February 25, 2016
We made such good time on our way to Napier that we were able to stop last night and anchor, and still make it into the marina at Napier before any bad weather and during daylight hours. What a treat.
Cyndi, using her incredible research skills, found us a nice bay that was just about on the way: Ahuriri Cove.
As the sun set and the moon rose, the colors on the sandstone hills changed from tan, to orange and red, to subtle greens. At one point, the shadows cast by trees, shrubs and creases in the cliff changed to blue. After the moon came up, the sand patches looked like show covered hillsides.
This reminded us of being in the Sea of Cortez desert, only prettier. (Click to enlarge/scroll through pictures.)
As anchorages go, it’s not great. It’s rocky on the bottom and a south swell we didn’t even know was there (because it was covered up by the larger swells from at least four other directions) rolled right into the bay. It wasn’t bad, though–we had a very comfortable night.
Note: we wouldn’t recommend cutting in between the island and mainland like we did if the seas are up. There’s a pretty good current through the pass and it probably gets nasty if the current opposes the swell. -Rich
Here’s an interactive Google map…
