Date: 20/10/15 Position: Rere Bay, Whangaroa Harbour, North Island, New Zealand
On Saturday morning we slept in as it was so still and quiet in Waitepipi Bay. After breakfast we rowed the dinghy over to the south west corner of the bay searching for signs of a walking track that we had read started from this corner of the bay. When we were rowing along the shore we spotted a large orange triangle nailed to an overhanging tree. Thinking that this triangle marked the start of the track we tied the dinghy up to a tree on the narrow beach. There were no signs of a track but we bush bashed our way up anyway towards a rocky outcrop we wanted to summit. As we ascended we both thought of our 'bulldozers of the bush' (wombats) back home that make lovely pads to follow. Once we had climbed to the base of the rocky outcrop we noticed a few red tapes marking a route along the base of the cliff line. As we followed this route we realised it was obviously a route marking the layout of a variety of possum, stoat, ferret and rat traps. All the traps we saw were empty and we continued to follow the route to see where it led. The route took us up to a high ridge line partially clear of scrub and the views looking back towards Whangaroa Harbour were magnificent. Returning along the same route we decided to follow it in the other direction which led us out onto a grassy knoll overlooking our anchorage in Waitepipi Bay and the next bay, Rere Bay. We were able to look down and see the stark white wings of the gannets soaring below us against the dark green water.
On Sunday I spent the morning giving Ambler a spring clean and general tidy up and Wayne serviced the headsail and staysail sheet blocks. After lunch we put the outboard on the dinghy and went around into the southern arm of Pekapeka Bay to Rere Bay. We went ashore at Lane Cove Hut which is a walkers hut that can accommodate 16 people and is maintained by DOC. From the hut we followed a walking track up onto Duke's Nose, a large rock outcrop with an overhang that from a distance resembles a nose. The views like the day before were very impressive. The deep blues of Whangaroa Harbour stretched out under us and out to sea. Ambler looked like a small white blemish in the anchorage surrounded by the dark green bush covered hills. On our way back to Ambler we went over to say hello to a Nordic 40ft yacht called 'Brenda' which had Sydney registration. On board was the owner Rick and his friend Tony. Rick had bought the boat in Opua and they were preparing 'Brenda' to sail back to Australia. We enjoyed a delicious dinner that evening with Rick and Tony.
Monday was a blustery day so we spent it on board and Wayne helped Rick and Tony problem shoot some issues on their boat. They came over for dinner on Ambler that night.
Today we went kayaking early before the wind picked up. We kayaked upstream with a rising tide as far as we could go along an estuary called Wairakau Stream. Once we reached the mangrove area we saw many kingfishers flying from low branch to low branch. They all seemed very territorial as they chased each other around nosily or perhaps it was just spring in the air. As the stream began to get narrower and shallower we could clearly see decent sized schools of fish below us. They looked like mullet. After leaving the estuary we kayaked around the head of Rere Bay and checked out the unoccupied dozen or so baches (the NZ term for a holiday home) each with their own jetty. The last section we kayaked was very interesting as we paddled along the base of a cliff line that had became an overhang at water level due to erosion. There were several large caravan sized boulders scattered along the shoreline, sitting alone about 20m from the shore. Also due to erosion they were starting to take on the shape of large mushrooms. In a little secluded cove, opposite the harbour entrance we came across the remains of an old wharf and a concrete block like structure ashore. After looking inside the structure it appeared to resemble a bomb shelter due to the concrete walls being about half a metre thick. It was a relic of a different age. We continued on and as we poked our kayaks around the last headland of the bay to see what the main harbour looked like we were greeted by a strong wind. The harbour was full of white caps so we decided to head back to Ambler.
All is well on board. Kathy and Wayne
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