Tutukaka, New Zealand
12/19/2004 - 12/26/2005
Check out the Hole in the Rock! High speed boats and sailboats cruise through the hole - intentionally. Given the Whale Rock trauma, we decided to stay away from the rock and the hole.
Tutukaka
Plane tickets leaving from Auckland on the 15th of January motivated us to move south as soon as the weather looked good. After several days of high winds from the south, a window of opportunity opened up. We left the beautiful Oke Bay anchorage in the Bay of Islands to start migrating down the coast. Several destinations sounded appealing even though their names are very funny to us. Should we go to Whangamumu, Whangaruru or Tutukaka? Memories of being spoken to as toddlers flashed before us.
A glorious day of sailing and 36 nautical miles - thank goodness they do not use nautical kilometers - brought us to the lovely tiny harbour of Tutukaka. Tutukaka is popular departure point for game fishing as well as diving trips to Poor Knights Island Marine Reserve. With the water temperatures much too cold for our tastes, we chose not to make a trip out to Poor Knights.
We were one of the few boats heading south. With the approaching holidays, most local boats were headed north up to the Bay of Islands. This huge racing sailboat caught our attention.
The big boat sponsored by the Lion Foundation is probably planning to race in the Bay of Islands Regatta.
Several beautiful coves such as this one fill the harbour in Tutukaka.
Every day canoes, or wakas as they are called in Polynesia, full of paddlers practiced for upcoming races.
Sitting in the cockpit one morning, Robin wondered, "What kind of bird is that?". "Wait a second...it's a penguin!". We had a blue penguin swim near Whisper every day while in Tutukaka.
Penguins are fast swimmers. The process of getting these pictures was quite humorous.
Robin yelled, "Okay, get ready. Here he comes. Starboard side!". Duncan positioned himself and started shooting. Amazingly several pictures were not too blurry.
One more penguin shot. We were quite amused by this little guy. He may have been amused by us as well.
Tucked behind this little island in Tutukaka harbour made us feel like we would be protected from the predicted high winds. Whisper stayed in this spot for seven days.
Tutukaka harbour is very quaint. Three restaurants allowed the cook, Robin, and the dishwasher, Duncan, to take a well deserved break from batting on board Whisper.
Christmas's approach in the middle of New Zealand's summer seemed strange. Being big fans of Christmas, we did not let that stop us from celebrating. Friends Chris & KT on Billabong invited us to come down to Whangarei for a gourmet Christmas dinner. Driving to Whangarei from Tutukaka takes about 30 minutes. Sailing there takes a few hours. With no car and no options for rental cars in Tutukaka, we contemplated sailing to Whangarei. The problem was we wanted to head from Tutukaka to Great Barrier Island rather than Whangarei. Luckily, Chris picked us up in Tutukaka via their newly acquired spacious van. Problem solved and the gourmet Christmas dinner was a go! And, we even spent the night on Billabong.
Chris & KT drove us back to Tutukaka the next day after we watched The Incredibles at the movie theater. Movie theater! The last movie theater visit for us was in Mexico.
Christmas morning in New Zealand brought on phone calls back to the US to talk to family on Christmas Eve. Does that make sense?
Via water sleigh, MJ and John arrived at Billabong for Christmas dinner in festive holiday fashions.
Tah Dah! Crown Roast of Pork is not an easy dish to prepare in a boat oven.
KT and Chris - chefs extraordinaire - carve the main dish. Dinner was incredible. Everything was homemade including the scrumptious cheesecakes.
Leaving Whisper alone at anchor is not a commonplace occurrence for us. As Billavan turned the corner into Tutukaka, the anticipation of knowing whether she was still in the same place started building. We said our good byes to Chris & KT and scurried out to the anchorage in the dinghy. Phew! Whisper sat safe and sound in the same place we left her.
Upon return, we checked the weather forecast for the next day. After a week in Tutukaka, we were ready to explore another new place. Preparations for departure to Great Barrier Island commenced.