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To see lots more
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We had always been apprehensive about sailing to New Zealand because it would mean leaving the Trade Wind route and we knew that the winds might be unfavourable and strong. We had originally planned to sail from Fiji to Australia but the cyclone season was now imminent. Almost without exception other yachts were now heading south and we wanted the security of numbers on the water even though we knew they would probably be hundreds of miles from us. We felt we had no alternative but to change our plans and head for New Zealand. On this passage of about 9 days we would normally expect a front through about every 5-7 days and our tactic should be to meet it at about 30°S. We requested weather routing and were advised to delay our departure for a couple of days. When we finally motored through the exit pass from Fiji it was a bad sign to see a tanker outside rolling too much for the pilot to board her! Within 12 hours we had winds of 25-30 knots from just in front of the beam with fairly rough seas and lots of green water over the decks. This was to continue for the next 4 days; it was too much for Lesley's stomach and she was soon out of action. Our forecaster's route plan turned out not to be very accurate and in fact we had our most settled conditions around 30°S.
When we were about 500 miles north of New Zealand we had our second rig failure. The babystay tang (the metal connection between the mast and the rigging wire) failed. We thought we had plenty of fuel so that if the worst happened we could motor to New Zealand but then we encountered a strong adverse current, which made it less certain. Moonshadow (an Oyster 47 who we knew well) were about 50 miles away and they offered us some fuel. We rendezvoused with them and transferred 3 jerry cans of diesel across which in the end we didn't need. We expected to face more difficult conditions before we would reach New Zealand. We effected a jury rig using spare halliards and a line from the spinnaker pole mounting. If we were not able to stabilise the mast we would be in serious danger of losing it and we were not sure how easy it would be to cut the rigging wires in a rough sea. When the next front came through the wind settled at between 30-40 knots with gusts up to 55 knots. We were very nervous for 24 hours as the seas built up but in the end the rig survived well enough. When the wind eventually settled down to around 20 knots over the beam we cautiously sailed into Opua with a full genoa and main. We were very relieved to have arrived safely and were overcome by the messages of good will from other boats who had been concerned for our welfare. What a wonderful community there is on the water!
We had replaced our standing rigging only three years earlier and we wonder now about the quality of that installation.
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We cleared quarantine, customs and immigration in Opua very quickly and immediately discovered why the marine industry in New Zealand has such a good name. Within three days the Selden rep had travelled up from Auckland to assess why our rigging had failed and we were able to organise other necessary jobs to be done while we return to the UK to see the family and to take a break from sailing. We plan to return at the end of February to sail around the Bay of Islands and perhaps to Auckland before sailing north to Queensland, possibly via Norfolk Island or New Caledonia.
Before flying home we arranged a two week tour around as much of New Zealand as we could reasonably see. We had been told about the beauty of South Island but we also found much to see on North Island.
Bay of Islands Bridal Veil Falls New Zealand Christmas Tree
Typical North Island scenery What New Zealand is famous for! Russell church
The scenery on South Island is much more dramatic and it was for this reason that much of Lord of the Rings was filmed here. We based ourselves in Queenstown and Christchurch. Here are some pictures showing the surrounding countryside
New Zealand has recognised the value of offering lots of activities for visitors to partake in, especially as the weather is very variable. We took the opportunity to try a few.
A jetboat trip
Panning for gold Horse riding in Lord of the Rings country
A vintage steam ship trip was fun A sheep shearer A visit to a local Pinot Noir winery
Christmas in the park Punting on the River Avon Seeing the wildlife
We returned to Europe for three months to see the family and enjoy some skiing in France, where the World Ski Championships were held.
The finish of the mens downhill course in Val D'Isere Getting ready to go skiing
When we returned we spent much of our time preparing Tapestry for another year's sailing but we still managed to enjoy some further sightseeing. In particular we were lucky enough to see a kiwi which is fairly exceptional as they are nocturnal and quite rare (no photographs of it though!).
A young Maori warrior The biggest kauri tree in the world (girth 13.8m)
Geothermal Pools Te Puia Geyser and Lake Rotoroa
