We may not be living in a house but there is still plenty of room for guests. When the weather permits we can treat our guests to some of the best coastal scenery in New Zealand as we have just proved to Barry and Ngaire who braved the cyclone damaged roads in an epic 7 hour road trip from Whangamata – it used to take four and a half hours before Cyclone Gabrielle wiped out the main route out of the Coromandel and reduced SH1 to a one way route over the Brynderwyns.

An early morning start by Barry and Nigel meant that we had plenty of time for a gentle spinnaker run all the way to the old whaling station at Whangamumu, briefly accompanied by a pod of dolphins. Plenty of time for sundowners on arrival and a demonstration by Ngaire of the latest in luxury fishing attire – apparently all the best luxury game charter trips offer the option of fishing in your slippers.

Another early start by Barry and Nigel provided fish for the day.

Then it was time to explore the old whaling station. Nigel decided that he would drop everyone at the whaling station and take the dinghy to the next bay. He would walk back along the short coastal track and then we would all return to the dinghy. What could possibly go wrong?

High tide meant that Nigel didn’t see that the path actually started along the beach. Instead he started up the hill in a poorly trodden path through the long grass. Whenever he began to doubt that he was headed in the right direction he would spot a bright orange track marker that led him further and further up the hillside and eventually began to lead along the slope in the general direction of the whaling station. Encouraged by the track markers he eventually climbed most of the way into the nearest cloud formations (Cirrocumulus is one of the three main genus types of high-altitude tropospheric clouds, the other two being cirrus and cirrostratus.[3] They usually occur at an altitude of 5 to 12 km (16,000 to 39,000 ft)).

Eventually his ‘path’ rejoined the the actual coastal track and our group was reunited. He had followed a possum trapping trail for Department of Conservation workers!

With the tide now receding, we were able to wade around to where the dinghy was waiting but rather than head back to the boat we headed up to get amazing views over the harbour – well worth the effort.

Nigel and Barry could not resist yet another early morning fishing trip. To be fair sunrise is around 7.30 at this time of the year so ‘early’ is relatively civilised. Just one fish – but it was enough to feed us for several days.

Next stop; the Bay of Islands. Light winds meant a gentle motor sail around Cape Brett and the iconic ‘Hole in the Rock’ and into Urupukapuka Bay on the eponymous island.

Our afternoon walk took us into the bar in Otehei Bay for a well deserved beer and then back to the boat for an afternoon swim to enjoy the last of the days sunshine.

With no wind for sailing, the next day saw us motoring sedately around a handful of the closest islands before settling into Otiao Bay on the western side of Urupukapuka and enjoyed the compulsory afternoon walk to appreciate the regenerating native bush and beautiful birdsong that comes with it.

Otiao Bay was so pretty we decided to stay another night and enjoy the sunset.

With fish stocks running low, Nigel and Barry were out again the next morning. At last Barry managed to catch some fish. One snapper and one kahawai looked like it would have to do for the evening meal until they decided to try just one more location. As soon as they arrived, Barry spotted a ‘work-up’ (an active fish feeding frenzy) and within seconds, Nigel had expertly cast his lure perfectly into the turmoil and was rewarded with an instant strike. The ensuing battle made it obvious that this was no ordinary fish but with great skilful skill (and great speedy speed?) and more than a bit of determination, Nigel was able to bring the beast to the side of the boat where Barry was waiting with the net. Any guesses as to who is writing this?

Enough fish now to last until we get home.

We didn’t even move the boat today. Simply enjoyed the tranquility, the walks and the water. Oh, and the fish.

Time to move on. Light winds once again forced us to motor sail for much of the day. But we did manage to get as far as our favourite corner of Mimiwhangata Bay in plenty of time for yet another hill climb with glorious views.

Our last day brought all the wind that we had missed out on in the last week. A 20-25 knots southerly meant either a very long day of tacking backwards and forwards to claw our way into the wind or simply start the engine and motor directly home. After a brief attempt at Option 1 we started the engine for a cold and bouncy trip back to Whangarei Harbour. We did at least enjoy a short sail across the wind once we had rounded Whangarei Heads and were able to sail directly into Taurikura Bay where Sue had her work cut out trying to get and keep the boat into the wind as we dropped the main and then to put us onto our mooring – the wind was making up for her absence! The plan had been to head back to the house for showers but it was so rough and cold that we all opted to stay on the boat.

A fabulous week away that we will be more than happy to repeat. Anyone interested?