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
