close to Great Barrier Island as we are going to get on this voyage (time constraints and anchoring restrictions due to Exotic Caulerpa being the main factors).

    We picked out Shag Bay as a sheltered spot for the evening. Unfortunately it was a rocky bottom, so although we were sheltered from the weather and waves, we had to listen to the anchor chain grating against the rock.

    Update on the water maker issue, after speaking to some experts back in Auckland, it sounds like it could be a broken coupling between the electric motor and the pump, not fixable until we're back in Auckland unfortunately. We're trying to avoid a quick trip back to Auckland to fill the water tanks, so hopefully we can find somewhere that we can top up out here. We also stripped the cover off the furling line (which we noticed was wearing back in Nelson) for the big genoa, so won't be using this again until we can replace the rope.

    Vela whipped up an evening meal with the last of the Chinese bacon and cabbage - yum!    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Putting the head in headland
    Feel like this headland doesn't like us...Vela making herself laugh with her jokeFirst look at WaihekeBaby Rangitoto in the distanceWe think that's Tiri...Our favourite pirate shipAnd into Coromandel HarbourYum!

    Shag Bay to Coromandel Harbour

    March 15, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    When we awoke our anchorage had become a little bit rolly, and because it was a rocky bottom we hadn't slept particularly well as we were listening to our anchor chain grate on the rocks all night. So rather than wait around, we had a quick coffee and bite to eat before we set off.

    Once we were out of our little bay, it became apparent why our anchorage had become so rolly. We were greeted by a very messy sea with some bigger than expected chop of about 1m. We motored into the wind for a bit until we were able to bear away and pull some sails out. Nathan liked the first headland we went around, because it actually looked like it had a head, but it didn't seem to like him so much as it appeared to give us the middle finger as we went by.

    Vela cracked herself up along the way at her own joke:
    Vela - "why did the chicken cross the road?"
    Nathan - "why?"
    Vela - "becaaaawws!"

    We continued around the top of the Coromandel, through a couple of rain showers which dropped the temperature significantly, and ran into our favourite pirate ship again - The Spirit of New Zealand. On our way, we pulled in a little Kahawai for dinner.

    We arrived into Coromandel Harbour, picked out a spot to shelter from the incoming SW wind, and settled in. Vela turned the Kahawai into a delicious hotpot with some rice noodles for dinner.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Coromandel Harbour turning it on
    Bluebird day!Off for a fishWelcome Momo and William!Titanic reenactmentDelicious dinner a la Vela (she looks chuffed!)Dinner timePeaceful spot... Not for long!The moon out to say helloSunset series

    Whanganui Island

    March 16, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    After a relaxing morning, Vela cracked the whip on Nathan to go and catch a fish. So Starling headed out into the channel and attempted to catch a fish. The only bit of action we had was when the line suddenly took off, but after about 30 seconds of fight the line went slack. Best theory is we had a shark on the other end that chewed through the line.

    We decided to move over to the mussel farms, but when we went to drop the anchor it wouldn't go down. This led to 30 minutes of dismantling the anchor winch and panicked problem solving, before Nathan found it was a simple little ratchet that must have jostled loose and engaged. Good thing it was an easy fix!

    By now we had to give up the fishing as it was time to collect Momo and William. After a successful pick up from the end of the wharf, we headed out of the harbour and to the northern side of Whanganui Island. Along the way there was a Titanic reenactment (not the sinking part) and we caught a fat kahawai for dinner.

    We stopped and Vela made a delicious hot pot with the kahawai, not too spicy though, to cater for William. We then had an amazing sunset over the distant Waiheke Island to enjoy. We went downstairs to settle in for the night (settlers of Catan that is) when it suddenly got very bouncy with a chop pushing right into where we were anchored. After 20 minutes we voted to find a better spot so we motored 15 minutes in the dark to a different bay. It was well worth the move and we enjoyed a peaceful sleep after finishing our game of Catan.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Glassy start, perfect for a paddleboard
    Weather is good, time for a hazy!Views within Coromandel HarbourAnother stunning day!1Just checking our mast is still thereNever knew they had cattle loading runs on the water...Vela having a fishGlassy water in the channelGolden hourGolden hour

    Rangipukea Island

    March 17, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    The morning we woke to was stunning and glassy. This prompted a post coffee paddleboard around the bay for Nathan. He reported back lots of eagle rays which he chased around the shallows. It's amazing how eagle rays can glide along so gracefully before flapping their wings and taking off like a bullet.

    Meanwhile, Vela, William and Momo played a game of Bananagrams back on Starling, with Vela taking out the win (pretty standard). Then it was time to start heading back to drop Momo and William off as they could only spare a short (but high quality) time on board.

    Afterwards, we motored over to Rangipukea Island where we planned to spend the night. Wet lazed away the afternoon with a bit of fishing. Two legal snapper got added to the freezer and we also caught some extra bait for tomorrow!

    We were treated to a beautiful, glassy golden hour as our reward. Nathan took some photos to try and show what it was like, but remarked that photos really couldn't do it justice.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Crossing the Firth of Thames
    Decent snapperPassed a yacht with their gennaker out, show offsApproaching Chamberlain's BaySnapper sashimi don bowlFound a Gurnard!Vela's office set up this week

    Crossing the Firth of Thames

    March 18, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Well, with fresh water on board being very limited, we had to bite the bullet and head towards Waiheke. But first, Nathan had a little early morning fish which provided one of the first "decent" snapper of our trip, around 35cm.

    Mid morning we hauled up the anchor and set off. On our way out we witnessed an unusual set of waves that looked like the wake from a boat, but there weren't any boats around to cause it. Not 100% sure what caused it, but think it might have been some sort of tidal effect.

    We had an uneventful motor across the Firth, directly into a 5kt westerly, so unfortunately we couldn't get any of our sails out. Once we arrived, we headed to the wharf at Oropiu bay for fresh water, but a 20kt SW kicked up so we opted to wait for calmer weather to attempt this. We headed to Chamberlain's Bay to hide from the wind.

    Vela cooked up an epic new dish for lunch. Using some freshly caught snapper sashimi she made a don bowl. That will definitely be going on the menu!

    It feels a bit surreal to officially be back in Auckland (although we don't count it until we see the sky tower). Starting to feel a bit sad that our journey is nearly over. One more weekend with friends before we pack up and head into the next chapter of our journey.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Headed to Oropiu Bay wharf
    We spotted the dreaded space needle in the distanceFiery sunset in Awaawaroa BayLast washing day on the boat!Gorgeous out hereGolden hourAnother epic sunsetPeaceful post sunset hourTruly spoilt

    Chamberlain's Bay to Awaawaroa Bay

    March 20, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    The wind died down to a level that would make docking at the Oropiu Bay wharf very easy. So we headed over at high tide and filled our water tanks. Unfortunately the water was untreated, so we will need to make a short stop in at Westhaven before the weekend for drinking water.

    Afterwards we popped around the corner into Awaawaroa Bay. The water in here was amazing and glassy, and it appeared to be full of snapper, pulling in a fish every bait (though lots just under the 30cm mark). We did manage to keep a few good eating size fish.

    We hooked something large, which peeled line off the reel for about 10 seconds before it broke off at the hook. Possibly a stingray, but we'll never know for sure.

    We were treated to a couple of great sunset/sunrise events, and the weather was perfect to get our last load of boat washing dried. We are spoilt to have such beautiful locations so close to our largest city.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Awaawaroa sunrise
    So goodClouds!Well, we made itFound everyone!Gotta love a few good clouds with some local landmarksHazy time!Epic dinner thanks to Vela

    The final weekend

    March 22, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Another amazing sunrise greeted us this morning, before it gave way to blue sky and some very cool cloud formations. Today was the unfortunate day that we had to return to Auckland properly. We motored for about 3 hours to get back to Westhaven where we would meet with Mike, Cass and Jamie.

    Once we berthed in Westhaven (after trying to berth in the wrong spot) Nathan quickly popped over to Burnsco to get a new furling line for the big genoa and some fishing supplies, while Vela was left on board to start filling the water tanks with new, drinkable fresh water.

    The team arrived and we quickly stowed everything away on board and escaped Auckland as quickly as we could. We pulled out both the mainsail and the big genoa and cruised back out to Waiheke. Although conditions were flat, we hit one big wake awkwardly and managed to get a waterfall down the front hatch and all over Nathan and Vela's bed. Fortunately it was mostly on Nathan's side...

    We parked back up in Awaawaroa Bay (a couple of obligatory hazys were consumed along the way) and Vela made another round of her delicious snapper sashimi don bowls, as well as steaming the Gurnard we caught the other day. Jamie hooked into something which absolutely took off, screaming from side to side before eventually busting off. Again we didn't get a good look at it but best bet is a stingray.

    We chilled out and watched a movie downstairs before bed.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Wet and gloomy morning
    Breakfast at Nate's cafeHazy #1Grazing board for lunchHazy #2Fish of the dayWeather cleared for the eveningDinner time!Hazy #3Night time glass off

    Saturday at Awaawaroa Bay

    March 23, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We woke to a soggy Saturday morning. The forecast rain had appeared, but it didn't bother us too much. Nate's on board cafe was open for business, and soon everybody had their coffee order in hand and pancakes were served.

    With it being wet already, the only logical thing to do was to get in the water. So Nathan, Jamie and Mike all changed and went for a dip. Afterwards it was time to sample the first hazy of the day while Cass prepared a grazing board for lunch. It wasn't long after that when the second hazy came out to say hello.

    A couple of games of Catan were had downstairs (which Mike won both of) and the weather cleared upstairs. There was a bit of fishing going on, with a couple of nice pan sized snapper being caught. Cass caught the fish of the day with a big fat red Gurnard, which had a couple of nice big rowe inside. And Jamie caught a baby shark just to mix things up.

    For dinner we had Gurnard a la Vela, snapper a la Nathan, and potato wedges a la Cass. The final hazy of the day was cracked and then movie night downstairs. Before bed, the whole bay had gone completely glassy and we had a great view of a few stars, a nice relaxing way to end the day.    Read more

  • Cruising NZ
    Morning in Awaawaroa Bay
    The final hazyLast breakfastLast few cloudsRacing the old AC boat and a trimaranThanks Starling!

    Return to Auckland

    March 24, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today was the big one. Yes we briefly popped back into Auckland on Friday, but today we headed in and berthed Starling back in her home where she'll be staying for the winter.

    We started the morning with a bit of fishing, adding a couple of snapper to the haul to take home. Mike and Cass sorted breakfast with a cruisers take on chicken waffles (nugget pancakes). We then hauled up the anchor and headed for Auckland.

    On the way, we popped the final beer of the trip, a delicious toasted marshmallow flavoured beer. We also saw a few work ups on the surface, so we threw the kahawai lure in and ended up with three nice fat fish. We stopped on the eastern side of Motuihe, where we turned one of the kahawai into some sashimi and cooked up some burgers for lunch. We went for our final swim off the back of the boat, and mucked around making a silly video for a bit of a laugh.

    A few last clouds of the trip, a motor sailing race against an old America's cup yacht and a trimaran, and then we were safely back in Westhaven. We quickly tucked Starling into her berth and then said goodbye to her. A little bit emotional, she had taken us all the way around the north island of NZ and kept us safe. It was a bit like saying goodbye to a cherished friend.

    Now our sailing adventure for the year is completed, it's time to set our sights on things to come as we take off on our international travels!    Read more

  • Cruising NZ

    North Island Lapped

    March 24, 2024 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Well, that's all folks. Our cruising adventure is over for this summer, but we aren't done with sailing and there is talk of more potential journeys in the future - watch this space!

    To try and sum up our whole trip in a single post, we each answered a few questions:

    Favourite location
    N - Cavalli Islands
    V - Cavalli Islands & Coromandel Peninsula (Pauanui to Great Mercury)

    Unexpected gem
    N - Whangaroa harbour
    V - Tasman Sea

    Biggest let down
    N - Abel Tasman
    V - Wellington

    Place we were saddest to miss out on
    N - Poor Knights
    V - Great Barrier Island

    Best hike
    N - Ketu Bay
    V - Dukes Nose

    Best snorkeling
    N - Cavalli Islands
    V - Peachgrove Bay

    Tastiest fish species
    N - Blue Cod
    V - Crayfish

    Fish species we wished we had got
    N - John Dory
    V - I think we had everything?

    Best moment
    N - Making it into Nelson after sailing down the West Coast
    V - Jumping into the middle of the Tasman Sea, Dolphins at Hen & Chicks, Dolphins in BoP, snorkeling near the sandy Peachgrove Bay, New Year's Eve with our friends, yoinking my first crayfish, skinny dip at Mayor Island, too many to go through

    Favourite marine animal
    N - Eagle Rays
    V - Crayfish

    Best Beer
    N - Sprig & Fern, Haze of the People #2
    V - Pina Colada

    And for those nerds out there, we've got a few trip stats for you:

    Total miles sailed - roughly 2000, 1942 miles as recorded by find penguins, but there would be some that weren't recorded

    Fish species eaten - 25
    Snapper, Leather Jacket, Parore, Porae, Kahawai, Blue Cod, Kingfish, Silver Drummer, Red Moki, Painted Moki, Koheru, Butterfish, Red Gurnard, Pig Fish, Goat Fish, Grandaddy Hapuka, Eel, Blue Maomao, Pink Maomao, Grey Maomao, Spiny Dogfish, Rock Cod, Trevally, Packhorse Crayfish, Red Crayfish

    # swims with sharks - 4

    # islands visited - 19 (21 including North & South Islands)

    # friends/family who have visited us on the boat - 39

    Top boat speed - 17.0kt

    Deepest water we sailed in - 1500m+

    Shallowest waters we sailed in - -0.1m (under the keel, must have been skimming the mud)    Read more

    Trip end
    March 25, 2024
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