We find ourselves in New Zealand’s magnificent Bay of Islands. It truly is spectacular. There are countless anchorages to explore with little more than five or ten nautical miles between them.
We have only spent a few days exploring them, so this is by no means a comprehensive guide to the area but so far, we’re loving them. The Bay of Islands is comprised of 144 islands spread over 260 km2. We are reminded of BC’s west coast–everything is green. The foliage is different. I haven’t spotted a Douglas Fir yet but it’s green and lush all the same. Hillsides are a combination of deciduous trees, giant ferns and rolling grassy meadows. Island shorelines are a combination of rocky headlands and sandy beaches with many nooks and crannies in which we can find safe anchorage.
Many of the islands are Recreation Reserves. I don’t know what a Recreation Reserve is legally, but they seem similar to the Marine Parks in BC. We have visited a couple of them and enjoyed walks along their shores and hillsides. The trails are well-kept and well-marked. The views are stunning.
We are still in good company. Renard is not with us as I write but they are not far away. (It’s not nearly as much fun without them.) Unbelievable, who we met in the Ha’apai Group of Tonga have shared some anchorages with us. We’ve been meeting up with SV Wildflower who we first met in Mexico! Also interestingly, we have sailed more than 10,000 nm from home and are still crossing paths with our friends on SV Mandolyn. They are from Saltspring Island and we first met them a few years ago when we were both in the boatyard in Canoe Cove! Finally, a few nights ago we shared an anchorage with twelve other boats. I got talking with a local cruiser who commented that he had been in the anchorage the previous week and there were no more than four boats there. This time there were twelve and most of them were foreign flagged. Interestingly, we knew most of them and have been crossing paths with them since the Marquesas.
The plan from here? If you read my previous post, you will know our plans are loose. We’ll likely be here a few more weeks before making our way south for Christmas. Besides, we haven’t seen any hobbits yet and these islands strike me as being prime hobbit territory.
Cormacks On Cambria 