Author Archives: Susie

Hills, Hikes and Heavenly Views

After leaving the Bay of Islands we made our way slowly southwards towards Whangarei.  There are some wonderful anchorages on the way to take advantage of, our first stop was Deep Water Cove close to Cape Brett at the entrance … Continue reading

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A Kiwi on Cavalli

On our way south from the beautiful Whangaroa Harbour we stopped at the Cavalli Islands, a group of islands just a couple of miles off the coast. We had wanted to stop here on our way up to Whangaroa from … Continue reading

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Ending the Year on a High

Our next stop in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, was a trip into the Kerikeri inlet as far as our draft allowed.  From the anchorage we could take the dinghy about 3km up the winding inlet to the final … Continue reading

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Royal Visitors to The Land of the Long White Cloud

November and early December were very changeable months weather-wise, it is still Spring in New Zealand and although we have had some wonderful sunny days at 25 degrees C it can get quite chilly at night when it drops below … Continue reading

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The Bountiful Bay of Islands

We don’t often spend time in marinas, preferring our space and tranquility at anchor, but it made life a little easier on arrival in New Zealand, we could give our traveling home a much needed hose down after a very … Continue reading

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A New Arrival in New Zealand

The beautiful coastline of North Island, New Zealand, came into view at first light on day ten of our passage from Tonga.  We had motor-sailed for the last two and a bit days in 4-8 knots of wind making good … Continue reading

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Life on the Tilt – Day 7

It’s been an eventful week of sailing so far on our passage to New Zealand from Tonga. Day two’s GFS GRIB file which gives us forecast wind direction, strength, surface pressure and rain, revealed an unfortunate change in the forecast. … Continue reading

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Ha’apai Days

The Ha’apai group of islands are almost central with Vava’u to the north and Tongatapu to the south. They comprise of 62 islands which include barrier reefs, coral shoals and even active volcanoes.  Most of the islands are low lying … Continue reading

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Exploring Vava’u, Tonga

The Vava’u group of islands in Tonga isn’t just a wonderful place to see whales, it is a fabulous cruising ground for us yachties. With so many possible anchorages with reefs and islands to hide behind, protection from just about … Continue reading

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Treasured moments with Tongan Humpbacks – The Video!

There’s nothing quite like video footage to animate an event where photos cannot completely portray the whole experience. Such as the articulation of the fins, the rotating joint tilts the fin almost like tabs on an aircraft wing, they also … Continue reading

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