For the last week in the Bay of Islands we've enjoyed the beauty of the bays....

we've fished and caught octopus......

We've been based in the Town Basin Marina in the centre of Whangarei for the last five years. The marina is well protected from the weather, within easy walking distance of shops and chandlery stores and the marina staff are friendly.

http://www.whangareimarina.com/

In addition to the marina, the Town Basin is a hub of shops, restaurants and cafes.  Most Tuesday evenings yachties gather for "happy hour" at Reva's restaurant.

Parihaka Reserve is on the doorstep of the marina and is a peaceful antidote to the town and boat maintenance. With plenty of tracks winding through regenerating forest of ponga ferns, kauri, totara and other New Zealand trees, we can choose to follow the river upstream or head into the hills and a view over Whangarei from Parihaka Memorial.

Urquhurts Bay at the entrance to Whangarei Harbour provides good shelter in most winds, but not south westerlies.

On a sunny day the climb up Mt Manaia provides spectacular views over the harbour and Urquhurts Bay

Most of Great Barrier Is. is covered with regenerating forest and about 2/3 of the island is public land controlled by the Department of Conservation

Smokehouse Bay is a popular anchorage with boaties. It is protected in Southwest winds.

The history of Smokehouse Bay is a story of generosity. In 1948 Eric Webster bought land at Smokehouse Bay and built basic facilities for the visiting boaties to use. In 1981 he gave the land to the Queen Elizabeth Trust to administer. Unfortunately a landslide during a rain deluge in November 2005 demolished the facilities. Boaties banded together, gathered donations, materials and labour, and rebuilt the facilities during 2006. Once again, boaties visiting Smokehouse Bay can enjoy the luxury of a hot bath (it just takes a little effort to light the fire to heat the water), laundry tubs, piped water and fish smokers.

Wherever we go I look for walking tracks and the western part of Great Barrier Is. is criss-crossed with walking tracks. An interesting track from Bush's Beach in Kaiaraara Bay weaves across Kaiaraara Stream into the hills to the remnants of a Kauri Dam.  Walking this track is an enjoyable way to get a feeling both the forest and some of the history of the island.

Kauri trees were logged from the island forests from about the mid eighteen hundreds to mid nineteen hundreds and the loggers devised a crude but effective way to transport the logs from the steep hill slopes to the shore. A timber dam was built across the Kaiaraara Stream and logs were rolled into the ever-deepening water. When enough water and logs built up behind the wall, the dam was released and the jumbled mass rushed and roared down the valley to the sea. It was a wasteful method and eroded the valley but logs did reach the sea.

This time on our way back down the valley we felt a thill of excitement, imagining the roar and commotion of the logs and water tumbling, as we jumped the stones across the stream.

Great Barrier Is. is free from many of the animal pests found on the mainland, such as stoats and ferrets. The island is providing a haven for some bird species. In Kiwiriki one gentle morning a Brown Teal (pateke) shyly swam to each of the boats in the anchorage. In this same anchorage we saw pairs of Kaka, a native parrot, squawking over the treetops and during the night heard the haunting calls of petrels from their burrows in the mountains.  

Mimiwhangata is a beautiful bay with clear water over a sandy bottom -

but beware, Mimiwhangata is a Marine Reserve. There are no signs or markers indicating this, or the boundaries of the reserve. Fishing is allowed within the reserve, but only particular species using particular methods. It can be confusing. It's best to get a brochure from the Department of Conservation camp just over the hill at the end of the bay.

Whangamumu has the remnants of a whaling station

We enjoy catching or collecting our food and Urupukapuka is a favourite anchorage. Provided the swell is small, Tanil jumps from the dinghy to pick green-lipped mussels on the rocks nearby.

Roberton Is. offers the chance to anchor in relatively clear water on a sandy bottom and an interesting island ashore. We've peered into the waters of the rockpool and climbed the hill for a stunning view over the islands and surrounding bays.

Many cruising yachts enter and leave New Zealand from Opua in the Bay of Islands. During November/December and May it is an exciting place to be, crowded with yachts.

Sailors talk about the trip, weather, other anchorages and practical information; where to find repair shops, markets etc.