April 2 and 3, 2013
The north and south Hauraki Gulf are connected by the “notorious” Whangaparaoa passage between the tip of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and Tiritiri Matangi island. It’s fine to pass through it in mild weather, but it should be avoided when strong winds run against the current.
The wind was light when we entered the channel en route to Tiritiri Matangi, and it was a huge thrill for us when, through a dip in the hills on the peninsula, we spotted the Auckland Sky Tower. We knew we’d be there soon, but we had a couple more days of nice weather before high winds were due to arrive, and we wanted to take advantage of them.
After spending the night and part of the next day at Tiritiri Matangi, we headed on to our final stop before Auckland (and our first island in the south Hauraki Gulf): Rakino and the Noises. It sounds like a sixties pop band, but Rakino is a small island with a couple of anchorages, and the Noises are surrounding rock islands that are popular fishing sites.
We chose to anchor in Woody Bay because it had a path to the main road that runs the length of the island, about a mile long. We pulled in to find a scattering of boats but plenty of room. Wow, what a beautiful place! In contrast to the rocky forested islands of the north gulf, this island (and neighboring Motutapu) had a dry, grassy look reminiscent of southern California.
Later that night it was startling to see city lights visible through the portholes, something we hadn’t seen since we left Catalina Island nearly a year ago. We were still very much in the countryside here, but those lights were a reminder that it was soon coming to an end.
The next morning we went hiking up the hill to the main road and walked its length. We were instantly impressed with just how pretty this island is. It’s small, but everything about it is picture perfect: the crescent beach, the grassy hills with copses of trees, pretty homes scattered along the hills, and sweeping views of the Hauraki Gulf. I don’t think we saw one car on the road, and it seemed like an incredibly quiet and peaceful place. The big city may be visible across the gulf, but the only sounds we heard were chirping crickets and singing birds. Rakino has lots of birds, perhaps getting some spillover from Tiritiri Matangi. Bellbirds, tuis, and fantails flutter amid the trees while pukekos graze on the hillsides. Little Rakino Island is quite a magical place!
Above is a gallery of Rakino Island. As always click to scroll and enlarge. –Cyndi
