Today’s excursion on Te Kaihōpara started in balmy Whangarei where we said adieu to Liv, who is off to Tonga to sail on Salt Lines. One man down, Te Kaihōpara’s lines were slipped into the flowing Whangarei river and we sped out towards the Heads. A shining rolly sea welcomed us as we motored towards the Poor Knights Islands. Appearances of kororā (little blue penguins), takapu (Australasian Gannet) and many petrels kept Karleen and Robyn entertained while Ben caught up on sleep.

The ship herself waiting patiently to slip lines from Port Nikau

Several hours of dodging cray pots later, the Poor Knights Islands were in full view. The spectacular cliffs and jagged outlying rocks were marvelled at by everyone on board and Karleen was chomping at the bit to get off Te Kaihōpara and explore. We plonked the anchor down near Rikoriko Cave and launched Timmy’s dearly beloved dinghy. While the useful crew were organising the dinghy, the others were admiring the teeming sealife swimming around the keel. These islands are a marine reserve and wildlife haven.

As sea lore tells, a Japanese submarine undertook repairs in this cave during World War Two (true story, search it up). It also claims to be the largest sea cave in the world! Several dinghy trips took everyone around to all of the exciting caves. Jason, John, Karleen and I got too excited and went for a snorkel which led to seeing anemones, seaweed and fishes galore. Risking my i-Phone in the salt water with “Do it for the ‘gram” at the forefront of my mind, we managed to capture a glamour shot of the crew underwater.

Back on board Te Kaihōpara, David’s caffeine addiction had kicked in, in response to the latest weather forecast. A brutal 45kts was forecast at Bream Tail, with the centre of the system further north - right where we were! A hurried departure towards Whangamumu Harbour kept us busy stowing the decks and putting up minimal sail to help along the old Gardner engine. John in his English misunderstanding was off to Wagamama Harbour, but luckily he wasn’t navigating. I think he was still thinking about the Japanese submarine and the corresponding cuisine.

Nevertheless, at some point he produced slightly un-mashed potatoes which were mega delicious and kept our morale high. An hour later, closing in on our destination, we got caught in a squall seeing winds peak around 50kts! Rocks within our comfort space, we turned back out to sea in wild swell, torrents of rain and whistling wind, to furl the stay sail and drop the mizzen. Added to the scene was the classic bilge alarm screeching on and off, as water sloshed across the mid passage compartment to confuse the poor float switch.

Ben stayed entertained watching Timmy, John, Jason and myself outside on the aft deck, David managed the helm with Karleen and Sean at the sides, while Robyn focused on keeping her stomach settled. Furling the staysail, the sheets whipped themselves into a knot which meant the sail flapped itself to shreds in the few seconds it took to wrap it all the way away. Te Kaihōpara under control, we tacked back towards the port of refuge. Squall through, we anchored in the delectable bay of Whangamumu in 10 knots, a lifetime away from the carnage 30 minutes earlier.

Hot choccys put us to sleep and we staggered out of bed the next morning to views of world famous bouncy grass and an old whaling station that dates back to 1844. No time to waste as we shuffled out of the anchorage to head north. We were rewarded with stunning views of Cape Brett and the lighthouse as we passed between the rock and headland. Cracking the sheets brought a nice sail down into the Bay of Islands, through Albert Passage with 2m swells and through to flat waters, where we carried out a Man Overboard Drill. Sean was our lucky candidate who was winched over Te Kaihōpara’s guardrails into the water to recover our wet fender friend. This was a crucial training opportunity for us new and returning crew alike!

Into the berth in Opua where we said our highs and lows of the trip. A quick removal of the stay sail, allowed Karleen to drop it off at the sailmakers in Keri Keri, on the way home. Hopefully it will be back on board in a couple days, ready and rearing to head to Fiji. The damage is less than we thought, only the extra UV protection strip on the luff is ripped. This also commences my first trip on board Te Kaihōpara and wow what a trip! We had four seasons every day and our fair share of wind. It’s such a wonderful time on board with voyage crew and learning and having adventures together. I couldn’t be more grateful for our fantastic crew on this trip: Karleen, Robyn, Sean, Ben, Liv, John, Jason, Timmy and David.

- Hannah Wilks, Chief Mate in Training, Ocean Sailing Expeditions

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