December 23, 2013
One task we needed to get to quickly was figuring out where we could keep our boat for a month after leaving the Viaduct. We actually loved staying there, even with its inconveniences (a public toilet, no shower, expensive parking). The tradeoff was being near the most exciting, vibrant part of this wonderful city of Auckland and all that it had to offer. But it’s expensive to stay in the Viaduct, and a two-week time period was about all the splurge we felt able to make. We needed to find something more affordable for the remainder of Silly Season (the summer holiday period).
We had some options in mind, and one of them was not actually in the city but 30 minutes north, in a marina on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. This peninsula houses some of Auckland’s most popular suburbs, the inner third of which is particularly thick with neighborhoods. The middle of the peninsula is greener with more upscale homes, a large golf course, a country club, Gulf Harbour and its marina complex, and houses lining waterways. The outer third of the peninsula is devoted to parkland.
Our first mission after picking up our rental car was to go check out the Whangaparaoa Peninsula and the marina at Gulf Harbour. While we were there we could also go see Shakespear* Regional Park which is both a wildlife refuge and a park for people to enjoy. It included Army Bay, a possible future anchorage for us, the lovely Te Haruhi Bay, and Okoromai Bay, very popular with those who enjoy digging for clams. Below, a map of the peninsula. (*Yes, it’s spelled correctly as it’s named after a New Zealand family, not the poet/playwright.)
And so we headed that way. It was interesting to drive along this peninsula that we’d seen from afar when we visited the Hibiscus Coast to the north. We were also familiar with this area because of Gulf Harbour Radio, the net run by ex-cruisers David and Patricia who do a daily radio net and weather forecasts for those making the passage between New Zealand and the tropics. We’d heard quite a bit about Gulf Harbour, so it was interesting to see it for ourselves.
As we headed out on the peninsula, our first impression was it was indeed a suburban mecca, but the kind with towns and little shopping areas so it had some charm. Below, a typical looking area of an inner-peninsula neighborhood.
I was surprised how long it took us to get to Gulf Harbour Marina, then surprised again as we got a look at the size of it. It was huge, and surrounded by condo and apartment-type buildings and marine businesses. It looked new, very upscale, and pretty spiffy. After taking this in, we went and talked to the office about the possibility of visiting here. The woman there was very nice and said to just let her know when we wanted to come and she’d find us a spot.
We took a walk around and looked at the yard, the yacht club and bay, and the boats. We were impressed, but there was one drawback: this area was pretty far removed from things, confirmed when we went to go look for a grocery store and didn’t find one nearby. Could we be happy in this rather remote area for a month? We’d have to think about that as we checked out a couple more marinas.
After the marina we headed out to the park area of the peninsula, starting with Army Bay. It was a nice place with a stretch of beach and a beautiful pohutukawa tree, not what we’d call a must-see, but nice all the same. (You can click to enlarge and scroll through photos in this post.)
After that we headed across the peninsula and found ourselves at Okoromai Bay which had a cool view of the dormant volcano on Rangitoto island behind people digging for clams.
Finally we got to lovely Haruhi Bay and took in the feeling of the park which had low hills, lots of green grass yet also a dry feeling, and peaceful bays. We wouldn’t call this a must-do, but it’s worth seeing if one is in the area. Should we end up staying here, I planned for us to do some hiking in this park.
So while we didn’t make a decision this day, it was a relief knowing that we had at least one option for a place to park our boat for awhile. We could now go join our friends in Whangarei for Christmas with no worries for our immediate future. –Cyndi
