35:21.87S 174:21.32E

We had a very wet and windy start to the year, but were nicely protected in Waitapu Bay in Whangaroa Harbour.  After a couple of days our friends Marce and Jack braved the elements and torrential rain to join us aboard Macushla for a delayed New Year’s celebration and we enjoyed an excellent evening together.

There was a brief respite in the weather on 3^rd January, so we decided to start to head south.  Once again we were needing to re-provision as well as find protection from strong easterly winds which were forecast for the next day, so we decided to return to the Bay of Islands and the small town of Russell.  It was a motor-sailing trip, because although normally we could happily sail in the light winds, the recent weather system had brought a large and uncomfortable swell causing the sails to collapse.  Suffice to say we were very glad to get the hook down in Matauhi Bay and this proved to be the ideal place to sit out the next weather system. 

A few days later and all restocked with food, propane gas, petrol and diesel, we had moderate north easterly winds to continue south.  Initially we had a tough beat to windward out of the Bay of Islands and it seemed to take for ever to round Cape Brett, but then we had a fabulous sail with positive current making 7.5 knots speed over the ground all the way to Whangaruru Harbour.  This beautiful harbour was our anchorage of choice to sit out some imminent strong northerly winds and torrential rain and we felt truly sorry for the holiday makers ashore in their soggy tents when the big deluge duly arrived.

The Tall ship R. Tucker Thompson strutting its stuff through the anchorage off Russell Yacht Club:

The “Mammoth” or Hole in the Rock at Cape Brett and rounding the cape:

The rain is on its way in Whagaruru Harbour and then, two days later, a beautiful morning to continue south: