Two At Sea

February 20 – 24, 2014

Our first couple of days having a car in Tauranga were spent shopping, doing errands, and revisiting a couple of our favorite spots. One exciting new thing we came across was the Gourmet Night Market, a weekly Friday evening event that takes place during the summer.

We headed over around 5:30pm, trying to get ahead of the crowd, and were rather overwhelmed by the choices. Finally we settled on steak sandwiches with horseradish sauce, followed by Coromandel mussels served in a creamy wine sauce (these may have been the best mussels we’ve ever had). After that there were Chinese dumplings before finishing the evening with Dutch ice cream. Meanwhile live music played, and by the time we left, there was a pretty big crowd.

What a fun event this was, but as we headed off, leaving the festivities behind us, we both started feeling a little off.

One of the things that comes with this lifestyle is repeatedly experiencing the feeling of being an endless visitor. There are flip sides to this coin. The upside is that there’s so much novelty, which makes this life frequently interesting and gives it a spark. The downside is that we often feel like outsiders, ghostly observers hovering about the edges of a picture instead of being inside it. This feeling passes with enough time in a given place, but initially it can be accompanied by a mild depression.

We both started to feel this after the food truck event. Maybe it was being in such a festive atmosphere and knowing no one. Then arriving back at the marina to see the tight-knit Friday happy hour crowd partying. We missed our friends and the community we’d been a part of in Auckland, and it would take some time to feel a part of this one again.

Still, feeling like outsiders was only a part of this. A larger part was what we call post-project depression. We’ve noticed this happens when one or both of us achieves a big goal. There’s so much mental and physical energy that builds up to the event that no matter how arduous the process or desired the accomplishment, life can feel like a deflating balloon once it’s done. In this case the goals achieved had included cruising the Hauraki Gulf, moving to Tauranga, and retrieving our car.

Rich bounced back pretty quickly, but over the next few mornings I’d open my eyes and find the depression still lingering. Like a cat waiting for me to wake up, it was just there. I was in one of those loops where I had a lot to do but couldn’t seem to get anything done. I was feeling blocked on stuff I was doing for the blog, then the road trip plans were proving overwhelming. I’d tried to organize a first trip only to realize I’d need to figure out all of them in order to make the pieces fit into a cohesive overall plan.

So often the way to break out of a rut is to just take a step, any step, even if it’s not exactly right. I was making yet another stab at figuring out a trip for us which could begin with a stop Rotorua, only 50 minutes away. In an effort to be helpful, Rich found a great hotel deal on Wot If, the travel site we were using at the time. I hadn’t actually planned on spending the night, but it might make things easier. I asked him if we could parlay this into a longer trip. He said sure, but it turned out he was thinking 2 nights in Rotorua while I was thinking of a multi-day road trip to other areas. Once we got that cleared up, Rich said he really wanted to get back quickly and get started on some projects.

It was at this point the realization hit me that we could do most of these trips in a series of two- or three-day stints. It would mean a fair amount of extra driving overall, but taking on that inconvenience would clear up a couple of other challenges, the biggest of which was sticker shock.

Inexpensive yet nice hotels in New Zealand can be hard to find. At this point in our travels, we were finding great deals on a site called Wot If, which showed a month’s worth of prices all at once. It’s amazing how much the price would drop if one was willing to just pick a week earlier or later, or even just a day earlier or later. By limiting our destinations, I could pick days with reasonable prices and as a bonus, do it during nice weather.

This would end up being our method of travel not just for this season, but for all of our travel since then. (Note: We no longer use Wot If, which changed. Instead we start with Google, then use sites like Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com, etc., to find the deal that works best for us.)

So, we booked a night in Rotorua. It didn’t seem like much compared to the list of places I hoped to visit, but by making a list of more things I hoped to do there (I say “more” because we did stuff there the previous year), I felt uplifted, hopeful, and happy. Small steps can mean a lot.

Meanwhile, one afternoon during the period when we were both feeling down, I thought a trip to the beach might help. We went and found the surf was up. We walked along the beach and watched the surfers, and by the time we were done both of us felt uplifted. Sometimes a great way to feel better is to get out in nature for awhile. –Cyndi

(Click to enlarge any of the photos in the gallery below.)

February 18 – 19, 2014

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It felt great to wake up to a warm, summery morning in Tauranga. During one of my night watches on the passage from Great Mercury Island, I’d made a list of all the places we looked forward to seeing again, along with a few we hoped to visit. Now, we were here, everything on my list waiting for us. We were home, or at least what felt like home to us here in New Zealand.

This feeling was reinforced when we went to the marina office and retrieved some mail that had been waiting for us. Here, we found our New Zealand driver’s licenses and our visa extensions! All good stuff, but we were most excited about the licenses, symbols that we are now part of this country, that we belong here even if we do still require visas.

Now all we needed to do was retrieve our car from the Bayswater Marina in Auckland, then we’d really feel at home! We booked a bus for early the next morning. Meanwhile we washed and scrubbed the boat and dinghy, rinsed out our foulies, and pickled our watermaker. At the end of the day when everything had dried, we rolled up the dinghy and stashed it and put our foul weather gear away. It felt strange to stash all this stuff knowing we wouldn’t be seeing it again for months, but we looked forward to our road-travel adventures ahead.

The next morning we got up early to catch the bus to Auckland. It was a long ride in drizzly conditions and a relief to finally get off the bus. While enjoying lunch at a favorite spot downtown, Rich asked, “Now why did we leave Auckland?” It was pretty amusing considering how anxious he’d been to get to Tauranga a few weeks ago. But it was also a good thing: it meant he’d bonded with Auckland and we had yet another place in New Zealand we could call home.

After lunch we caught a ferry to Bayswater Marina and retrieved our car. Now, it was time for the nearly 3-hour drive back to Tauranga. We didn’t mind—we were happy to have our car back, and excited to begin a new phase of our lives.

Below, a few photos of (or from) the Tauranga Bridge Marina, mostly evening photos taken over the period of time we were there in 2014 (click to enlarge any photo). –Cyndi

February 16 – 17, 2014

It was 7pm but still sunny when we left Parapara Bay, making the trip ahead much more palatable than it would have been if we’d left in the dark. We passed a neighbor who complimented our boat (a man with good taste, obviously!) and asked where we were headed. Tauranga, we told him. Incredulous he said, in a British accent, “Now-ow?” I loved the way he said it, with that British inflection that puts questioning rise at the beginning of the word, then goes down in tone. (For weeks afterword we’d say it the same way.) Rich answered him that we were doing an overnighter. I’m sure he was scratching his head about that one, but I suspect he later came to understand our seemingly-bizarre decision. Below, a map showing our approximate route from Great Mercury Island to Tauranga.

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Thankfully the wind was from the northwest and aft of the beam as we motor-sailed past the island. Below, a few photos…

After we left the island behind us, we started taking turns on watch. On big passages we do long watches, but on trips like these we switch off every couple of hours or so. Thankfully the wind stayed from the northwest at about 10 to 12 knots for the duration of our trip. As a bonus the current was going with us. The moon later rose as a big orange ball and lit up the world around us.

It was actually a nice sail except for the fact that it was quite cold, and with the scattered small powerboats in this area, generally out fishing, we felt the need to keep watch outside. It was still dark when we started to see huge freighters, many miles outside of Tauranga, waiting for daybreak when the harbor’s ship pilots would start work and could take them through the channel.

When the sun came up we both kept watch together in the chilly morning air. I was pretty thrilled to see the Mount ahead of us, a landmark that let us know we were getting close to Tauranga.

We’d arrived earlier than planned, but the tide was rising and the current would be with us going through the channel. We decided to go for it, gliding in at a fast clip on the swirling water rushing through the channel. What a good feeling to get through and be able to admire the the Mount from inside the harbor.

Unfortunately while we could get away with riding the current at the harbor’s entrance, the marina really did need to be entered at slack tide. We now had about an hour to kill so motored around, tired and ready to be in. Finally it was almost time and not a moment too soon. The wind was supposed to pick up to 20 knots at 10am, and it was now almost 9:45. The wind was just starting to get stronger as we headed into the marina and to our slip. We got in beautifully, and  what a relief to be tied up!

Our next order of business: get signed in at the marina office followed by a late breakfast at the marina’s cafe. While waiting for our breakfast sandwiches, Rich took another look at the weather. It turned out we made the right move coming here as conditions had worsened–the wind was now forecast to be 30 knots and would stay up for a week! That British guy back at Parapara was probably thinking we were pretty smart at this point.

We headed back to the boat, indulged in a bottle of arrival wine, and then both promptly feel into a deep sleep. I woke up to what I thought was the next morning, so sunny and bright. Rich said he’d downloaded the Super Bowl and we could watch. He went to our galley and instead of coming back with coffee, came back with beer and chips. Beer and chips in the morning? How decadent! Rich told me it was actually evening but my brain was so foggy that took awhile for it to sink in that this was still the same day as when we arrived. In spite of the nice long nap this afternoon, I was still feeling the effects of being up much of the previous night.

It wasn’t long after watching the Super Bowl that we were both asleep again. Tomorrow we’d begin a new phase in our cruising lives: land life. But unlike last year, when our time in Tauranga was mostly spent prepping the boat to head to Fiji, this year we planned to do a lot of car travel around the north island. We’d already covered the north part of this island, but most of New Zealand tourism’s “big guns” were still south of us.  I’d seen a few of these places on a previous trip and was anxious to show them to Rich, hoping they’d live up to my memories of them.

Many cruisers would accomplish this goal by doing a 2-week road trip, covering it all in one loop. Rich, though, is not one for long car trips; so I’d have the challenge of figuring how best to cover everything in several short trips. In between road trips, we would again be prepping our boat for another season in the tropics; so there was lots to do in the weeks ahead.

-Cyndi

February 16, 2014

After enjoying morning coffee in Coralie Bay, it was time to head north over the top of Great Mercury Island to its west side. The trip wouldn’t be too far, less than 2 hours, and it was looking like a nice day.

Traveling over the north end of this island was interesting because of the multitude of rock formations and islands. The wind was up a bit higher than forecast but mostly coming from behind us so a nice trip overall in sunny, breezy conditions. Below a photo gallery of the trip (click to enlarge any photo in the gallery).

Once we arrived on the island’s west side, we checked out an area called Huruhi Harbour before deciding to return to the bay we’d gone to last year, Parapara. It’s pretty, well protected, and just all-around pleasant. With only one other boat there, we had plenty of room. Below, a couple of photos…

How nice to find a spot, get the anchor set, and settle in for lunch. We looked forward to spending 2 or 3 days here before heading over to the Coromandel Peninsula for a couple of stops. After that, we’d finish up this cruising season in Tauranga.

What happened next was another example of cruising’s most annoying challenges. This doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. It goes something like this:

Cyndi: “Ahhh, all settled in here at a nice bay. It will be lovely to relax for a couple of days.”

Rich, taking a quick look at the weather, stayed silent and settled in to read.  Sometimes it’s best not to be the messenger but to let someone see the bad news for themselves. I got up to take a look at the situation and indeed, it was bad news. The wind was due to increase tomorrow, followed by several days of south-easterlies. We’d be fine here in this bay, but it wouldn’t be good for heading to Tauranga or any of our hoped-for stops along the Coromandel. Which meant we’d be pinned here at least a week.

Rich, observing that I was now seeing what he had, asked, “Do we really feel like sitting here for a week?” I said, “With the exception of leaving right now, we’re stuck. The wind is forecast to go up to 20-knot easterlies tomorrow, and I don’t want to be out in that!” Rich wasn’t as put off by those conditions as I was, but I pointed out the wind would likely be gusting higher, making for a both an uncomfortable trip and difficult marina arrival.

I noticed there was one option to avoid tomorrow’s wind, and that was to leave, like, right now. We could motor-sail overnight and arrive at Tauranga in the morning before the wind came up. Rich came over and looked at the situation with me, and asked, “If we could leave now, would you be up for it? Would you be disappointed not to make any stops?” Sigh. I told him that yes, I could leave now. And the stops I hoped to make were places we could visit by car in the future.

With that, Rich sat down to look at tide times in Tauranga and plot distances. He determined it would actually be best to leave at 7pm, motor overnight, and arrive early in the morning at slack tide, best for going through the channel into Tauranga’s harbor.

So, there it was, our best option. It wasn’t a happy option as we’d now gone from anticipating a restful time at a lovely anchorage to steeling ourselves for a long overnighter followed by a nerve-wracking passage through a busy shipping channel and dealing with a marina arrival. What a way to ruin a perfectly nice afternoon! But it was our best option, and an option we could live with.

When I call this one of cruising’s most annoying challenges, I’m not referring to the disappointing weather forecast or having to leave earlier than planned (although those things are annoying). I’m referring specifically to getting the news of needing to leave imminently and pull an all-nighter. It’s happened to us before, and unfortunately it will probably happen again.

It was tempting to just rip off the band-aid off and leave right then, but the sun was still strong, and this area is prone to late-afternoon gusty winds. It would be better to wait until this evening. So, we relaxed as best we could (not easy when facing an overnight passage), had dinner, took showers, and put on scopolamine patches knowing conditions could get choppy with wind at, or ahead of, the beam. At 7pm, we brought up our anchor and headed out of the bay.

In spite of only a day at Coralie Bay, I have a few “second chance” photos I like that didn’t make the blog posts. (Alas, we were in Parapara Bay such a short time that I have no photos to include.) Here, a good-bye gallery for Great Mercury Island that includes Coralie Bay, the unnamed bay just south of it, and yes, some Canadian Geese.

These birds were introduced to New Zealand as game birds in the early 1900s and like so many of us others who’ve been “introduced” to this place, are loathe to leave. Since Mc Donald’s has expressed no interest in making Canadian Gooseburgers, no one actually eats these and they’re considered a bit of a pest. But us being from Southern California, we think they’re exotic and beautiful and are always excited to see them. –Cyndi

February 15, 2014

In the evening, after the sun went down behind a hill, we headed up to the cockpit to sit outside and enjoy the sunset. After a couple of cloudy evenings, it was nice to enjoy another beautiful sunset much like we’d had in the Haruaki Gulf. Below, a couple of photos (click to enlarge any photo)…

We lingered after the sun went down, and lo and behold, a big full moon appeared, rising from behind a peak on the south headland. All that was missing was the silhouette of a howling wolf. It was definitely a “wow” moment.

That night, the conditions in the bay were peaceful, the water calm and flat. We were sleeping well when I woke up in the middle of the night and felt compelled to look outside. The full moon was now high, lighting up the bay and the headland behind us, the white cliffs really glowing in the moonlight. It was a stunning scene, and I ran below to grab the camera.

Rich seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but this was one of those moments that it would be a shame to miss. I was trying to figure out how best to wake him up when he stirred and woke up naturally. I told him he must come outside right now and take a look! He did, stepping out into the mystical scene of moonlight and glowing white. Adding to the magic was the Southern Cross, still visible in the rather bright light. Unfortunately my photos didn’t turn out very well, but I’ve managed to eek out four of them.

The little lights in a couple of the photos are from a bunch of small powerboats that appeared in the bay this evening. Tomorrow morning by the time we woke up, we knew they’d be gone–out fishing again. –Cyndi