October, 2012
Our first decision was about New Zealand and basically came down to this: when did we want to make the crossing? When you start making these plans from the US, the common assumption is you want to be south by the start of cyclone season (a cyclone is what a hurricane is called in these parts). This is generally December, but November is a transition month (like May in the northern hemisphere) and is considered a risk, enough so that most boat insurance companies demand you be out of the tropics by the end of October (as we weren’t currently insured, this insurance pressure was not an issue for us).
When we came to Tonga, we assumed we’d be leaving for New Zealand by the end of October. But then we started to listen to the cruisers who were actually from New Zealand, and what we came away with was this: they do not make this crossing until the end of November at the earliest, or better yet early December. The reasons are very simple: in November the risk of a cyclone is tiny, but a gale on the passage to New Zealand is pretty much guaranteed. The longer we could wait, the less the likelihood of our encountering a strong low pressure system (causing gales), and if we did get one, the winds would be less forceful. On top of that, the longer we waited, the closer we’d be to New Zealand’s summer, which starts in late December, and the warmer it would be. I think the cold was the final deciding factor: why go early and have to be huddled in our boat with the heater running?
We were tempted early on by the All Points Rally we had joined, which had boats leaving Tonga at the end of October to arrive in Opua early November. There was a big welcome week planned, with cruiser parties, seminars, freebies and festivities. It sounded like so much fun, but we wondered why they do this so early. In any case, we had to decide: is it worth being out in 45-knot winds and rough seas to get free beer at a cruiser party? The answer was a quick no. We would wait as long as we dared before heading south to New Zealand. With that, we could take our time and see more of Tonga. -Cyndi
PS: While we relaxed, we enjoyed more sunsets.
