December 10, 2015
We’re on the move again. After a change in plans, we’re going to harbor-hop down the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island until we get to Wellington. From there, it’s a short trip across the Cook Straight to the South Island.
Our first stop surprised both of us – Bland Bay.
We didn’t think we’d make it this far, having left the dock at 1PM. If we did make it this far, we’d planned to anchor in one of the usual spots: Whangamumu or Whangaruru. The wind came up. The seas got rough. The tiny ship was tossed. Oh wait, that’s Gilligan’s Island. We weren’t tossed much at all, but it would be more comfortable if we could stop before Whangaruru.
Bland Bay? Anchoring here saved us at least an hour over winding up into Whangaruru. David Thatcher, author of popular NZ cruising guides says this isn’t a good overnight spot. We disagree. We had a great night, not quite out of the wind but there was no fetch from the southerly wind we had. There was also very little east swell running. We could see how that might be a problem if there were. David Thatcher must have been here during an east swell. (Click to enlarge and scroll through pictures below.)
Below is a photosphere of Bland Bay. Click on it and after it loads, you can pan up, down, and all around. You can also zoom in. It’s not perfect. I have a hard time taking these on a moving boat, but it should give you a feeling for the place.
Anchor Waypoint:
We anchored at about 35°, 20.62′ South, 174°, 21.56′ East in about 16 feet of water. There’s tons of room here and the bottom feels like sand or mud. We felt no rocks where we anchored.
-Rich
