Michael! Yup, Michael. We all went to the Kawau Island "Music at the Mansion" wine and music festival on Saturday. It is an annual fund raising event for various charities on the island of Kawau in the Hauraki Gulf. This year one of the charities will replace a few of the optimist sailing boats on which kids learn how to sail. We liked that a lot.
The festival was packed. We arrived by dinghy early to the Mansion House Bay about a mile away from where we were anchored in Bon Accord Bay. We wanted to get a good shady spot to set up our blankets and chairs for an afternoon of people watching, eating, drinking and listening to music. They had a silent auction, vocal auction and lots of various raffles and prizes. Our friends Sandy and Rankin from GypseaHeart were also there.
The best part was when they announced the best dressed man and woman at the event. One of the volunteer directors had made the selection and picked Michael as the best dressed man. So he runs up to the front and the MC on the stage asks, "who's the best dressed man?" Michael says, "that's me." He laughs and says, "Ya, right. Who's the best dressed man?" The woman who selected Michael said, "it's him" (pointing to Michael.) Now the announcer on stage is a bit humiliated. But the good news is, Michael won a bottle of champagne and a chocolate heart given to him by Lin Pardey. For all those into the cruising and boating world, they will know the names Lin and Larry Pardey. They wrote many books and articles.
We enjoyed a fun day and safely made it back to "Astarte" and the noise of the 150 plus boats anchored there. Boats were everywhere as they were having a big event at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron house nearby. A "band" was playing (badly) and people were hooting and hollering and having a great time. Sleep would be slow coming on this night!
On Friday night, we did a fun dinghy raft up in Bon Accord. We met some great kiwis – Lisa and Martin aboard the sailboat "Streak." They told us one of the races from Auckland was supposed to end at 1900 (7 pm) in front of the Kawau Boating Club and that the finish should be crazy. It is a race with no official start time but rather an official end time. The boat that crosses the line closest to 7 pm wins. We thought it would be fun to anchor the dinghies all rafted together near the finish line to watch. So we packed snacks and drinks aboard and went out. Before long we had more boats joining the raft up to see what was going on. We met some interesting people and had a fun night. The finish line had moved so we were in the wrong place – but we had loads of fun nonetheless.
We are now back in Auckland at Pier 21. We had a boisterous and fast sail back from Kawau. It's been good for Susan, she's had various experiences sailing. Some slow drifting sails, some motor sails and a boisterous one.
Now we will be land tourists visiting some of the sights of Auckland...doing some shopping and dining.
-----
At 2/14/2016 3:54 AM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 36°50.54'S 174°45.10'E
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Monday, February 15, 2016
Friday, February 12, 2016
Kiwis, wine, birdlife and sailing.
Destination: Waiheke. Tiritiri Matangi. Kawau.
We made it safely out of Auckland and Pier 21. First stop was Waiheke Island – home to 30 wineries and several lovely bays for anchoring. The wind direction forced us into Putiki Bay just off Shelly Beach. Our booked wine tour was on the next day (Tuesday) and we would be picked up at Kennedy Point. We dinghied to the point and wheeled Pukupuku (the dinghy) up the beach amidst the many stored dinghies.
The tour took us to three different wineries – Kennedy Point, The Batch (or Thomas Winery) and Stonyridge. We had tastings at all three along with a tour of the winery operation and vineyards. Jewel, our driver, also took us on a little tour of the island including the "rooster retirement center." There is a park where the locals drop off their roosters. The local rules allow people to have up to six chooks (chickens) but no roosters. So the roosters get sent to the park. When a local needs a stud rooster, they simply go to the park, pick one up for an afternoon where the rooster has a ton of fun and then returns it. There were some mighty handsome roosters and we could understand why they get all excited when a vehicle pulls up. Besides borrowing a rooster for services to the hens – the vehicles will also deliver food. We hear many locals are still very loyal to their roosters. Only in NZ!
After we were "happy" with some tasty wines (the area is mostly known for bordeaux style reds and syrahs) we enjoyed a lovely lunch – and boy were we ready for it at 3 pm!
On Wednesday, we moved on to Tiritiri Matangi which is a DOC island (Department of Conservation). It is a nature reserve with no population of a human kind. But the bird population is magnificent. The island was a barren place until locals and the DOC started to replant all native species of plants starting in 1984. Once the plants were established, they then started to repopulate the island with native and often endangered birds. Now there is a great variety of birds – many of which we had never seen including the Saddleback (Tieke), Stitchbird (Hihi), North Island Robin (Toutouwai) (only on two islands in NZ), Red-crowned Parakeet (Kakariki) Tui, Fantails and the strange Takahe. We took a great hike and saw most of these on the trail. The lighthouse at the top gave an incredible view of the Hauraki Gulf all the way to Auckland.
That night, we went back to the island for a night walk to try to spot the elusive Pukupuku – the Little Spotted Kiwi - which has been reintroduced on the island. The rule is you have to have red-lighted flashlights to do the night kiwi search. The three of us went armed with flashlights and high hopes. The chances seemed slim we would actually see one. Very few New Zealanders (known themselves as "kiwis") have actually ever seen a kiwi in the wild. But luck was on our side. A kiwi screeched very close to Michael – a very loud piercing noise from a little critter – and Michael came looking for his two partners in the adventure which were supposed to be following him. We all went back and Michael switched on his light and sure enough standing there was the cutest little kiwi. He stood still for a bit – let us check him out and then dashed off.
As we continued the walk down the hill in the dark, we heard more rustling in the bushes and when we turned the light on into the brush, we also saw a very rare tuatara lizard. These are ancient lizards – dinosaur relatives – that have a strange third eye. We saw two of these large lizards. We didn't see the endangered Wetapunga – a giant insect that is making a slow comeback after being brought to this island. We were thrilled with the things we saw on our night adventure.
The next day – off again. This time we had a nice sail to Kawau Island. We got tickets to a music at the mansion event on Kawau on Saturday the 13th. Luckily we got here early and anchored. There are two big events on this small island. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squandron is hosting a weekend of races, fishing, and parties, as well as the music event. Starting today, Friday, they are expecting about 200 boats to arrive over the weekend. Don't know where they will all anchor – but we expect there will be little room between boats. Should be interesting.
Hopefully Sue is having a good time – couldn't get her to do the log entry.
-----
At 2/12/2016 4:38 AM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 36°25.38'S 174°50.28'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
We made it safely out of Auckland and Pier 21. First stop was Waiheke Island – home to 30 wineries and several lovely bays for anchoring. The wind direction forced us into Putiki Bay just off Shelly Beach. Our booked wine tour was on the next day (Tuesday) and we would be picked up at Kennedy Point. We dinghied to the point and wheeled Pukupuku (the dinghy) up the beach amidst the many stored dinghies.
The tour took us to three different wineries – Kennedy Point, The Batch (or Thomas Winery) and Stonyridge. We had tastings at all three along with a tour of the winery operation and vineyards. Jewel, our driver, also took us on a little tour of the island including the "rooster retirement center." There is a park where the locals drop off their roosters. The local rules allow people to have up to six chooks (chickens) but no roosters. So the roosters get sent to the park. When a local needs a stud rooster, they simply go to the park, pick one up for an afternoon where the rooster has a ton of fun and then returns it. There were some mighty handsome roosters and we could understand why they get all excited when a vehicle pulls up. Besides borrowing a rooster for services to the hens – the vehicles will also deliver food. We hear many locals are still very loyal to their roosters. Only in NZ!
After we were "happy" with some tasty wines (the area is mostly known for bordeaux style reds and syrahs) we enjoyed a lovely lunch – and boy were we ready for it at 3 pm!
On Wednesday, we moved on to Tiritiri Matangi which is a DOC island (Department of Conservation). It is a nature reserve with no population of a human kind. But the bird population is magnificent. The island was a barren place until locals and the DOC started to replant all native species of plants starting in 1984. Once the plants were established, they then started to repopulate the island with native and often endangered birds. Now there is a great variety of birds – many of which we had never seen including the Saddleback (Tieke), Stitchbird (Hihi), North Island Robin (Toutouwai) (only on two islands in NZ), Red-crowned Parakeet (Kakariki) Tui, Fantails and the strange Takahe. We took a great hike and saw most of these on the trail. The lighthouse at the top gave an incredible view of the Hauraki Gulf all the way to Auckland.
That night, we went back to the island for a night walk to try to spot the elusive Pukupuku – the Little Spotted Kiwi - which has been reintroduced on the island. The rule is you have to have red-lighted flashlights to do the night kiwi search. The three of us went armed with flashlights and high hopes. The chances seemed slim we would actually see one. Very few New Zealanders (known themselves as "kiwis") have actually ever seen a kiwi in the wild. But luck was on our side. A kiwi screeched very close to Michael – a very loud piercing noise from a little critter – and Michael came looking for his two partners in the adventure which were supposed to be following him. We all went back and Michael switched on his light and sure enough standing there was the cutest little kiwi. He stood still for a bit – let us check him out and then dashed off.
As we continued the walk down the hill in the dark, we heard more rustling in the bushes and when we turned the light on into the brush, we also saw a very rare tuatara lizard. These are ancient lizards – dinosaur relatives – that have a strange third eye. We saw two of these large lizards. We didn't see the endangered Wetapunga – a giant insect that is making a slow comeback after being brought to this island. We were thrilled with the things we saw on our night adventure.
The next day – off again. This time we had a nice sail to Kawau Island. We got tickets to a music at the mansion event on Kawau on Saturday the 13th. Luckily we got here early and anchored. There are two big events on this small island. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squandron is hosting a weekend of races, fishing, and parties, as well as the music event. Starting today, Friday, they are expecting about 200 boats to arrive over the weekend. Don't know where they will all anchor – but we expect there will be little room between boats. Should be interesting.
Hopefully Sue is having a good time – couldn't get her to do the log entry.
-----
At 2/12/2016 4:38 AM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 36°25.38'S 174°50.28'E
----------
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for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Monday, February 8, 2016
Sue in the Southern Hemisphere
Our guest has arrived...let the fun begin (or continue). She survived the long flight, over the equator into the southern hemisphere and then across the date line losing a day. After a bit of airport confusion (Barbara didn't see her come through the arriving visitors line) we made it back to introduce her to "Astarte" and her cozy accommodations. After a bit of brunch, fish shopping (purchasing a hapuka filet) then some provisioning we went back to pop the welcome to "En-Zed" cork of NZ sparkling wine. Sue was a sport staying up the entire day.
Bright and early the next morning (Monday), Waitangi Day holiday weekend in NZ, we were off to the Hauraki Gulf – destination Waiheke Island. We were escorted out by three large Royal New Zealand Navy ships (well sort of – we had to get out of the channel for them). The wind was right on the nose so we motored the 15 miles to Putiki Bay where we dropped the anchor amidst many moored local boats. Sue has yet to experience "sailing." We did get to see lots little blue penguins on the short trip.
We enjoyed a dinghy exploration of Osten and Shelly bays and got out for a short walk. Then back to the boat to unscrew a bottle of NZ red.
Today, Tuesday, we are off to a Waiheke wine tasting tour.
Next entry from our guest ...woohoo.
-----
At 1/27/2016 7:24 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 35°56.16'S 174°34.99'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Bright and early the next morning (Monday), Waitangi Day holiday weekend in NZ, we were off to the Hauraki Gulf – destination Waiheke Island. We were escorted out by three large Royal New Zealand Navy ships (well sort of – we had to get out of the channel for them). The wind was right on the nose so we motored the 15 miles to Putiki Bay where we dropped the anchor amidst many moored local boats. Sue has yet to experience "sailing." We did get to see lots little blue penguins on the short trip.
We enjoyed a dinghy exploration of Osten and Shelly bays and got out for a short walk. Then back to the boat to unscrew a bottle of NZ red.
Today, Tuesday, we are off to a Waiheke wine tasting tour.
Next entry from our guest ...woohoo.
-----
At 1/27/2016 7:24 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 35°56.16'S 174°34.99'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Monday, February 1, 2016
Kraziness on Kawau
Before we left Urquaharts anchorage, we had a reunion aboard Astarte with some old friends. We heard the sailboat "Option One" calling the nearby Marsden Cove saying they were coming in for fuel and water. We tried them on the radio but had no luck reaching them but luckily had their phone number from last year. We called and before long, they were anchored nearby and a potluck/barbeque was happening aboard Astarte. It was great to reconnect with Mike and Karen who we met three years ago in Fiji. We caught up and shared info on the comings and goings of our mutual friends from Superted, Victory, and Chapter Two. It was a great evening with the Gypsea Hearts also joining in the festivities.
The following morning (even after consuming the fine food and drink from the night before), we made our way towards Auckland from the Whangarei area leaving the Hatea River on Thursday morning before 0700. Mike and Karen on Option One were heading towards the Bay of Islands in the opposite direction. Our destination was Kawau Island about 45 miles away. There was little to no wind when we left under power but put the main up because of a good sized swell. The swell was the remnants of tropical cyclone Victor which was working its way down the New Zealand coast as a low pressure area. The swell was a big one but quite far apart so not too bad. We did have to motor the entire day but it was a good test for the engine after all the work.
We also retested our skill at catching fish- seeing we were motoring. We got one hit and Michael pulled in a rather small fish that looked like one we had gotten before in NZ waters. It wasn't that tasty and this was pretty small so we freed it. Then when Michael was below, the reel started to go and after a few yells below "fish on" she went back to the rod just before most of the line had spun out. Of course, Michael was below putting on rain gear because it started to rain...and then pour as Barbara is pulling in this rather large fish. We got it to the boat but didn't quite know what it was and because it was pouring (and we're weanies) we let it go. We later found out it was a nice yellowtail kingfish and quite good eating. Oh well – next time we'll know. We hate killing fish and then find out they aren't edible.
We did spot a few of the little blue penguins as we approached Kawau – and they are always a treat to see.
We worked our way into a cut to Bon Accord harbour. We were probably the 40th boat to drop anchor. After us, another 40 or so arrived. It was a three day weekend in NZ and some folks were obviously making it a five day one. Our friends on Gypsea Heart anchored nearby. It was nice to be out on the boat again and this is one of our favorite spots in the Hauraki Gulf. The next day it was fun just watching the boats come and go – the turnover is pretty dramatic. The bay gets filled up by late afternoon and starts to empty in early morning. Launches (power boats) and yachts (sailboats) of all styles and sizes come and go. Some are the pretty classic NZ launches – low profile, long bows and usually pretty wood work. It's fun to read the names and watch the anchor drills. NZ boaters like to anchor close to each other. Everyday we were here – the boats came and went.
Michael did some serious cleaning of Astarte's undersides. The water here was much clearer than in the river. He didn't spot the large bronze whaler shark that everyone talks about. The Gypsea Hearts also stopped here on their way to Auckland and we all went out to the Kawau Boating Club for a beer and a meal. The following night, they invited us and another boat, "Erie Spirit" aboard for a fun evening and a sausage sizzle. On Sunday night, Michael counted 133 boats and still thinks he missed some! We went on a dinghy explore to look at the boats and met the crew aboard one of the three New Zealand Royal Navy sailing boats. They took part in a race in the Bay of Islands – each boat was crewed by various "royal" navies – New Zealand on one, the Australian on another and the British on the third. They didn't want to discuss who won just saying, the Bristish sent a really good crew. The boats are 40 foot Chico (a NZ made boat) semi custom sail boats that sleep ten. They are used for team building, teaching and training. The captain and crew were fun to visit with and we wished them luck in the next day's race to Auckland.
We left Kawau around 0930 ahead of the boat race start at 1000. We had a great sail all the way to Auckland. The race boats, including the three royal Navy boats flew past us under spinnaker blazing the Royal Navy insignia. The waters were packed with boats. The long weekend, nice weather, good wind and Anniversary Regatta had boats out in masse. It was beautiful to see - some were small daysailers and others were super yacht racing machines.
We arrived at Pier 21 our Auckland home around 1530 and made our way into the tight fitting slip. There is a big multi-band concert nearby so we can hear the music from on board. We took a walk around and the city is packed because of this musical event and the other Anniversary Weekend events. We still have to figure out what it is the "anniversary" celebrating. Next weekend is another three day weekend celebrating Waitangi Day the signing of the "peace" agreement between the Maori indiginous peoples and the European settlers. .
We are now here – ready (or almost) and waiting for our first guest, Sue, to arrive.
-----
At 1/27/2016 7:24 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 35°56.16'S 174°34.99'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
The following morning (even after consuming the fine food and drink from the night before), we made our way towards Auckland from the Whangarei area leaving the Hatea River on Thursday morning before 0700. Mike and Karen on Option One were heading towards the Bay of Islands in the opposite direction. Our destination was Kawau Island about 45 miles away. There was little to no wind when we left under power but put the main up because of a good sized swell. The swell was the remnants of tropical cyclone Victor which was working its way down the New Zealand coast as a low pressure area. The swell was a big one but quite far apart so not too bad. We did have to motor the entire day but it was a good test for the engine after all the work.
We also retested our skill at catching fish- seeing we were motoring. We got one hit and Michael pulled in a rather small fish that looked like one we had gotten before in NZ waters. It wasn't that tasty and this was pretty small so we freed it. Then when Michael was below, the reel started to go and after a few yells below "fish on" she went back to the rod just before most of the line had spun out. Of course, Michael was below putting on rain gear because it started to rain...and then pour as Barbara is pulling in this rather large fish. We got it to the boat but didn't quite know what it was and because it was pouring (and we're weanies) we let it go. We later found out it was a nice yellowtail kingfish and quite good eating. Oh well – next time we'll know. We hate killing fish and then find out they aren't edible.
We did spot a few of the little blue penguins as we approached Kawau – and they are always a treat to see.
We worked our way into a cut to Bon Accord harbour. We were probably the 40th boat to drop anchor. After us, another 40 or so arrived. It was a three day weekend in NZ and some folks were obviously making it a five day one. Our friends on Gypsea Heart anchored nearby. It was nice to be out on the boat again and this is one of our favorite spots in the Hauraki Gulf. The next day it was fun just watching the boats come and go – the turnover is pretty dramatic. The bay gets filled up by late afternoon and starts to empty in early morning. Launches (power boats) and yachts (sailboats) of all styles and sizes come and go. Some are the pretty classic NZ launches – low profile, long bows and usually pretty wood work. It's fun to read the names and watch the anchor drills. NZ boaters like to anchor close to each other. Everyday we were here – the boats came and went.
Michael did some serious cleaning of Astarte's undersides. The water here was much clearer than in the river. He didn't spot the large bronze whaler shark that everyone talks about. The Gypsea Hearts also stopped here on their way to Auckland and we all went out to the Kawau Boating Club for a beer and a meal. The following night, they invited us and another boat, "Erie Spirit" aboard for a fun evening and a sausage sizzle. On Sunday night, Michael counted 133 boats and still thinks he missed some! We went on a dinghy explore to look at the boats and met the crew aboard one of the three New Zealand Royal Navy sailing boats. They took part in a race in the Bay of Islands – each boat was crewed by various "royal" navies – New Zealand on one, the Australian on another and the British on the third. They didn't want to discuss who won just saying, the Bristish sent a really good crew. The boats are 40 foot Chico (a NZ made boat) semi custom sail boats that sleep ten. They are used for team building, teaching and training. The captain and crew were fun to visit with and we wished them luck in the next day's race to Auckland.
We left Kawau around 0930 ahead of the boat race start at 1000. We had a great sail all the way to Auckland. The race boats, including the three royal Navy boats flew past us under spinnaker blazing the Royal Navy insignia. The waters were packed with boats. The long weekend, nice weather, good wind and Anniversary Regatta had boats out in masse. It was beautiful to see - some were small daysailers and others were super yacht racing machines.
We arrived at Pier 21 our Auckland home around 1530 and made our way into the tight fitting slip. There is a big multi-band concert nearby so we can hear the music from on board. We took a walk around and the city is packed because of this musical event and the other Anniversary Weekend events. We still have to figure out what it is the "anniversary" celebrating. Next weekend is another three day weekend celebrating Waitangi Day the signing of the "peace" agreement between the Maori indiginous peoples and the European settlers. .
We are now here – ready (or almost) and waiting for our first guest, Sue, to arrive.
-----
At 1/27/2016 7:24 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 35°56.16'S 174°34.99'E
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
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