Author: richwest3

There’s a strange magic in New Zealand.  We first mentioned it in our Te Paki Sandstream post (link), but we experience it regularly.  It’s a combination of the beauty of this place and the sometimes-otherworldly quality of the light.  And then there’s the kind of magic where you stop short, furrow your brow, and say, “Now that’s odd.”  It might be a strange coincidence, something seemingly out of place or some strange bending of the laws of physics.  It will spur us to look at each other and wonder aloud if we’ve passed on and just don’t fully realize it yet.

Today we found the strange magic at the beach.  We looked down at the wet sand and noticed the receded water left a pattern.  It was a beautiful rendition of kauri trees, the giant trees that are special to, and representative of, New Zealand.  It was lovely, but also mildly disturbing as we had to question whether all this is real or an after-death illusion.

We were glad we had the camera with us that afternoon.  If just going on memory, we’d tell ourselves the patterns didn’t look that much like kauri trees – just an exaggerated memory.  But we look at the pictures now and can see we didn’t imagine it; the water really did paint kauri trees in the sand for us. -Cyndi and Rich

March 13, 2013

The hike up to the top of the hill was steep but didn’t take very long, and the views were stunning as we made our way up.  We could see Waiti Bay coming more into view as we climbed.  When we reached the top, we had sweeping views of the southwest side of this island, the New Zealand coastline, and the cluster of little islands just to the south of us (more of the Cavalli group).

We walked over to check out Papatara Bay (aka Horseshoe Bay), the next bay over. Papatara Bay is another large and lovely bay, but with a brown gravel beach instead of Waiti’s white sand.  It looked like it would be fun to explore, but we’d thought we’d go swimming.  In the choice between doing more hiking or going back to the boat for a swim, swimming won. –Cyndi

March 13, 2013

The afternoon was warm and sunny as we motored into Waiti Bay, returning after fleeing windy conditions a few days earlier.  I’d felt torn when we bypassed Whangaihe Bay on the mainland shore, but now I felt no regrets.  This bay has a large crescent of white sand beach backed by pohutukawa trees, clear blue-green water, and the kind of grassy slopes that are wonderful for hiking with the reward of great views waiting at the top.  With only two other boats in this large bay, it almost felt like having it to ourselves.

After lunch, our first destination was the beach.  It was even lovelier than it had looked from the boat, with soft sand and warm water that was as clear as any water we’ve seen on our entire cruise.  We walked down to the far end of the beach and discovered a swing hanging from a pohutukawa branch.  After taking turns trying it out, we walked back across the beach to do today’s version of Legacy Boot Camp: hiking up the grassy hill. –Cyndi

March 13, 2013

One of the more challenging aspects of cruising is dealing with weather windows.  When a windy period is coming, it’s not just finding a secure anchorage that’s the issue.  It’s finding a secure anchorage where you don’t mind being pinned down for a few days, or a week (or even indefinitely).  That’s the challenge.  That, and what you might have to skip en route to that chosen anchorage.

In this case, we had a period of winds coming and could only feel comfortable spending one more night in the area before heading back to the Bay of Islands.  This meant that of the three anchorages we had planned to visit outside Whangaroa Harbour, we could choose only one.  After exiting Whangaroa Harbour, we motored down to take a good look at one of our choices, Whangaihe Bay on the mainland coast just south of Whangaroa.

The bay was beautiful, rugged with pine forest and dark water, yet it also had an area of grassy hills.  Stretching out from the south headland were the rocks known as the Chain of Islands, including Frenchman Rock with its tunnels and caves.  It was really nice, but after having a good look, we decided to head on back to the anchorage we had to abandon before going to Whangaroa: Waiti Bay at Motukawanui Island in the Cavalli Islands.  It was a tough choice.

While we didn’t get to put our anchor down in this lovely bay, I think it was special enough to warrant its own post.  Maybe someday we’ll get another chance to stay there, but I’m glad we at least got a quick visit. –Cyndi

March 13, 2013

The winds were light, but in a few days time a fairly strong weather system was due to arrive over Northland.  We wanted to be back in the Bay of Islands before it came in and needed to wrap up our cruising in this area.

We left Whangaroa harbor and went to look at a mainland anchorage to the south called Whangaihe Bay.  It was beautiful, with black water and pine trees, but in the end we decided to go back to the Cavalli Islands, specifically Waiti Bay on Motukawanui Island.  Our time in that lovely bay had been cut short by weather, and we wanted to go back and do some hiking and swimming.

There are a few pictures from Whangaroa Harbour that didn’t fit into the posts, which means it’s time for a final gallery.  It was a little sad to leave one of our favorite areas, but there were many adventures waiting ahead of us.  Here’s our final gallery of Whangaroa pictures.  As always, click to enlarge and scroll. –Cyndi

(The black and white photo was inspired by Rani and Chris on Ladybug – their photos make me a little jealous 🙂 -Rich)