Our final crossing to New Zealand was blissfully uneventful. We had a delightful couple days of sailing, a couple days of motoring and one sporty day, which is about the best we could ask for. We were motoring for what we thought would be our final day when it became apparent that we wouldn’t make Opua by nightfall. We killed the motor and put up the sails for a leisurely sail over flat waters. Towards sunset, the winds completely died and we heard whales surfacing in the distance with the sound of their exhales carrying over the still waters. When night fell, we fired up the motor so as to arrive to Opua and The Bay of Islands at daylight.

With just the two of us, our watch schedule is Meredith 1900 – 2200, Herman 2200 – 0200, Meredith 0200 – 0600 or later when Herman wakes. Herman takes watch while Meredith naps or cooks breakfast. We sleep in the salon area tucked between the table and storage behind the couch. Earplugs and an eye-mask (or pillow) complete the look.

New Zealand Arrival!

We’d heard New Zealand was beautiful, yet we are stunned by the expansive beauty of the Bay Of Islands. Some porpoises briefly escorted us into the bay as the sun rose over Cape Brett. We motored our way past the towns of Paihia and Russell on our way to Opua, where we could check into customs then stay at the marina for a few days.

Customs and Biosecurity were everything we expected and more. The customs dock is HUGE. The curved dock, accessible only by boat, extends the length of the 400 slip marina. Boats, crew and passengers are not allowed to leave the dock until cleared by customs and bio-security. When cleared, one must then leave post haste.

When entering a foreign country, boats fly a yellow quarantine flag (“Q-flag”) to alert customs that the boat has not been cleared. Tieton’s very worn Q-flag came with the boat, and we wish we knew its previous journeys.

We were the fourth boat on the dock and greeted three customs officers about an hour later. They boarded and two went through our documentation we’d previously submitted online. The third casually started looking through our tracks on our navigation system, and was pleased when I showed him our website with our tracks. Drug trafficking is more lucrative here and seemed to be their highest concern. We’d received an extended visitor visa, which allows us to stay until 2028, as long as we exit every six months. Customs stamped our passports, then we waited an hour and a half for biosecurity.

The polite biosecurity officer examined our cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer. Other than a few pounds of dried beans, we’d consumed what they would have taken. It was surprising to have to give up the precious US pine needles under the insoles of my hiking boots. Fortunately, we didn’t find any seeds hiding out in the insoles themselves. Phew! All in all, we were impressed with the professionalism and thoroughness of their program, which strives to protect their industry and environment.

Opua

The small town of Opua seems to have more boats than people, and the town is definitely boat focused. The one street runs along the marina then down to the ferry dock with a small ferry to Okiato that runs every 15 minutes or so. Along the marina are a boatyard, a few chandlers, the marina office, a cafe, a few offices, the Opua General Store & Bakery, and the yacht club. The yacht club and cafe benefitted from me celebrating not cooking on the boat. The chandlers and stores had a wider selection of goods and fresh produce than we’ve seen in a long time.

On Saturday we borrowed the marina’s courtesy car and along with Rusty and Sally drove 15 miles (25 km) through Piahia to KeriKeri where we went to the farmers’ market. Local honey, fruit and vegetables abounded, along with beautiful crafts, including a pair of earrings for my birthday! Driving through town, I saw Churchill Butchers, a shop that a New Zealand cruiser had recommended. Much to our delight, we found parking by a liquor store. Between the butcher and the least expensive liquor we’ve seen since Mexico, it was like we were kids in a candy store.

Omata Winery

Herman and I walked onto the ferry Okiato, New Zealand’s first capital. The ten-minute ferry cost NZ$2 (US$1.20) and the deck crew pointed out the track that we could take to the winery. We’re learning about New Zealand’s plentiful public tracks and had a hilly first trek, which took about an hour to get to the winery. Given my involvement with Rotary, it was great to see the local club working on the track. The sub-tropical forest had a mixture of tall trees interspersed with tropical ferns and foliage, and we worked up quite a sweat and appetite.

Omata Estates quotes James Busby, known as the forefather of the Australian wine industry, “A man who could sit under the shade of his own vines with his wife and children about him, the ripe clusters hanging within their reach, in such a climate as this and not feel the highest enjoyment of happiness and does not know what the word means.” Although we didn’t have our families with us, we were very happy to be at a winery tasting wine together.

What’s Next

Tieton will spend the summer (now through March) in Whangarei and we have a weather window so we’ll take it. Dolphins escorted us out from Opua, reminding us to return in the fall before we head to Fiji.