We’ve just flown into Auckland to start our 35-day New Zealand road trip around the North and South Islands! Our tour started with five days in Auckland, and one of the popular things to do in the Auckland area is taking a ferry out to Waiheke Island. About Waiheke Located just 20 km off of…
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 our number to Google Voice. This allowed us…
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 are several boatyard choices in Whangarei. We did…
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 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….