Whangaroa. Whoa!

Say aaahhhh…

Known for its fjord-like bays and excellent protection, Whangaroa sounded like a good place to explore while we chipped away at additional projects.

And indeed it was. When the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Cook arrived in New Zealand accompanied by strong winds and torrential rains, we were tucked snugly into a small cove between steep cliffs.

Once the weather passed, we enjoyed the terrific scenery, freshly caught fish, and a marvelous hike up the Duke’s Nose—that is, to the top of a high granite formation so named for its aristocratic profile.

Several pre-departure (from NZ) tasks were postponed because, as so often happens in Boat World, new tasks cropped up. We got hit by a large wave en route to Whangaroa; when we arrived at our first anchorage, unlashed the dinghy and turned it over—the floor was gone!

How the large aluminum contraption managed to wash overboard is hard to imagine, but it did. MacGyver--er, Art—cobbled together a makeshift floor out of a spare window and miscellaneous boards we had with us, so at least we could safely take the dinghy to shore.

While hiking, we encountered a couple of women trapping possums. Their stories—about possums, and about life in rural New Zealand—were both fascinating and hilarious. Imagine the Mud Run: 7k through rough terrain in, of course, mud. Whoa! Participants wear wet suits and rugby shoes; it’s supposedly “great fun, as long as you don’t break your ankle”. It’s also popular; the woman on the left was pleased to have finished #150 out of 800 contestants. Where can we sign up?

Parts of the climb up the Duke's Nose were steep enough
to require hauling ourselves up rock faces hanging onto embedded chains.
Whoa!!

Picnic on the Nose (punsters, have at it)

Views from the top were fantastic! 

Views from the anchorages weren’t bad, either. 

Up a creek with two paddles, for a picnic at water level

Most of our week in Whangaroa Harbor was spent among rugged and secluded coves, but we enjoyed checking out the settlement of Whangaroa. The area is famous for its fishing, so of course we stopped by the Sport Fishing Club.

Art checking out some of the winning
fishing competition entries

And here's the largest Pacific bluefin tuna ever caught by an angler.
Whoa!!!

Another terrific hike, this one on a stopover from Whangaroa back to the Bay of Islands. Considering we didn’t have much time to spend exploring New Zealand this year, we sure made the most of the time we had!

Soon we’ll be clearing out of beautiful but chilly NZ and heading to beautiful and warm Vanuatu, a journey that we expect to take 8-10 days. In case you’re interested, here’s the list we use for our last few days prior to departure:

And last but not least, a HUGE THANK YOU to heroes Paul & Chris from S/V Georgia!

When cruisers or visitors arrive from the US, it’s common for them to transport items hard to find elsewhere. Usually the items aren’t large; think Starbucks coffee or small parts. Fortunately for us, cruising buddies Paul & Chris’s offer to bring something we needed ended up with them flying back to NZ with a rolled up aluminum dinghy floor. Whoa...another saga ending well (with a shiny new floor photo to come).