Saturday afternoon a very soggy Te Kaihōpara arrived at Great Barrier Island. Along the way we were visited by Sea Breeze III, who was on her way up to Whangarei. A quick wave hello and she disappeared into the fog. Due to the lack of wind, we motored from our anchorage on Kawau out towards Great Barrier, and despite the lack of sails, we were kept entertained by dolphins, penguins and seabirds along the way.

Our destination for the night was Smokehouse Bay, which is located in Fitzroy harbor on the Western side of the island. Along the way, we made a quick stop for firewood, ever hopeful for a break in the rain long enough to enjoy a bonfire onshore. We ran to the beach, filled the dinghy to the brim with drift wood, then carried on towards our anchorage.

There was however, no break in the weather that evening. The day was spent playing card games, chess, and plenty of coffee breaks. Mick and Robby ventured to shore to drop off the firewood and met a few fishermen on the beach, who had found themselves with far too much fish to eat on their own. A trade was made, fish for firewood, and we found ourselves with fresh snapper & kahawai to go with our lamb chops that evening. A true surf & turf feast!

A ruthless game of cards… Friendships ruined… Enemies made.

Yesterday morning we woke up to a lovely breeze, and moved ourselves to the Northern reaches of the harbor and anchored outside of Port Fitzroy. We spent the morning in Glenfern Sanctuary, which is a wonderful nature preserve on the island, and home to all sorts of native flora and fauna. We stopped into the visitor center and learned all about the work going on in the sanctuary to keep the native species alive, then went for a hike around the preserve. It’s a wonderful part of the island, and definitely worth the stop in.

After lunch we weighed anchor, unfurled the sails and pointed ourselves towards Tiritiri. We had a few hours of lovely downwind sailing, but by late afternoon the wind had dropped and we gave up the gun, starting the engine to try and arrive at our destination by dinner. Tiritiri has a beautiful anchorage on its Western shore that we’ve found to be great in northeasterlies. We parked ourselves on the southern end of the beach, enjoyed a lovely Sunday roast, and called it a day.

This morning we were woke up to blue skies and light winds. We all piled into the dinghy to head to shore for a morning exploring our anchorage. Tiritiri is a totally pest-free island, making the forests and beaches a bird watcher’s paradise. We picked an easy trail that meanders its way through the forest from one side of the island to the other, with plenty of benches along the way to sit and watch the birds. The trail ends on the Southeast side of the island at a lighthouse, with panoramic views of Auckland and the surrounding islands.

We’ve put off our return to Gulf Harbor as long as possible, but unfortunately flights are booked and we must return. It’s been a wonderful trip enjoying the Hauraki gulf and all its natural beauty.

Cheers,

Liv

Surf & Turf at Smokehouse Bay

Peacocks & Mansion Houses