M/Y Iron Lady

Toward dusk on our second day at sea, we were approaching and rounding Cape Egmont – home to Mount Egmont or Mount Taranaki. Mt Taranaki is a perfectly cone shaped volcano no matter which angle you view it from.

Unfortunately, viewing conditions were not the best with clouds and rain in the forecast. Anyway, here are the shots as best as I could manage them.

The volcano is 8261 feet high and boasts a ski field in the winter. By geologic standards, it is a young volcano at 135,000 years. The last major eruptions were in 1655 and in the 1860’s.

It has been the backdrop for a number of movies including The Last Samurai and parts of Lord of the Rings.

Last light at Whangaroa after a long day and we were off on the dawn patrol so it was early to bed.

Deb was still asleep as we motored out of the harbor at 0600. SUn is coming up later now – around 0700.

Our track took us north around North Cape and then westerly around Cape Reinga.

For this neck of the woods, the weather was pancake flat. It is here that the Tasman and the Pacific do battle with each other for dominance. Adding to the forbidding sense of the place are weird currents and the inhospitable iron coast.

Off the end of Cape Reinga, there is a large sandbank waiting for those who aren’t wary.

Night is coming earlier now.

Our route took us well offshore but we decided to trend toward the coastline to avoid some unfavorable winds.

If the radar screens look blank it is because they were – nobody out there but us. We didn’t see anyone until a fishing boat (100 meter variety) hailed us down south when the AIS showed us coming close – no big deal – we gave way – tonnage rules (The big guy makes the rules). Their Skipper and I had a nice chat – certain sense of fellowship being at sea on a lonely night with no one else around.

The Tasman (as per the Night Watch post) continued to be kind to us until we made the turn into Cook Straight between the North and South Island – the seas there reminded me of the Gulf Stream when modest winds oppose the current. Nothing big, just very short period and square. A gentle reminder (like the Gulf Stream) that you don’t trifle with the Straight when the wind really howls.

After our “African Queen” adventure up the river, we put Little Lady back aboard and launched Beer Can (our larger dink) and made the trip to the harbor entrance in search of some crays (lobstah). Here are a few shots of the hunting grounds.

Joe suited up in our dive gear and managed to coral a few of the little devils but they escaped when he had problems with his catch bag.

Anyway – a picture of the one that got away.

No lobstah tonight.

After getting settled in the bay, it was time to get Little Lady (our inflatable) in the water for a trip up the river which flowed in to the bay just around the corner from where we were anchored.

The river is tidal in its lower reaches and fresh as you head up stream. It is a bit unusual in that the lower reaches experience 6 tides a day. Either way, this is not a place for Beer Can (our aluminum dink) as shallow stretches and the tide will leave you up the proverbial creek (and even with a paddle, you won’t get out until the tide decides to let you).

Across the way was a DOC hut (Department of Conservation) and as we were leaving, there were a couple of people on the dock waving and yelling – we thought they were trying to raise the boat that had just left the dock.

Motoring up the river was just a marvelous experience. The initial stretches were surrounded by mangroves and then bush as we transitioned to the fresh water stream. The river flows thru a canyon area and the scenery is just magnificent.

There were sections where we had to exit the dink and pull her over shallow stretches.

When we ultimately ran out of water, there was a walking path that followed the stream and we continued on foot. It was hard to imagine that you could find a more remote place.

Some spots provided their own uniques challenges.

Very pretty indeed.

As we were enjoying the view and the solitude, two breathless people came tramping down the path from the other direction. It was none other then Margaret (who was at Circa during the time our boat was under construction and part of an earlier post about her farm) with a friend. It was the two of them who had been calling from the mountain and the DOC hut.

Now what are the odds of that?

Whangaroa is one of those “must go” places on the North Island and is also a convenient place to wait for a weather window for the leap around North Cape, Cape Reinga and down the Tasman to the Marlborough Sounds. It is roughly 35 miles from the Bay of Islands up the coast to Whangaroa. Unfortunately, our weather window for the trip down the Tasman opened the morning after we arrived in Whangaroa so we packed as much as we could in to about a half a day after our arrival. It is easily worth 3 or 4 days here. Since there is so much to it, I am going to break this post in to several parts beginning with our trip up and arrival.

First, a few random pictures as we travelled up the coast.

An interesting shot of the moon and high clouds.

This is a shot of the monument to the Rainbow Warrior which was sunk by the French in an act of terrorism in Auckland Harbor. You may recall that the Rainbow Warrior was a Greenpeace ship and was protesting the French nuclear bomb tests in the South Pacific. She was brought up here and turned in to an artificial reef.

The entrance to Whangaroa Harbor is extremel narrow and barely visible until you are on top of it.

There are also numerous caves – some big enough to run the dink thru.

This is an old concrete gun emplacement from World War 2 at the entrance to the harbor.

Once in the entrance, there are two arms – one leading to a sport fishing marina (too small for us) and the right arm which leads back to a beautiful little cove.

The scenery on the way down is breathtaking.

The odd looking formation that looks like a head with a big nose is called the Jig’s Nose. There were a few people on top that appeared to be yelling and waving as we pulled in to the harbor, but more about that next time.

Finally, Iron Lady sitting quietly in the bay and we were the only ones there – or so we thought.

While anchored across the bay, Deb and I went into the town of Paihia.

Nice little town but the cruise ship Costa Miss Fortune (being facetious) was in and the crowds of tourists were a bit overwhelming.

As an aside, Todd Rickard sent me this photo detailing proper dress code for the Captain’s Table on the Costa line.

With the crowds, Deb and I decided to hike over to the Treaty Grounds where the Treaty of Waitangi was executed by the Maori and the British circa 1840.

On the way, we came across the Alma G. Built in the early 1920’s in Auckland, she was purpose built for Zane Grey and his sport fishing buddies. She is still in service today.

The museum in Russell has some nice displays of the fish camps and equipment they used. Primitive and it had to be pretty brutal landing big game fish with the stuff.

Before heading off to Whangaroa, we spent a few nights in Ashby’s Marina in Opua to hide from (yet another) blow. While there we took a cab back over to Paihia and had dinner at Only Seafood – quite possibly the best restaurant we have been to in New Zealand. For you wine lovers, we had a great 2009 Pinot Gris by Seresin – a boutique winery in Marlborough. Great wine if you can find it.

Must have had too much when I took this.

Next stop – Whangaroa.

As usual, I am way behind on my posts, but I am going to skip ahead for this one. We are currently enroute from Whangaroa to Queen Charlotte Sound on the South Island via the North Cape, Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island and then down the Tasman Sea to Cook Straight. A distance of roughly 490 nautical miles – about 2.5 days for us. Lots to show and tell about that, but will reserve it for a later post.

Last night, Deb stood the 2100 to 2400 watch, Joe stood the 2400 to 0300 watch and I came on at 0300. As is my habit, I came up about 10 minutes early to get a fix on things before Joe went off. While I was going over things at the helm – temperatures, pressures, RPM, speed, COG, position, wind, seas, barometer and the radars for traffic, Joe and I engaged in some small talk while he filled me in on the goings on during his watch. One ship passed off to port but he never saw them. Log entry had been made and the engine room check completed just before I came up. Joe was kind enough to brew up a big mug of Earl Grey tea for me while we chatted and then he was off to bed.

Shortly after 0300, it was just me and Iron Lady while the crew slept. The terrible Tasman must have been duly satisfied with our respect for her and, along with a 1030 millibar high was showing us her kinder and gentler side. A 2 meter plus ground swell from deep in the Southern Ocean was running and the winds had gone northerly at a benign 8 knots. For all intents and purposes, flat calm. A waning moon lit up the sky and sea.

Iron Lady was steaming along smartly at about 10 knots. Her big John Deere was turning a mere 1740 RPM and burning about 16 liters of fuel an hour. Not many boats can claim those kind of numbers.

All in all, it was one of those magical times and one of the many reasons we are glad we came this way.

Based on the weather so far, here is a review of recommended inner and outer ware in Kiwiland.

Tech pants and shirt (long or short), fast drying, high SPF rating as we are under the hole in the ozone layer, crocs or jandles, breathable rain jacket, sunglasses at the ready, Polartec fleece pants and jacket in a bag close by. Any or all of which may be required in any 15 minute period.

Beer optional.