Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in down the channel. If you were off course to port, the light would change to red; and if
you were off course to starboard, it would change to green; on course, the light remained
white.
I sailed leisurely down the channel on a broad reach, ambling along at around two to three
knots. It was a super day out, and I saw several yachts sailing around the bay, exploring
the islands and nooks and crannies in this safe haven. Many waved in friendly greeting.
I finally drew up to the old wooden dock at Opua at four p.m. on the 28 th of March. The
customs and immigration officers were there and must have been expecting me due to my
radio conversations with Hardy Herald. I was surprised to learn from these two gentlemen
that it was a public holiday in New Zealand, yet they had the grace to clear me in, rather
than make me come out the following day. They allowed me to keep enough fresh food for
my meals that night and the next day, but they were obliged by law to take away all other
forms of fresh meats, fruit, and vegetables due to their strict health laws. They were very
interested and sympathetic to hear of my stormy encounter, and I felt for the first time since
cruising that these officials truly did respect sailors making the effort to get to their country.
They were all sailors themselves, (I had never seen so many boats; everyone sailed!) and
they respected their nautical visitors.
I mentioned to the officers that I had sailed in tandem with Olivia and had lost contact with
them. They said they would put out a call around the area. About two weeks after I arrived,
Olivia sailed up to the wharf at Opua. They were fine, but when they had hit the same storm
as I did, they decided to make for Lord Howe Island, as their decks were leaking quite a
bit, and they did not want to chance the sail through the storm. It was great to meet up with
them again.
I loved New Zealand. I explored the town of Opua the following day after I had anchored
in the designated anchorage to the east of the dock. That night I slept the sleep of the dead,
after a much needed hot dinner of rice and my last potato and a can of bully beef.
I awoke fresh and keen to go ashore to explore and to just get off the boat. I untied the
dinghy and dropped her in the water with the aid of the boom as a gantry. There were sev-
eral boats in this anchorage. From what I could tell, most of them were weekend getaway
specials. I did spot a handful of cruising boats; there was no disguising them! International
flags flying, laundry fluttering in the wind, crew motoring back and forth between shore
and other boats. I tried to recognize any that I knew but did not see anything I knew at this
early stage.
The Bay of Islands is surrounded in part by a great circle of mountainous land mass, form-
ing a round bay inside. The hills are covered in evergreen pine trees and lush vegetation
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