Cruising New Zealand: South to Whangarei

I’ve been remiss at posting about what we’ve been up to so here are a few photos from the last month.

Bay of Islands

Before heading south, we spent some more time in the Bay of Islands. We spent a few days anchored off the historic town of Russell. It’s a bit touristy but we enjoyed it. It seems we enjoyed it a bit more than Charles Darwin. He travelled there on the Beagle. Back then it was known for its bars and brothels. Darwin didn’t think much of the place. He called it the Hell Hole of the Pacific.

Whangamumu and Whangaruru

We took our time heading south from the Bay of Islands making stops in Whangamumu and Whangaruru. Both were picturesque anchorages with several walking trails for us to explore. We will likely spend more time there on our way back north in a few months.

Christmas at Urquharts Bay

We eventually made our way to Urquharts Bay at the entrance to Whangarei Harbour where we met up with our new friends on SV Unbelievable whom SV Renard had introduced us to in Tonga.

The weather over Christmas was grey and rainy so it felt a bit like Christmas back home in Victoria though it was a lot warmer. In the days leading up to Christmas we enjoyed several walks on shore including a long hike to the top of Mount Lion. We arrived at the summit only to find ourselves surrounded by cloud. I imagine the views would have been stunning.

We broke with tradition this year and had our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve aboard SV Unbelievable. The meal and company made for a great Christmas. We celebrated Christmas Day with a beach potluck with other cruisers. Celebrating Christmas Day on the beach may have been a first for us.

We were up and heading south early on Boxing Day. I’ll save that story for the next post.