Author: richwest3

April 11, 2022

Here we sit in Paroa Bay, hopefully safe from the winds that ex-cyclone Fili will bring starting tomorrow.

And here’s what’s coming…

Here’s an interactive Google map with our mooring in Russell and where we are now…

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-Rich

April 10, 2022

We’re heading out from Russell to the Bay of Islands to try to find a nice protected bay for the ex-tropical cyclone coming down from New Caledonia and bringing strong winds. We don’t know if we’ll have internet where we end up so we re-activated our Iridium Go so that we can get weather reports and provide (mostly) live tracking.

Here’s the link to our tracking page.

-Rich

March 31, 2022

The weather was looking pretty good and we thought about staying out in the Bay of Islands for another day or two. Our first choice anchorage was full but Cyndi had a great Plan-B: Army Bay. It was beautiful and we mostly had it to ourselves.

One drawback was that there was still no internet. “OK, maybe just a lunch stop and head into Russell and the land of news, weather and sports!” We thought we might stay just long enough to grab a bite and for a quick drone flight. My second-ever drone crash changed that plan.

I was backing the drone up to try to get a better camera angle on the bay when its proximity sensors started beeping and flashing. I reacted too slowly to avoid a tree. I had little hope that we could retrieve the drone as the tree in question was quite a ways up a steep hill (I call it a cliff, but I’m prone to exaggeration). Cyndi seemed to have both determination and an abundance of optimism.

Below, a few pictures to enhance my embarrassment. The view from the base of the offending tree, me in the tree, and the location of the tree relative to the mountain.

We launched the dingy and set off for some involuntary hiking. Using a “find-my-drone” homing function, we were able to get very close. Eventually, after climbing part way up a tree, I spotted it, nestled happily in some branches. Shake, shake, shake, and now it was in the next tree down. I was able to climb part way up that tree and grab the runaway.

There were two factors that helped us decide to spend the night in Army Bay…

We were exhausted after mountain and tree climbing. Middle aged men shouldn’t do that stuff (What? I might live to be 128?!)

And the bay was beautiful. We could live without internet for another day (probably).

-Rich

March 29, 2022

On our way up to Russell from Auckland, we stopped for two nights in Whangamumu. Here are a couple of pictures of where we anchored. (Click to enlarge and scroll through.)

We had some amazing days, warm enough to play in the water. Let the games begin!

Of course these watersports could 0nly happen after a ride around the bay in a fruitless search for internet rays…

Somehow we managed to survive two nights at Whangamumu and a night in the Bay of Islands without being connected. Are we hard-core explorers, or what?!

-Rich

March 29, 2022

Sunrise from Tutukaka Harbor, where we spent last night.

These are crepuscular rays or “God rays.” Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about them.