Land in sight

After 18 days I reach Opua in the Bay of Islands. If you subtract the day I lost due to crossing the International Date Line, it only took me 17 days to sail 2250 nautical miles from Tahiti to New Zealand. An outstanding achievement for our little Katinka. Once I've got L'Espereance Rock abeam, the wind gets weaker and weaker. At five knots from the north-northeast, there is hardly any speed left in the ship. I start the engine to bridge this lull. But the wind won't get above ten knots until I reach New Zealand. During the night, the wind picks up a little and I set sail again. I'm now making four knots and have to decide whether I want to use the engine again and arrive in Opua at night or continue sailing and reach New Zealand a day later. I decide on the latter. Furthermore, I reach New Zealand waters at 11 p.m. and check in on Maritim Radio. I enter my ETA (Estimated time of arrival) as 12.00 noon. At 9.00 a.m. I am at the entrance to the Bay of Islands.

Entrance from the Bay of Island, New Zealand

I saw the imposing rock at the entrance two hours ago. A sweet smell of honey fills my nose. I see trees, meadows, lots of green. The landscape resembles the foothills of the Alps, with its rolling hills, but right by the sea. I discover sandy beaches and villa-like houses on the offshore islands. A pilot whale jumps out of the water. Could a greeting be more beautiful? After not seeing a single boat on the crossing, the bay is almost overcrowded. There are moorings everywhere and the boat traffic is enormous. You can't just let it go here. You have to be careful here. Small fishing boats drift along, excursion boats sail from island to island. Sailing boats come and go to Opua. Two ferries cross in front of Opua. One of the last challenges before I dock at the quarantine jetty. Nelly and Allan's Meerla are at the jetty and help me moor. We met the two Swiss in Shelter Bay Marina and then lost sight of each other. It's always nice to meet people again and find out how they've been in the meantime. You have plenty of time to do this in Opua. As it's lunchtime, there are no officials to be seen. Biosecurity is the first to arrive. There is a long list of foodstuffs, including all fresh produce, that cannot be imported into New Zealand. This and also the underwater area of the ship are the main focus of biosecurity. I am well prepared and present a cleaning certificate to the official. As officials all tick the same way around the world, certificates or documents are like salt in the soup for people like this. He was delighted and the stamp is on the clearance document with a loud bang. So the first hurdle has been cleared. Now Customs is still missing. A friendly lady comes on board and we handle the entire clearance procedure in small talk. She hands me the customs document for the yacht and tells me that everything to do with the yacht is tax-free, as long as the dealer or marina can handle it. I also have to keep it safe, as it will be needed again when I leave the country.

In Koroareka Bay off Russell, New Zealand

I collect the yellow flag and say goodbye to Nelly and Allan. I spend the night in Koroareka Bay off Russell. Russell has a chequered past. When the place was still called Koroareka, the Maori lived there. At the beginning of the 19th century, whalers, escaped convicts from Australia and deserted sailors settled here. The port was quickly nicknamed the “Hellhole of the Pacific”, which gives an idea of what the town was like. In 1840, the town was renamed Russell in honor of the colonial secretary of state John Russell and was the capital of New Zealand for a short time. In September of the same year, however, the decision was made to make Auckland the new capital. Hone Heke, the Maori chief, felt betrayed and finally burned down the town in 1845. The white population fled to Auckland and war broke out in the north. After two defeats, the British were able to end the war in 1846. The 1836 church in Russell is the oldest in New Zealand.

Tutukaka Harbor, Neuseeland

Early in the morning, I set off for Whangarei. I have chosen Tutukaka Harbour for a stopover. I sail between the imposing rock and the mainland and realize that the rock has a hole in it. As the wind is weak, I have to motor most of the way. I arrive in the quiet bay of Tutukaka late in the evening. The names of the bays here make me feel like I'm in a Pipi Longstocking movie. It's simply fantastic. The wind lets me down the next day too. 

Whangarei fjord entrance, New Zealand

I had reserved a place in the Port Nikau marina the day before, so I'm motoring again. The marina is not far from the Norsand shipyard where Katinka will be moored for the next year. Maybe we can sell her and if not, we'll see. In any case, we'll keep you up to date, until then, fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.