Photos of Queen Charlotte Sound and Cook Strait

Looking down at Inner Queen Charlotte Sound from the QC track

Switchback on the QC track with Kenepuru Sound in the background 

Wayne servicing the winch 

Fluttering Shearwaters 

 Fluttering Shearwaters snorkelling, Outer Queen Charlotte Sound 

Crossing Cook Strait with the headland near Wellington in the background

Crossing Cook Strait with Tory Channel in the background

Crossing Cook Strait with the North Island in the background

Windy Wellington

Date: 22/06/15 Position: Seaview Marina, Wellington Harbour

We have said farewell to the South Island of NZ and welcome the wonders that the North Island has to offer. Which so far has been gale force winds from the south, sea breaking over the marina pontoons, chilly winds and rain showers!!! Life at the moment seems to be just one gale after another. Ha ha, the joys of winter cruising in the roaring forties.

We waited for two days for the northerly gale to blow over us while we sheltered quite comfortably in Hitua Bay. On Saturday afternoon we poked our nose out of our bay and motored down the Tory Channel to Deep Bay in the cold, drizzly rain that the light southerly change had brought with it. As we entered Deep Bay a flock of about thirty sooty cormorants took umbrage at our proximity and took off in mass from a private jetty, flying in stagged formation across our bow. Shortly after this a lone cormorant poked his head out of the water near the jetty and looked around bewildered as if to say "Where did everyone go?"

Sunday morning brought a cloudless blue sky with much appreciated sunshine. We left Deep Bay about mid morning on the high tide and motored out of Tory Channel into Cook Strait. The hills surrounding Wellington stood out clearly across the fairly calm green waters of the Strait. Looking over our shoulder to the south west the giant snow capped peaks of the Kaikoura Range stood solid and grand. It felt great to be out on open water again and it was not long before we had our first visit from an albatross and cape petrel.

Once clear of the land there was enough breeze behind us from the west to unfurl the headsail and turn off the engine. As the wind steadied at 15 knots we poled the headsail to take better advantage of the breeze. We chose not to hoist the mainsail as the wind was forecasted to continually strengthen up to 30 knots by the evening. The sail across was fantastic averaging around 7 knots and sometimes reaching 9 knots when the current was with us.

The hardest part came when we reached the leads to the entrance channel into Wellington Harbour. The wind was funnelling out of the channel at around 35 knots and several inter islander ferries were entering and exiting whilst we were trying to tack our way to windward with a heavily reefed main and staysail. There was a fair bit of salt spray flying around! Once we reached the more open waters of the harbour the wind dropped away to 20 knots. By this stage it was dark and the lights of Wellington glittered all around us.

We reached Seaview Marina around 1830 and Alan the kind CEO drove down and directed us to a berth. Some of the friendly marina residents suggested we turn the boat around to have the bow facing out and with their help we managed this maneuver. It's always good to listen to local advice and just as well we did because at 3am the southerly hit with a bam. We are on the outer pontoon and the waves developed across the fetch of bay where they are currently removing pile moorings and are whacking into us and over the pontoon. The weather has been wild all day with wind gusting around 45 knots with salt spray being whipped up from the surface and over Ambler. The dodger has proved itself once more as a valuable asset but this time whilst being tied up at the marina! The rain has been horizontal, the wind ferocious and the local mariners friendly and helpful. The guy next to us has given us a loan of a small fan heater because our heater is untenable in these winds because the down draughts have extinguished the flames a few times in similar conditions. It's time to fit a balanced flue system.

These strong winds are expected to ease by tomorrow night. We'll rug up and catch the bus into Wellington tomorrow.

All is well but feels like we at sea whilst tied up at the marina.
Kathy and Wayne

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Exploring Queen Charlotte Sound

Date: 18/06/15 Position: Hitua Bay

We've spent the last week and a half exploring the many bays in Queen Charlotte Sound. Half the time has been spent hiding and sheltering from the strong winds. The other half has been spent MTB riding several sections of the Queen Charlotte Track (QC), checking out the small town of Picton and enjoying the rare days of sunshine.

After leaving Hitua Bay twelve days ago we first visited Waikawa Marina which has berths for 600 boats. We tied up alongside the floating fuel wharf and filled our water tanks, emptied our holding tank and Wayne went to check out the chandlery store. When we tried to fill up with fuel from the NPD bowser we encountered a problem as the NPD fuel company want to secure $1200 from your credit card even when you only need $100 dollars worth of diesel. Not having $1200 available on the card meant we couldn't fill up.

That afternoon we headed to the east arm of Double Cove to wait out the storm and gale force winds that blew for three days. We had the perfect spot, it was extremely protected from the wind and we were able to pick up a combined club mooring at the head of the bay which had a stern line to the shore to keep us snug in this tight little bay. There were many homes in Double Cove all with their own private jetty and boat shed.

We left this little all weather sanctuary last Thursday when conditions improved and thought we would try getting fuel at Picton. We had more success at the fuel wharf at Picton Marina. The fuel company they use is BPS and when you insert your credit card it asks you to enter the maximum amount you want to spend and cuts off if you reach that amount. A much better system. We also took advantage of being able to tie up alongside the town wharf at Picton where boats pay $1 an hour like a parking metre. After looking around the small township of Picton we headed across Queen Charlotte Sound to spend the night in Torea Bay.

Queen Charlotte Sound is alive with all manner of bird life. We have seen huge flocks of black and white fluttering shearwaters skimming along just above the surface. We have heard many but only seen a few little blue penguins. The shearwaters like the little blue penguins spend a lot of time sitting on the water with their bills and heads underwater as though looking out for a passing fish. We have noticed huge groups of shags gathering to feed in amongst the frenzy of bait balls along with diving terns and gannets. Twice we have seen a pod of about a dozen dolphins intent on fishing and several seals lolling about.

Thursday night was a sleepless night as we soon realised that the head of Torea Bay was a giant wind funnel. We left there early Friday morning and went to Peach Bay which is a smaller bay within Torea Bay. In Peach Bay we found slightly more shelter from the blustery winds, but still continued to be buffeted about by strong gusts. On Saturday morning the conditions turned out better than forecasted so we went back to the head of Torea Bay.

We were able to pick up a Marlborough Harbour mooring in the now less windy Torea Bay. From there we rode our bikes up to Torea Saddle where we joined the QC track and painfully climbed the Shamrock Ridge to enjoy the stunning views of both Queen Charlotte Sound to the south and Kenepuru Sound to the north. Along the way cheerful fantails would flutter and chirp around us, as if encouraging us to pedal on even though our lungs felt ready to explode. The zoom down on the switchbacks to Te Mahia Saddle was exhilarating. From the saddle we rode back along the road to Torea Bay making it a very satisfying circuit.

That afternoon we had a glorious sail in the afternoon sunshine from Torea Bay west to Mistletoe Bay in Onahau Bay. We picked up another mooring in here as we have been doing in most places, as it is often too deep to anchor. We are lucky as it is very quiet at this time of year and there are plenty of empty moorings about. The following morning we rode from Mistletoe Bay up to Te Mahia Saddle which we had reached the previous day. From the saddle we rode west along the fore shore road of Kenepuru Sound, up over the ridge and down through farmland to join the highway that runs between Nelson and Picton. After a short stint on the highway we turned off and rode to Anakiwa. Anakiwa is the start of the QC track. It was great MTB riding on the QC track between here and Te Mahia Saddle. The track was nicely undulating and followed the shoreline through mature beech forest. Being a Sunday we met several other walkers and riders on this section of track. It had been another rewarding circuit ride in glorious sunny weather.

On Monday morning we visited Picton once more for some fresh supplies and from there went on to Waikawa Marina where Wayne picked up some pre ordered stainless fittings from the chandlery. Wayne returned with Geoff the rigger who wished to check out our soft sail furling system and have a look at Ambler. Geoff has an aluminum 70s model IOR yacht made in the USA which he is currently doing a major refit on. After leaving Waikawa late Monday afternoon, we sailed to Endeavour Inlet which is in the outer area of Queen Charlotte Sound. The rain tried to play tag with us as we just kept in front of the rain showers and out of their grasp. We reached Bakers Bay, Endeavour Inlet just after dark and tied up alongside Siapako who were on the only mooring in the bay. Susie and Richard kindly invited us on board for dinner and we enjoyed a lovely evening in their company.

Tuesday was a glorious sunny, still day. We spent it drifting around Endeavour Inlet while Wayne serviced the starboard winch. A pod of dolphins, two of which had very distinctive dorsal fins, one having a white tip and the other missing the top half of it swam leisurely past us. Flocks of fluttering shearwaters flew around the bay from one bait ball to the next. In the afternoon we picked up a mooring in Camp Bay, Endeavour Inlet and spent the night in front of a fancy looking resort.

On Wednesday morning we woke to mist flowing down the valley into Camp Bay. We left early and headed up into Big Bay which is still within Endeavour Inlet. We found a spot to anchor in the lee of a small headland and took a stern line ashore. From here we carried our bikes up a scrubby, vine entangled slope to the QC track. We wanted to ride as much of the eastern end of the track as we could before the strong northerly wind developed. We managed to ride to the ridge between Endeavour Inlet and Resolution Bay before we could clearly see white caps forming down below us. Unfortunately we had to turn back as Ambler was only just protected in the lee of the headland, and Endeavour Inlet is known to be a huge wind funnel in strong northerlies. However we thoroughly enjoyed riding the 30km we had achieved and the track had provided a few challenging sections to test our skills. Getting the bikes back down to the dinghy wasn't much easier than getting them up. Once back on board we sailed out of Endeavour Inlet with the growing northerly behind us. After entering the main part of Queen Charlotte Sound we headed upstream for a short distance to Spencer Bay where we picked up a mooring for the night. Spencer Bay is a pretty, deep bay protected from the north by a pine clad hill.

This morning we woke early to wind gusts rattling the rigging. From the deck we could see the sea surface being whipped into the air in the channel nearby from the strong winds working around the headlands. After breakfast we left Spencer Bay and headed out into the blustery, white capped sound. The wind blew hard as we sailed under staysail to Hitua Bay. We are now enjoying our calm surroundings in our protected anchorage.

Tomorrow the wind is forecasted to reach 50 knots from the north and the following couple of days aren't looking too good either so we'll be back to boat jobs for a few days.

All is well on board. Kathy and Wayne

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Photos of Banks Peninsula and on en route to Tory Channel

Hector's Dolphins abeam of us as sailed along the southern coastline of Banks Peninsula after leaving Akaroa Harbour

A Hector's Dolphin and the stormy skies to the south of us as we as sailed along the southern coastline of Banks Peninsula.

 The high cliffs of Banks Peninsula

The high cliffs of Banks Peninsula 

 The calm waters of Pigeon Bay, Banks Peninsula

 Captain Wayno just chilling out

Sailing in Cook's Strait with a poled out headsail

Tory Channel, Marlborough Sounds

Date: 6/06/15 Position: Hitaua Bay, Tory Channel, Marlborough Sounds

We had a pretty good night anchored in the lee of Sinclair Point at Holmes Bay, Pigeon Bay. We'd have to rate it as one of the best SW anchorages we have been in when a gale has been blowing. The anchor held extremely well in the sticky mud, the trees on the hillside broke up the wind and apart from the sound of the wind in the rigging Ambler was very comfortable as the 40 knot winds raced overhead. We even managed to collect 40L of rainwater from our cockpit awning.

After several consultations and cross references between the grib files, NZ Met Service VHF marine radio coastal forecasts and looking out the port holes at the changing conditions in the bay we decided to weigh anchor at 1600 and ride the back of the southerly change before it died away completely.

As we motored out of Pigeon Bay the sea was very calm and there was not enough wind to sail. A complete contrast to one hour earlier when the wind was recorded to be blowing SW 36kn not far away at Le Bons Bay on the eastern side of the peninsula. We enjoyed a lovely sunset with the lights of Christchurch in the distance beginning to come on and passed a huge container ship waiting to enter Lyttleton Harbour. We continued to motor with the mainsail up for another three hours before we caught up with the wind.

At last we were able to turn off the engine and sail with a full main and headsail with the wind coming from the SW to W sector between 15 - 20 knots. We flew along at about 7kn as we also had 2 knots of current with us. We continued broad reaching throughout the night and at midnight put one reef in the main as the wind began to increase. We passed the hauntingly beautiful Kaikoura Range at around 0300 with the moonlight lighting up the extremely high snow capped peaks that rise to a great height quite close to the coastline. It was an incredible sight. At the same time we sailed over where a deep trench drops suddenly to 1000m quite close to the coastline. Apparently there is a resident population of sperm whales that feed on deep sea squid found in the trench. Although we peered into the darkness and listened for the pppshhh of a whale breathing close by we weren't lucky enough to see any.

On Friday morning at 1000 the wind changed to a southerly and increased to 25 knots so we dropped the mainsail and sailed under headsail alone. We could still see low mountain ranges running along the coastline which were bare of any foliage. We were constantly accompanied by Cape Petrels which although they look quite small have a wingspan of about 90cm. They often fly in small groups and more commonly in pairs. It is interesting to watch a pair as it looks like they are playing 'Follow the leader' because the second bird does everything the first bird does only seconds later. We saw only about a dozen albatrosses but between them were three species; Royal, Bullers and White-capped.

At midday we were abeam of Cape Campbell and the wind was steady at S25 with a 4m following sea. The first mate chose not to look behind at the waves as they reared up behind Ambler! At 1220 we turned into Cook Strait and poled out the headsail because the wind was right behind us. By mid afternoon the wind had abated to S20 knots and we could make out the hills of the north island and the headlands around Tory Channel in the distance as they appeared and disappeared in rain squalls.

At 1815 we reached the leads for Tory Channel and turned the engine on and dropped all sail. It was a very dark night as the moon had not yet risen and the sky was heavily overcast. The Captain did an outstanding job of navigating our way into Tory Channel following the leading lights amid swirling currents of 4 knots in our favour. We motored for an hour into the channel before negotiating our way into Deep Bay, our chosen anchorage for the night. We sounded our way cautiously into the bay successfully avoiding the shallow sandbar at the entrance. After scanning the narrow bay with torch light we dropped anchor at 1915.

This morning when we went on deck we were greeted by a great scene which of course we weren't able to appreciate the night before in the dark. High pine clad hills surrounded the jade green water of the narrow bay. An isolated house sat nestled in the trees halfway up a hill. We could hear a stream running into the bay and a gannet circled overhead before diving from a great height. Its one metre high splash was the only movement in the bay before a proud cormorant surfaced close to Ambler showing off a fish it had caught before swallowing it whole, making its neck look twice as wide as normal. We soaked up the relaxing atmosphere of Deep Bay before weighing anchor at 1400.

We left Deep Bay and made our way out into Tory Channel passing several fish farms. A fur seal basked on the rocks in the afternoon sunshine and another seal was having a good old scratch in the water nearby. Several large inter island ferries passed us heading for either Wellington or Picton and a few motor boats whizzed by with fishing rods hanging over the stern. We entered Hitaua Bay 7nm further inland from Deep Bay just as the sun dropped behind the hills and the cold afternoon chill set in. We are tucked in behind a small headland and several houses are dotted among the tree clad hills.

All is peaceful on board. Kathy and Wayne

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Pigeon Bay, Banks Peninsula

Date: 3/6/15 Position: Holmes Bay, Pigeon Bay, Banks Peninsula

This morning we weighed anchor at 0800 in a light drizzle and motored out of Akaroa Harbour in calm conditions. Low cloud hung over the headlands at the entrance to the harbour and sat like a fluffy, white beanie over the entire top of the peninsula as we made our way around to Pigeon Bay, 34nm away on the northern side of Banks Peninsula.

After leaving Akaroa Harbour we motored in calm winds with a disturbed jade green sea until we rounded East Head where we were able to unfurl the headsail and turn the engine off and sail with the fitful breeze coming from the south west. Behind us to the south, heavy dark grey clouds touched the horizon but in front of us to the north the sky was lighter and the sun tried its best to break through the cloud banks. The coastline of Banks Peninsula was very impressive with high, steep cliffs occasionally with arches and sea caves worn by the constant waves and wind. Quite a few pinnacles stood off the ends of the points and headlands. There were several small bays at almost regular intervals around the coastline. Many of these bays had a house nestled at the end of them. Surrounding these homes and rising above the rugged cliffs themselves were lush green rolling hills cleared for grazing which disappeared under the low cloud.

The scenery was stunning, but so too was the sea life. Several times we were joined by pods of Hector Dolphins which are endemic to this area. These dolphins are just a bit bigger than a metre in length and are black, white and grey. Their dorsal fin is like a semi circle and is very prominent. They are so small that we would spot them swimming towards Ambler but we couldn't see them in the bow waves from the cockpit. We had to go and stand in the bow and look down to know they were actually there. A few times they leapt completely out of the water. They were very entertaining. We also saw several giant petrels, many cape petrels, a couple of little blue penguins and countless cormorants.

We entered Pigeon Bay at 1545 and dropped anchor in Holmes Bay just as it began to drizzle. Holmes Bay is a pretty bay with deciduous trees along the shore and cows grazing on the hillside. There is a high hill in front of us to provide a lee from the gale force south westerly winds predicted for tonight and tomorrow. There is a slight northerly swell coming into the bay. When you look at the chart Pigeon Bay is almost directly opposite Akaroa Harbour on the northern side of the peninsula.

All is well and a bit rolly on board. Kathy and Wayne

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Photos of Otago Harbour and Akaroa

Port Chalmers, Otago Harbour 

Port Chalmers, Otago Harbour 

Portobello Bay, Otago Harbour

Windy Portobello Bay looking across to Port Chalmers, Otago Harbour

Snow at Portobello Bay, Otago Harbour

Snow at Portobello Bay, Otago Harbour

Snow at Portobello Bay, Otago Harbour

Snow on Ambler's deck

Snow at Portobello Bay, Otago Harbour

The morning we left Otago Harbour we passed three ships entering the harbour

Heading north from Otago Harbour 

Sunset at sea

Banks Peninsula on the horizon

Banks Peninsula with a Royal Albatross doing a wing over in the foreground

The view of Akaroa from Ambler

French Bay, Akaroa Harbour

Following stock routes on our country walk. Our objective - Stony Peak in the background.

Half way rest stop on our country walk, Where we came from - Akaroa Harbour

Half way rest stop on our country walk, Where we are going to - Stony Peak 860m

View from the top of Stony Peak looking down into Akaroa Harbour