March 7, 2013
Yesterday we left the safety and security of the marina in Opua. Today it was time to leave the safety and security of the Bay of Islands and head out onto the wild, wooly ocean off the New Zealand coast. OK, so it wasn’t all that wild and wooly today, but it sure can be at times!
After exiting the Bay of Islands, we turned north and had a great view of the coastline of New Zealand. A few hours later, we arrived at the rugged-looking Cavalli Islands just offshore near Whangaroa.
One thing we are learning about the islands in New Zealand is they are often dramatically different on their east and west sides. The east side faces the open ocean and as a consequence is rocky and rugged. The west side faces the protection of nearby land and will often have calm, quiet bays with beautiful beaches.
Today we entered the Cavalli group from the rugged side, between some jagged rock islands, and I was glad it was such a calm day as it seemed a little foreboding (more). We had thought about anchoring on the north end of Motukawanui Island, but a catamaran had beaten us to it so we headed around to southwest side. We were relieved to find a beautiful, roomy, peaceful bay. It had been a long day, so we opted to relax on the boat and go exploring ashore tomorrow. –Cyndi
