February 5-8, 2014
Ponui (aka Chamberlins) Island is smallish, about 4 miles long and 1-1/2 miles wide. It sits just under Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Guilf, about 14 miles from our anchorage at Rangitoto. It’s nearly uninhabited, with only a handful farms and a few people. There are some lovely anchorages at Ponui, but we chose today’s anchorage, Apuapu Bay, for the protection it offered from strong easterly winds due to arrive.
Below, a map.
After our morning hike on Motutapu Island, we had lunch before heading off across the Haruaki Gulf. The sky started to cloud up as we motored along, but thankfully the wind stayed light. We pulled into Apuapu Bay about 3 hours later, heading into an anchorage surrounded by golden grassy hills and peninsulas densely vegetated with native bush and pohutukawa trees.
At the head of the bay was grassland, a pasture for cows. Our first clue: there were a lot of cows. We’d even get an occasional cow on the beach. Overall, this place had a low-key yet appealing beauty to it. We felt very comfortable here.
We had a couple of sailing yachts in the bay with us and they were fine, but Rich had to run off a couple of power boats that anchored too close. We understand they may have only been making a temporary stop, but we have no way of knowing their plans and had to assume they’d be sitting out the blow. Either way, they should have anchored accordingly. Thankfully they didn’t argue and moved.
After dinner we sat outside to sip some whiskey and enjoy being serenaded by mooing cows. What is it about that sound that’s so damned entertaining? I don’t know, but we enjoyed it. In all, we were really liking this spot.
Later, the sunset was particularly beautiful!
The next morning felt like deep summer, with warm pleasant air, a blue sky with streaks of white clouds, and the buzzy sound of cicadas coming from the island.
It wasn’t long, though, before we started to get gusts of strong wind interspersed with still periods. By nightfall the gusts were coming more frequently, strong enough to wake us up occasionally. Thankfully the boats around us had anchored sensibly so we didn’t worry about them, but at times the howling wind noise was unsettling.
The gusting winds lasted for two days, and we finally got some rain the second night. I rather enjoyed this time hunkered down on the boat, but Rich could have done without the sound of gusting wind–it makes him nervous. Another evening of whiskey in the cockpit helped with that. Overall it was strange weather in that during the lulls, it still felt summery and really nice to sit outside.
After three nights in Apuapu Bay, the wind was due to clock around and come from the west. Any time the wind completely switches direction, it tends to go light and gives us a chance to move with no dramas. Our planned destination for the westerlies: Man o’War Bay on Waiheke Island. –Cyndi
