Penguins and Palm Trees

Yes, New Zealand has it all. From the flora and fauna on land to the myriad variety of species below the sea, New Zealand is a unique mix of warm and cold. There are palm trees, massive ferns, and cabbage trees alongside towering hardwoods and evergreens. Of all the island nations we’ve visited, the variety of birds has increased from a low of 31 species in Niue to 337 species here. It’s incredible what landmass can do. We’ve been in New Zealand approximately 1 month, visiting 14 anchorages in the Bay of Islands and the Cavalli Islands. Grocery stores are still a major treat. Additionally, it’s avocado season! Need we say more? There are wineries to visit and a large variety of international cuisine. We are definitely not on small Pacific island anymore!

Though we are definitely still in Polynesia. Many islands around the Bay of Islands begin with “motu” which is the word for island in multiple Polynesian languages. Additionally, place names throughout Aotearoa (New Zealand) maintain their Maori names. One of our most cherished experiences here in Aotearoa was a few weeks ago when the Hokule’a and the Hikianalia made official landfall here, in the Te Tii Bay where we just happened to be anchored. You may recall from our previous posts that we have been on a similar voyaging path as the Hokule’a since we first saw her traditional navigator, Nainoa Thompson, speak in Seattle about 2 years ago. We saw the Hokule’a again in Papeete, Tahiti and shared our pictures and excitement for that back in July. Now there we were, in Te Tii Bay, watching the largest waka (traditional war canoe) in Aotearoa greet the Hokule’a and Hikianalia as they arrived and the crew stepped on land for the first time since leaving the Cook Islands weeks prior. The waka paddled around the bay, right past us, as their chants filled the air. The chanting and greetings exploded with intensity as the waka passed by and circled around the Hokule’a and Hikianalia. After watching this from our bow, we hopped in our dinghy and made our way to shore where we were part of the crowd greeting the crew as they stepped onto the beach. There were speeches and singing and blowing of shell horns. Once all the crew was on land, we followed the procession to the nearby marae where the local Maori communities continued the welcome for the Hokule’a and Hikianalia. There were speeches in a few Polynesia languages and some in English, with singing and dancing mixed in between. It was incredible to be a part of this important cultural event. 40 years ago, almost to the day, the Hokule’a arrived in the same bay and walked to the same marae to celebrate it’s first ever voyage to Aotearoa. 50 years ago, the Polynesian Voyaging Society had 1 traditional navigator, Mau Piailug. Nainoa Thompson studied wayfinding from Mau and became the first new traditional Polynesian navigator. Nainoa and the PVS made it a priority to train new generations, and the PVS just had a class of 10 new traditional navigators graduate. In case you missed it before, here is the Hokule’a website where you can learn more about their history, recent arrival in Aotearoa, and their current voyage: www.hokulea.com

Diving was shocking at first, given the temperatures! We both shifted from our 3mm wetsuits to 6-10mm and added hoods and thick booties. The temperature here, ranging from 15-18 C (59-65 F), is similar to California diving which is still warmer than our old splashing grounds in the Salish Sea. Diving here is a bit confusing. We are in cold water swimming around kelp, spotting nudibranches, and then we see fish from up north in the tropics like triggerfish, eels, porcupine pufferfish, and colorful sponges! We have been followed by curious trevally and large snapper on many of our dives. There are also gigantic lobster here called crays (crayfish) by the locals. The packhorse rock lobster is the largest rock lobster in the world and can grow to approximately 2.5 feet long and weigh up to 45 pounds! We have been diving on multiple rocky reefs and two large wrecks. The first wreck which was also our first dive in New Zealand was on the Rainbow Warrior. The Rainbow Warrior was a Greenpeace vessel that was bombed by French agents while moored in Auckland Harbour. It was preparing to depart for French Polynesia in 1985 to protest ongoing French nuclear testing in the atolls there. We recommend the BBC documentary “Murder in the Pacific” if you want to learn more about the vessel and the politics surrounding its bombing. Ultimately in 1987 the wreck was barged up to the Cavalli Islands, where it rests today, and was sunk as an artificial reef. It abounds with life now. The other wreck we dived on was the HMSNZ Canterbury. It was a New Zealand naval vessel, sunk purposefully for diving in 2007. It’s a massive vessel with schools of fish swirling around. Prior to sinking large holes were cut into various parts of the deck and walls to allow us divers to safely swim inside parts of the wreck.

During our first week here, we also were joined up in the Bay of Islands by our friends, Ava and Pajo and their family. It was a fantastic reunion after nearly 8 years apart. They sailed out of Seattle, along the Pacific Coast of the US and Mexico, all the way to Costa Rica, before jumping across to the South Pacific and finding their way to New Zealand. We met for the first time on their boat in Seattle in 2016, and their cruising adventures gave us extra motivation whenever things got tough over the past year. To top off an already amazing reunion, we met up for a day of sailing on the historic tall ship, the R. Tucker Thompson! We have seen a number of tall ships at maritime museums and wooden boat festivals in years past. It was truly incredible to get to sail on one, and help out with hoisting sails and climbing up the rigging!

We have been back out hiking again, slowly reviving our wasted-away sea legs. Our first hike was to the Cape Brett lighthouse – one of the hardest hikes in all of the North Island. We’ve also enjoyed some shorter hikes in Rangihoua Bay (home of the first European settlement in New Zealand), Matauri Bay (with the Rainbow Warrior Memorial), and around Urupukapuka Island (Department of Conservation protected island). We’ve also visited the small towns of Opua, Paihia, and Russell (formerly known as the Hellhole of the Pacific due to the whalers and sailors who frequented the town, and originally named Kororareka for the good tasting tea made from the blood of a penguin). Josh, our Tonga passage crew member, was with us for our first week in New Zealand celebrating our arrival, sailing on the R. Tucker Thompson, taking the dinghy from an anchorage to the Omata winery, and for the Cape Brett lighthouse hike. A little over a week after he left, another friend, Roy, came to join us. We hopped anchorages with Roy, including a stop back at the Omata winery, and he jumped in the water with us for a few cool dives including the Canterbury wreck.

Now that it’s just the two of us onboard, it’s pretty quiet! We’re thinking about all the boat projects we need to do, and watching weather for a good time to depart the Bay of Islands and sail down the coast.

Next Stops: Anchorage hopping down the coast to Whangarei