Last Updated on November 28, 2019 by Amy We’ve already covered communications at sea, where we are out of cell phone service. But what about being near shore? How do we use our cell phones to communicate with family, friends, and make arrangements on land? Google Voice Transfer Step one for us was to transfer…
Last Updated on November 9, 2020 by Amy Most boats cruising the South Pacific Islands come down to New Zealand to hide out from cyclone season. With easy access to the international airport in Auckland and plenty of marine services, it’s no wonder most cruisers haul out in Whangarei. Why We Chose Norsand Boatyard There…
Last Updated on November 18, 2019 by Amy We spent three nights sailing down to Whangarei, which is about 26 miles as the crow flies away from Opua, but because both towns are way up their respective bodies of water, we actually went 85 miles around. Departing Opua The forecast for the next few days…
Last Updated on November 18, 2019 by Amy After a rough passage down from Fiji, we arrived in Opua, New Zealand and did our formalities before docking at Bay of Islands Marina. Facilities The docks are very nice and Bay of Islands Marina is extremely well protected. When we visited they were finishing up an…
Last Updated on August 31, 2019 by Amy We pulled into the Q dock in Opua, New Zealand Saturday morning at 8 am, 167 hours (one week minus one hour) from when we left Fiji. Departing Fiji We had been hanging around Vuda Point waiting for a weather window. We’d had over a week of…
Last Updated on November 18, 2019 by Amy We visited Vuda Point Marina (VUN-da) twice – once in 2016 and again in 2017. Both times we moved over from the Mamanucas after sailing around for a few weeks. The other option is Denarau, which also has a marina which is in the same area as…
Last Updated on November 18, 2019 by Amy Musket Cove draws the sailing crowd in, but it’s also one of the nicer local resorts in Fiji. Set away from the main island, Musket Cove has old plantation charm. Malolo Lailai The most popular stop in the Mamanuca Islands, Malolo Lailai is just 20 km west…
Last Updated on November 28, 2019 by Amy Monday after errands we took off from Suva. We enjoyed the hiking but were anxious to get out, it’s not the most pleasant place to be. Our destination was Astrolabe Reef, where not many cruisers head. Sailing to Astrolabe Reef We sailed to Bequ (pronounced Benga) and…