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 was dead calm, which is perfect as this…
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 expansion project in the marina, and we were…
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 flat calm, so when a window opened up,…
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 a large shopping complex, several resorts and the…
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 of Nadi.  It’s a haven for cruising boats,…
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 anchored at the top of a long bay….
Suva is very different from anywhere we’ve been before. This city is extremely industrial. Sailing into Suva There are only a few sailboats here and cruising is a little challenging. We anchored off the Royal Suva Yacht Club, which is about a 10-minute drive from downtown. The water is very shallow; we anchored in 9…
In July, a boat named Sea Oak was anchored in Neiafu Harbor. The couple onboard were prone to yelling (I heard this first hand from other boats in the harbor) and physically fighting. One morning, the woman, a Canadian, wouldn’t wake up – and her husband was arrested. Sea Oak was still in Neiafu when…