Cyndi and Rich aboard Legacy
October 29, 2020
“OK Cyndi, I’ll be done in five minutes. I just have to screw on this p-clip.”
Then it breaks. Then I have to run over to the marine store for more because all of my remaining clips are too small. Then I spend thirty minutes trying to get the petrified price tag off.
Two hours later, the five minute job is done! -Rich
Update: My friend Tom wrote with this:
“It’s known as being two hours into a thirty minute job.”
That cracked me up! Thanks Tom.
February 10, 2014
Not surprisingly, this north-facing bay in the Chamberlain’s area was beautifully lit by the early morning sunlight. This bay seemed to be angled just right to have both beautiful sunrise and sunset scenery. Below, a couple of sunrise photos (click to enlarge any photos in the galleries below).
It was turning into another lovely day, and of course one’s initial inclination might be to stay put and enjoy it, to not rush off. In fact, many boaters (Rich) would do just that. But for those of us on a sightseeing mission (me), a nice day is a day to get busy—to walk, motor around in the dinghy, and often as not, to move to another anchorage. Looking at the big picture, I could see a weather system due to arrive in a few days, which meant now was a good time to move to the Coromandel Peninsula and visit some of its less protected anchorages. After explaining this to weary Rich, he agreed to head on this afternoon. After he looked at the weather for himself, suddenly he was the one most in a hurry to get going.
First, though, I wanted to take a dinghy ride in our anchorage. I not only wanted to see the beach but also have a final chance to spot the special donkeys here on this island.
Their story is similar to that of the famous Chincoteague ponies of Virginia and Maryland in the United States. About 200 years ago, domesticated donkeys had been left to go wild on Ponui Island. Over the years they adapted to this place and in doing so developed unique characteristics. They became light colored, almost white, and thick-bodied with rounded bellies. They are now a prized and rare breed, their bloodlines coveted as people on the mainland are sometimes allow to procure and breed these special animals.
I knew these donkeys were somewhere on Ponui, but it’s a big island and I had no idea where to look. I didn’t have high hopes of spotting one.
We set out in our dinghy and motored along the shoreline, not necessarily planning to make landfall. When Rich commented that there were little horses on shore, I whipped around and realized they were Ponui Donkeys! I told Rich to land pronto, anxious to get onshore before they wandered off. I needn’t have worried—it seems this is where they liked to hang out. (Years later, going through photos of our anchorage, I can see they were visible onshore here the day we arrived, we just didn’t think to look for them here!) Below, photos of the beach.
The donkeys were near the beach by a little outbuilding, and we walked carefully up to them, not wanting to spook them. They were neither skittish nor aggressive, but curious, and it seems they were used to getting handouts. One walked up to us and sniffed Rich’s hand, then another, then the two more came over. After a time, we had several donkeys with us, including a youngster. They sniffed our hands, touching their soft, velvety muzzles to them. What a joy it was to get to see, and touch, these beautiful animals. Below, some photos of the donkeys.
After a time the donkeys wandered down the beach, and we hopped back in our dinghy, going for a ride along the beach and down the headland. We ran across a man on a paddle board and excitedly told him about the donkeys. He seemed to have no idea what we were talking about but agreed to go check them out. I felt sorry that a lot of people probably come here and have no idea how special the “little horses” onshore are. What a shame. Here are more…
Back at the boat, we got ready and pulled our anchor. It was neat to head east and see the white beaches and shallow coves at the far northeast end of the island. Our next stop would be the Coromandel Peninsula. Below, a few photos of this area’s anchorages, too shallow for our boat.–Cyndi
February 9, 2014
Not surprisingly after the cloud-strewn evening sky, we were treated to a gorgeous sunset…
Click any photo to enlarge.–Cyndi
February 9, 2014
Part of New Zealand’s magic lies in its clouds, which I once saw referred to as “fields of fair-weather cumulus.” They give the sky character and drama while letting plenty of light through.
Early this evening, these clouds over our bay were particularly lovely. Below, some photos (click to enlarge). –Cyndi
February 9, 2014
It was only a mile from our anchorage at Rotoroa Island to the north end of Ponui Island. Our destination was Chamberlain’s Bay, a large area that actually included several bays.
Chamberlain’s is unofficially the most popular anchorage in the Haruaki Gulf, but I’m not sure why this is. Yes, it’s beautiful, but so are many other bays. Maybe it’s because it’s difficult to visit unless you have your own boat, but with so many boats enjoying the mystique of “getting away from the crowd”; it actually becomes pretty crowded.
Fortunately for us the holiday weekend was ending and there weren’t many boats left in the anchorage. The interesting thing about Chamberlain’s is the prettiest bays are in an area too shallow for all but very small or shallow-draft boats. No matter, though, as it’s an easy dinghy ride from the deeper anchorage to the shallow bays around the headland.
We pulled into the anchorage, pleasant with grassy hills and craggy, pine-covered headlands. At the head of the bay was a long, narrow beach. Most of the boats remaining in the anchorage were on the far side of the bay from us; so it felt roomy. Below, a photo gallery of our anchorage at Chamberlain’s (click to enlarge any photo).
After a quick lunch we got in our dinghy and motored to the bay around the corner, wearing our swimsuits just in case. As we rounded the corner we could see two beaches divided by a rocky area. The whole area was so pretty with grassy green slopes and saddles over the long white beaches.
Beyond this area was another headland and more bays that looked nice…
But we returned to what I’ll call the Bay Around the Corner as it was the most appealing to us. We dinghied over to the beach and found it was made up of tens of thousands of shells and shell pieces. It was the kind of beach where you leave your shoes on, but it was lovely. After we beached the dinghy, I noticed a tree swing and made a beeline for it. I swung out over the water a few times, then let Rich have a few turns. As swings go, this was a fun one. We then walked down the beach, enjoying the beauty of the afternoon and the remote, peaceful feeling of this place.
We’d thought we might go for a swim, but it was getting late in the afternoon and time to head back to the boat. This turned out to be a good decision in that the breeze was picking up. Our plan now was to spend at least one night in this lovely place. –Cyndi
