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Cruising NZCruising NZ
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Cruising NZ

november 2023 - marts 2024
Sailing a 45ft sailboat around NZ, exploring islands, diving, and sharing our experience with mates along the way Læs mere
  • 110fodaftryk
  • 1Lande
  • 121dage
  • 945fotos
  • 53videoer
  • 4,1kkilometer
  • 1,9ksømil
  • 334kilometer
  • 138kilometer
  • 36sømil
  • 5kilometer
  • 1kilometer
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  • Cruising NZ
    2
    Dag 23

    The "Main" Event

    18. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Today was big for a number of reasons.

    Firstly, while dodging rain showers, Nathan and Jamie hooked the repaired mainsail (thanks to Willis Sails) back up to the mast furler. This was a very fiddly job, trying to feed the sail through a small slot in the mast and do up shackles inside the mast through tiny peep holes with pliers. But we managed and once again we have a mainsail on board!

    After this, we fired up the engine in the glassy conditions and finally escaped the BOI! This feels like a big milestone on our trip as we've never taken the boat this far north before. We took an obligatory selfie with the Nine Pin on our way past. Now the real adventure can begin!

    After passing the Nine Pin, we were greeted with a bit of breeze so we quickly pulled out our like-new mainsail and took off towards the Cavalli Islands. We stopped for lunch (smoked fish wraps & sandwiches) at Kahangaro island before continuing on to our overnight anchorage at Waiiti Bay on Motukawanui.

    While preparing to get in the water for a snorkel, Nathan spotted a shark off the back of the boat, so delayed this excursion. Vela put her drone up (still learning, but a stunning photo regardless). And we also pulled the 360 camera out and braved the sharky waters for a test run.

    A little bit of paddleboarding, and a another dip in the water to refresh, before spotting the shark cruising past again (a very big fish 2m+, most likely a Bronze Whaler). Then Vela put together a delicious meal of snapper fillets, chili & garlic noodles, and some fried potatoes.

    We settled in for the evening watching the sunset.    Læs mere

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  • Cruising NZ
    Dag 23

    Cavalli Islands

    18. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    An early morning visit into Matauri Bay this morning and we found our good friend Daniel waiting on the beach with his dive gear. So we picked Daniel up and headed out to the Cavalli's to check out what was going on.

    In the water for about 5 minutes and Nathan had popped a decent blue Maomao and Daniel had a fat little kahawai. The place was teeming with fish! Nathan had his new 3mm wetsuit which made a massive difference to being able to get deep and take a full breath (compared to the 6.5mm suit). We headed in to the rocks to look for crayfish.

    The first spot didn't yield any crayfish, but Daniel found a big pig fish and Nathan shot a fat Parore and another Maomao. Vela and Jamie jumped in for a dip as well and we played with the 360 camera in the schools of blue Maomao.

    The second spot produced better results for crayfish. After finding some in berry, Nathan found the first one and took it back to the boat to measure. While it looks large, it's a packhorse so the trail had to be 216mm and the first one fell just shy of the mark. After some more searching, Daniel yelled out that he had found a monster, and it really was! Nathan also ran into this big Porae to add to the freezer.

    After a bit of negotiating to deal to the cray, Vela cooked up an absolute feast. Looking forward to finding some more of these delicious treats over the coming weeks!    Læs mere

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  • Cruising NZ
    2
    Dag 24

    Gamefish & Chill

    19. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today the team split up.

    Vela and Jamie chose to stay on the yacht to chill out, while Daniel and Nathan headed back to the BOI to go gamefishing with one of Daniel's friends.

    After trying for kingfish (unsuccessfully), we headed out wide to find an early season marlin, but unfortunately no big fish today. We did see a couple of Sunfish chilling on the surface which was neat.

    Determined not to go home empty handed, we stopped at the Nine Pin for some Kahawai and Snapper. The team are planning to reconvene on the yacht tomorrow for some more adventures.    Læs mere

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  • Cruising NZ
    Dag 25

    Regroup at the Cavalli's

    20. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    After running some errands in town and stocking up on some essentials (cooking gas, beers etc) Nathan and Daniel rejoined Jamie and Vela in Matauri Bay. After a quick lunch of smoked fish wraps we headed back out to the Cavalli's for a dive.

    Nathan was feeling decidedly average (possibly a minor concussion from hitting his head while packing up the gamefishing boat) so he stayed on the boat while everyone else went for a dip. Daniel managed to pull another nice legal packhorse crayfish which is being kept for dinner tomorrow night. The video shows Daniel grabbing and releasing a female packhorse crayfish, which was unfortunately in berry (with eggs) and then Vela showing us how beautiful the underwater landscape is in NZ.

    We returned to Waiiti Bay to overnight and had a big feed of fish thanks to Vela (we're nearly through everything we shot/caught the other day now). Even through the overcast skies we had a sweet sunset to watch before turning in for the night.    Læs mere

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  • Cruising NZ
    Dag 26

    Crayfish Craze

    21. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today we found a good Crayfish spot at the Cavalli's (sorry it's a long one)

    But first, we left our anchorage at Waiiti Bay to explore more of the Cavalli Islands. On our way to the northern end of the island group, we passed the rainbow warrior wreck. Unsure whether we'd be able to see it, we threw Daniel in the water to have a look. While he could get down far enough to see the seabed, he couldn't spot any sign of the wreck. Given it was pretty lumpy in that area, we pulled out and headed on for some calmer dive spots.

    We found a likely looking spot, and Daniel and Jamie headed off while Vela and Nathan chilled out and had some lunch. A pair of very successful divers returned with 3 legal red crayfish (the 3 smallest in the photo).

    Nathan and Vela jumped in next. Nathan headed straight for the reef (Vela was still getting ready) but in about 2 meters of water saw the silhouette of a shark just on the edge of his vision. After a calm swim back to the boat we spotted the shark which circled the boat a couple of times before losing interest and swimming off. Not sure if Nathan has bad luck or just smells good (Sharkbait hoo ha ha).

    The team regrouped and Vela, Nathan and Daniel braved the water again. The spot was mint with awesome visibility and fish all over the place. Nathan and Vela were playing with the fish just 50m off the back of the boat while Daniel went hunting for more crayfish. There were Sandager's Wrasse, Butterfish, Leatherjackets, Parore, 2-spot Demezel, Black Angelfish, Red Moki, Eagle Rays and more! Nathan and Vela fed the friendly Wrasse a couple of kina.

    On the way back to the boat, Daniel found one last Red Crayfish (the second one from the right, the big one is the Packhorse from yesterday). Nathan's trigger finger felt a bit itchy and there was a Leatherjacket that was taunting him, so that got speared and brought back for a post dive snack.

    A plan was made for the Crayfish (we had a few favors owing) and the Packhorse, affectionately nicknamed "Pinchy" was selected for dinner. While Vela was whipping up a feast, Jamie dropped Nathan and Daniel back in the water for a dive back towards the boat.

    Nathan ticked another species off his hit list, spearing a nice pig fish which will go well with Daniel's Butterfish from earlier.

    Vela cooked an epic feed, cooking rice noodles in the crayfish head with a garlic sauce for an entree followed by a Japanese curry with the rest of the cray.    Læs mere

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  • Cruising NZ
    2
    Dag 27

    Stevie's Island - Butterfish Bonanza

    22. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 21 °C

    Yesterday was about the crayfish, today's theme is the Butterfish.

    This morning we woke up to find our anchorage had gotten a little bumpy overnight. So after everyone had crawled out of their beds, we packed up the boat and left to find a calmer spot at Stevie's Island.

    Once we got out of the shelter of the Cavalli's, the sea state was very uncomfortable. Daniel went a bit green and quietly made a contribution to Tangaroa off the back of the boat. After about an hour and a half, the water got a little bit calmer as we got around the Western side of Stevie's. We found a likely looking spot and put the anchor down for lunch.

    Unfortunately the swell was bending around the corner, so we opted to try and tuck in a little closer and succeeded in a marginal improvement in comfort. Nathan and Daniel jumped in for a dive, setting a couple of ground baits to try and lure in a snapper. Although there were a couple of legal snapper feasting on the busted up kina, nothing was worth taking so we let them be.

    Nathan did bump into a nice fat Butterfish, and popped a nice shot off just behind the gills. A little bit of extrication from the seaweed, Nathan ticked off another target species, and we had a beautiful feed for dinner, adding to the Butterfish Daniel shot previously.

    It was a bit of a miserable afternoon with rain showers, so indoor activities prevailed for the rest of the afternoon (excluding Nathan catching and accidentally releasing a nice Kahawai).

    For dinner, Vela whipped up a soup using the bones of the Butterfish, as well as her Chinese pork belly specialty, while Nathan and Daniel crumbed and fried up the Butterfish.    Læs mere

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  • Cruising NZ
    Dag 28

    Stevie's to Whangaroa Harbour

    23. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Nathan and Daniel started the day by getting into their wetsuits for a 7am dive. A relatively short dive as Nathan's mask was fogging up badly, but it yielded some good results. Two Goatfish and two Painted Moki going into the fish bin. Both species are very striking, the Painted Moki with it's bold stripes, and the Goatfish with it's electric blue markings on its face and fins.

    After that the weather closed in and we have had light drizzle or worse for most of the day. In one of the few breaks in the weather, the team packed the boat up and headed for Whangaroa Harbour. The rain didn't stay away long and Nathan was very quickly in his wet weather gear while at the helm.

    Cruising through the Whangaroa Harbour entrance, and with the misty rain and low cloud it felt like we were in Milford Sounds. The Duke's nose was still quite an impressive feature as well, hoping we'll be able to climb it in the coming days if the weather improves.

    Vela fried the Goatfish whole with ginger, garlic, soy sauce and oyster sauce for a delicious dinner. The Painted Moki will be delivered to Nathan's parents for smoking (possibly our last chance to get smoked fish).

    Fingers crossed wet hey some better weather for Christmas!    Læs mere

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  • Cruising NZ
    Dag 29

    The Duke's Nose

    24. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Christmas Eve morning. After a couple of days where we didn't do a lot, we thought it was time to stretch our legs and do some sightseeing. So after a slow morning, we had trevally pita's for lunch and launched the dinghy for a shore excursion.

    We landed at Lane Cove hut and hiked up the track to the Duke's Nose, roughly 30 min and 180m elevation. The track was a bit muddy after the wet weather, but super interesting with steep sections held together with tree roots and a couple of sections where you have to scale a cliff (aided by a safety pole).

    Although it was cloudy, the views were still epic, and brought to mind scenes from Avatar.

    After a photo shoot at the top, we headed back down the track for a dip in the water to cool off.    Læs mere

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  • Cruising NZ
    Dag 29

    Christmas Eve in Waihi Bay

    24. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    After our hike up the Duke's nose, it was time to drop Daniel off back on shore so he could spread some Christmas cheer (aka crayfish).

    We motored into Whangaroa Marina, spotting a couple of shark fins behind the boat (they really seem to be everywhere at the moment!) and dropped Daniel off. Afterwards we headed back out to find a nice quiet spot to settle in for the evening. Waihi cove looked perfect and there were no other boats in sight.

    We spent the rest of the evening paddleboarding around the bay (in between the rain) spotting heaps of eagle rays, Parore, Kahawai snapper and more from the surface. Nathan hooked a baby kingfish and even after playing with camera angles still couldn't make it look big.

    We traded in the Pig Fish and Goat Fish from previous days for some "Cow Fish" for a change, which Jamie cooked to perfection. And we ended the evening with a nightcap (or six) and tried out a little bit of night time photography.

    The bay was perfectly still, and we had a very peaceful sleep, with just the sounds of Morepork and Kiwi calling in the bush.    Læs mere

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  • Cruising NZ
    Dag 30

    Christmas Day

    25. december 2023, New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    A slow day for Christmas, as it should be! Nathan whipped up a batch of breakfast pizzas (pancakes) and we picked up Nathan's sister (Emma) and hey boyfriend (Josh) from Whangaroa Marina in the afternoon.

    Nathan, Emma and Josh went for an epic paddleboard around the bay, playing with the eagle rays in the shallows by the mangroves for a long time.

    After being threatened by Vela that we only had pumpkin for dinner, we endeavored to catch a couple of fish for dinner. We managed three small Kahawai which Vela turned into a delicious meal.

    We finished the night playing some board games and polishing off a bottle of red wine, when a gust blew Emma's paddleboard off the boat, resulting in an all hands on deck rescue mission (which was successful).    Læs mere

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