March 24, 2013
After rounding Cape Brett and heading south, it was only another hour to Whangamumu, a deep harbor with a well-sheltered inner harbour. There’s no road access to this area, so you either have to hike in (a long hike) or come here by boat. It’s both beautiful and remote which makes it a big cruiser favorite.
We motored in and had our choice of spots to anchor. We chose a little bight on the south side as it was best for the prevailing wind conditions. This actually didn’t look too different from where we’d been the previous day (Deep Water Cove). The water around our boat was a lovely green, and we were surrounded by grass and native-bush covered hills.
After a lunch of freshly-caught fish, we headed ashore in the dinghy. We’d heard about the little blue penguins that swim in the waters off New Zealand, and I was very excited to spot one! I had not told Rich about the penguins because I was still trying to downplay the fact that it can get cold in New Zealand. Our cruising season is in New Zealand’s summer and it’s quite warm; so it’s easy to pretend it’s this warm all the time. But penguins are not warm-weather birds, and sure enough, when I told Rich that bird was a penguin, he had a fit of “cold paranoia,” and wrote a blog post that very night: Legacy Cited for Violation of Rule #37.
We headed first towards the ruins of an old whaling station that this bay is most famous for. Reading the plaques depicting the process, then walking past the harpoon gun and old cement foundations made us feel depressed and angry. We realize that whale oil was a necessity back then, but it still pains us greatly to think about what went on. The settling is so lovely, yet this is such a sad monument. After locating the small pool and waterfall behind the station, we were then glad to leave and head for a beach at the head of the harbor.
We motored over to a long area of beach backed by a large grassy hill. The cloudy sky made the water appear powdery blue, which was striking against the brown sand beach. There was a trail going up the hill, and we hiked up to the top. Once there, we had terrific views of the bay before the trail led into the forest. We continued on and were delighted to have little fan birds flitting all around us. It started to rain, but it was gentle and the sound went perfectly with the forest scenery.
By the time we got back to the big grassy hill the rain had let up, allowing us to enjoy the hike down the hill and a walk along the beach. This place is lovely, but we didn’t feel totally comfortable here. I think the cloudy day combined with the remains of the old whaling station left us uneasy. We planned to head on first thing in the morning.
Here is a gallery of photos taking throughout this day, including a photo of me in the cockpit. When we’re out cruising (away from a marina), we pretty much always end our day sitting in the cockpit with a drink or two. The portable chairs we got from West Marine have been absolutely perfect for this! –Cyndi
