Had fun traveling down memory lane to make this Birthday video for Martin’s 59th!

Malcom and Pauleen invited us to stay on their boat docked in Auckland at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Club Marina 

Team New Zealand will defend the America’s Cup in 2021 in Auckland, with crews sailing foiling 75-foot monohulls. In 2018 the New Zealand government committed $100 million to help fund the event and the America’s Cup Village was an epicenter of all things nautical

Grateful to Malcom for inviting us on a tour of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron where the America’s Cup Trophy is on display…Members Only

The America’s Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the America’s Cup match races between two sailing yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America’s Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging for the cup

Malcom and Martin at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Martin found the Royal Natal Yacht Club- Durban Flag and a Portrait of Peter Blake

Sharon from The Town Basin Marina Office was going to Panama to present at the 2020 Puddle Jump so I helped her with this promotional Whangarei Video

Million Dollar view from Phil and Naylene’s front porch

Phil and Naylene invited us to their annual BBQ cook off. It’s a big deal, high stakes cooking competition with a trophy, crowning, prizes and an all day party of friends and neighbors at their farm

We couldn’t believe it when Martin won the competition with his BBQ ribs!

Martin and Al had a brief surf session at the beautiful Pataua Bay

My Hobie Kayak paddle drive succumbed to rust in Tonga and it took me all this time to  order the needed replacement parts. Grateful to have my “mode of operation” back for some safe adventuring

Ready to do some inland exploring and trekking in New Zealand

Thanksgiving catching up with Suzie and Lori in Pahia and enjoying a Thanksgiving feast in Opua at the yacht club

Spending the day with Mark Souter’s family. We spent a lot of the holidays catching up with Martin’s relatives and friends in New Zealand…a lot of South African’s have immigrated here in the last few years

Reunited with Bill and Irene after 21 years; enjoyed spending the evening at Cyril and Jackie’s beautiful home

Spending time in Auckland for Christmas visiting with Richard, Marlene, Gavin & Sharon and exploring the sites

Being a tourist in Auckland enjoying the panoramic views from the Waitakeie Ranges in Piha and the wild Piha surf beach

Auckland dressed in Christmas cheer!

Adrien jumped from NZ’s highest building with nothing but a wire between her and the ground 192 meters down!

The day after Christmas we had a delightful visit with Byron Pick’s lovely family and his Mom Jenny visiting from South Africa; it had been 15 years since we had seen them! 

Yes…more South African Braais:)

The Town Basin Marina had a Boat Decorating contest and I got really into it; adding decorations  bit by bit for a few weeks. The Mayor of Whangarei was the judge and when she visited Shenemere I explained that we are so close to the cafés and walking path that we always have someone asking us questions or just having a “chin wag”. I told her that I feel like an Ambassador for the marina having the responsibility of answering the inquiries. The Mayor awarded Shenemere the winner of the contest not necessarily because our decorations were the best but because she liked the way we interact with the community.

It is summer in New Zealand and it is warm so it is hard to get into the spirit of the season. I do like how the Kiwis close down the last three weeks of December. Retail stores are open but, most of all the local business close up and enjoy time with their families. 

Next Diary entry…Road trip and camping in Northland

Camping Adventures by Campervan

New Zealand is all about natural attractions. It has a reputation for untouched landscapes, welcoming wilderness and spectacular scenery. Along with all the Kiwi’s on Christmas Holidays we found the best way to experience all of that picture-postcard perfection is undoubtedly by camping: it’s cheap, fun and hopefully will put as little civilization between us and beautiful New Zealand as possible.
Campervans are very popular in New Zealand, particularly when everyone is off for the Christmas holidays. Camping is a number one past time and just seems fit in well with the laid-back culture of the Kiwi’s. So off we went in our van with a bed and basic camping supplies: chairs, table and stove.

From Whangarei to Dargaville, Kauri Forest, Opononi, Ahipara, Cape Reinga, Toupo Bay, Matauri Bay and Opua

Rick Taylor recovered ancient kauri from swamplands near his home in Dargaville on the Kauri Coast, in Northland during 2000 to 2003. He had samples carbon dated – the results show that the ancient kauri had been buried for around 3860 years!!!

His gallery/studio has been operating in Dargaville for over 22 years and he welcomes wood turners and those interested in the art of wood turning from all around the world to visit. We had a pleasant visit with his wife and enjoyed browsing their studio before we grabbed some delicious fish-n-chips for lunch and headed off for more explorations.

We tried to get into the campsites at Kai Iwi Lakes but, everyone had the same attraction to the blue water fringed with white sand beaches…campsite was full so off we went to the forest

The Trounson Kauri Park had a spectacular campsite and considering the fact that most of the campsites were full we went ahead and committed to two nights.

The two days allowed us to do day trips exploring all the aspects of this wilderness area. The forest is also home to North Island brown kiwi population; try as we might to spot one… these guys were quite elusive.

Waipoua Forest is famous for the biggest and oldest kauri in the whole of New Zealand! Tane Mahuta (The Lord of the Forest) and Tane Matua Ngahere (The Father of the Forest) are the two largest kauri in New Zealand

Opononi: Waimamaku Coastal Track

Stumbled into some funky one horse towns in our explorations…Waimamaku was a treat

Rawene is a town on the south side of the Hokianga harbour. This cute town is full of historic charm. We walked around the heritage buildings and looked in on some charming art galleries while we waited for the next ferry

Catching the ferry to Kohukohu

Ahipara is at the southern end of 90 Mile Beach. Martin just had to go to check out the surf; it known to have one of the best left hand surf breaks in New Zealand. Beautiful unspoiled sandy beach was packed with “land yachts” on New Years eve. The lady at the campsite warned us there might be a big party…lol Kiwi’s were as sedated on New Years Eve as anything else we have seen since November. We were asleep before 10PM.

Couldn’t have planned it better…celebrating the first day of the year at the tip top of New Zealand Cape Reinga

Cape Reinga Lighthouse at sunset.

Breathtaking Vistas of Cape Reinga

Spiritual moment for a Native Maori in the backgound

Cape Reinga Cape Reinga is also known as Te Rerenga Wairua in Maori. Te Rerenga Wairua means “the leaping-off place of the spirits” – for the Maori people, this is where a person’s spirit comes after death and leaps to their eternal home.

Dramatic hiking along the entire penusula.

We took the drone for a flight and captured our pinprick selves on the top of the cliffs!

It was New Years Day in New Zealand and the whole country was out camping. We tried several campsites around the Bay of Islands and they were all at capacity. We considered heading all the way back to Whangarei in the late afternoon; we were tired. I made one last call to Matauri Bay Holiday Park and got lucky; someone was just leaving and they would hold the spot for us.

Matauri Bay Holiday Park is one of the most well-known holiday parks in New Zealand. I am so glad we got to stay there. We me some fisherman towing a fishing line out with a kayak and had a good time with them until they had to pull the line in.

NZ named ‘Greatest Country on Earth’ for seventh year in a row

“I’m not the only traveller who has been to a small part of New Zealand but wants to see it all… New Zealand is not really a place you can ever “do” with certainty. I fear you will always want more. It’s hardly surprising that Telegraph Travel readers have just voted it their favourite destination in the world for the seventh time in a row.” Per digital travel editor Oliver Smith

Next Stop…Royal New Zealand Yacht Club and Americas Cup Village in Auckland

WHANGAREI, NEW ZEALAND

Here is a short video of our home port for the next 6 months November-April while we safely wait out the cyclone season

The City by the Sea – subtropical Whangarei. Head for the summit of Mount Parihaka, the highest point in the city. It was once the site of the largest Maori Pa (fortified village) in New Zealand.
Quayside at the town basin Marina is situated in the middle of cafes, shops and art galleries and museums.

Shenemere got front row dockage at the Town Basin right below the famous Quayside Cafe.

Fiji to New Zealand 1,100 miles- 7 days

Fiji to New Zealand passage can be a dangerous passage because the low pressure systems coming up from the Southern Ocean. The logistics of the passage include taking unsavory conditions out of Fiji to ensure stable and safe conditions coming into New Zealand.

We waited 9 days for just the right weather window and took our beating the first 4 days to be rewarded by calm conditions as we approached New Zealand.

Opua- New Zealand’s main port of entry. We tied up to the “Island” Immigration and Customs dock early evening. There were 16 other boats tied up that had come in from Fiji, Minerva Reef and Tonga that day.

What a Party!!! 16 boats on an isolated customs dock Celebrating the passage to New Zealand and the end of a fabulous South Pacific cruising season.

I will never forget in all my life the energy of 30+ adults dancing / jumping up and down with their hands in the air, singing loudly to ABBA at 9:00 PM 🙂

It was that kind of passage

World Famous (in Opua) Princess of the South Pacific Party. Yes, grown men had an excuse to dress as a princess…most turned out in drag and loved it

Bay of Islands Cruisers Festival

A week of activities followed. Seminars on navigational electronics, sail repair underway, diesel engine maintenance and electrolysis. A talent show served up with hot pizza, a BBQ and a Bay of Islands scenic boat ride was all part of the week long cruisers social

TUIA 250 Encounters

250- year commemoration of the first meeting of Maori and Europeans in New Zealand

HMB Endevor

We reunited with John our California cruising mate and Martin reunited with Gavin Nel his childhood friend from South Africa

We are now off to Whangarei, New Zealand

Video: Cruising Fiji searching for the idyllic surf wave, remote village or chilling at a yacht club or resort. Fiji has remained remarkably unmolested by mass tourism since our last cruising experience here 22 years ago

Vinaka Vakalevu!

English Colonialism + Native Fijians + Indian Immigrants

Officially the Republic of Fiji

Fiji gained independence from the British Empire in 1970 after 96 years as a British colony
Fiji is unique with a strong British influence and Native Fijian culture tossed with a large Indian minority; it all comes together to create a unique multicultural travel experience.

 The Fijians we met throughout the islands, anchorages and marinas were  genuine, approachable and just really nice people. BULA!!!

First Stop Suva Harbor right along the international fishing boats, freighters, yachts, cruise liners and a pirate ship

Suva Harbor, Fiji 

The Royal Suva Yacht Club
The club was founded around 1930 and has a rich history that is on display with flags, trophies, photos and mementos throughout the club

Tradition too..the wearing of hats by men in the bar area is strictly forbidden and the penalty for doing so is to buy a round of drinks for Everyone at the bar!

We spent most of our time in downtown Suva getting much needed parts, supplies and provisions. It was nice to come back to the yacht club in the afternoon and have a cold drink out on the lawn socializing with fellow sailors at this historic yacht club

                                                                The Market
The colorful municipal market is famous for being the largest retail produce market in the Pacific.  It was a welcomed treat to indulge in all the fruits and vegetables we could carry back to the boat

The Market has everything! I commissioned a seamstress to sew a fitted bed sheet for our “triangle shaped front berth”

Unfortunately, either our template or instructions didn’t translate and the “fitted sheet” did not fit. No harm in trying; it was only a $11 investment and I was able to use the sheet on another berth

Martin had better luck with the shoe repairs.

Martin’s 6 month old Keen Sandals had started to fall apart and it was a logistical nightmare to send them back to Keen Co. in the US for the warranty.

So, he had the local shoe repair guy fix them and reinforce all the stitching for only $14

                                                                  Buyer Beware!!!
In downtown Suva we were approached by local conmen; they start off friendly enough saying “Bula” asking us where we were from, trying to get us talking to them so they could get our names. However, as soon as they know your name they whip out a wooden piece and proceed to etch your name in these wooden daggers. Once your name is engraved they Insist on getting paid for the Mask that goes with the wooden daggers!
Martin was a victim of the scam and ended up paying the “con artist” $50 Fijian dollars for a crappy wooden mask and daggers with our names engraved. Needless to say he was furious.
On hindsight Martin did remember his brother Gerald getting scammed the same way 22 years ago when he was here visiting us in Fiji; it made it all the more humiliating.
Humiliation then turned to hysterics as we met other sailors that were scammed the same way!

  Indian Infusion
Indians were initially brought to Fiji as indentured labors to work the sugar cane plantations. Between 1879 and 1916. 60,000 Indians arrived in Fiji.
Today Fiji is 38% Indian

We got our Curry on…eating and cooking our way through a variety of curries

 Beqa Island- trials and tribulations

Pronounced Beng-a is outlier island to the main island of Vita Levu. There are no roads, no towns and only a few isolated villages. Beqa’s claim to fame is that it’s home to the traditional Fire Walkers, Sawau tribe that walk barefoot across blazing hot rocks.

We were packing Martin’s Sulu (Fijian Man-skirt) and a bushel of Kava root to present to the Chief and ask for permission to anchor in their lagoon. Also, we were hopeful to have an opportunity to witness a fire walking ceremony.
Unfortunately, we didn’t experience anything traditional on the island. Elizabeth and Garth reported back to us that they were told to pay to snorkel; which is simply unconscionable.
The Chief was away so there wouldn’t be any formal “Sevusevu” Ceremony for our seeking acceptance from the chief into their village
I did see a large Bull Shark on my morning snorkel that scared me to death and made me reconsider swimming alone for now.
As we (Shenemere & Irwinish) were pulling up our anchors with our sights set for Yanuca Island Irwinish’s anchor windless decided it had had enough after 20 years. Thank goodness they were able to manually pull their anchor up and sail to Yanuca Island strategizing along the way how best to get their windless repaired or replaced and where?

                                                               Yanuca Island
Intrepid Surf Hounds Martin and Garth… destination Yanuca Island desperate to surf  “Frigates”. Unfortunately conditions were not favorable for Frigates surf break when we were there.

Sweet Yanuca island is a hilly speck inside Beqa Lagoon only a few miles west of Beqa. We enjoyed exploring an abandoned surf camp, a quaint village and excellent beach for collecting interesting pieces of shells.

Along with Elizabeth and Garth we hiked over to the village with our gift of Kava root for the Chief and Elizabeth with her lollipops for the children. We had to ask a few villagers where we could find the Chief only to find out that the Chief had left the island to get medical treatment. We did meet with the Chief’s “spokesman”, offered our Kava, received his blessing to walk around the village and to anchor in their lagoon.

Fun putting  together this “postcard moment” of us on Yanuca Island

The Fijian Triangle:  This is the time (we lost) when we started to sail every other day between Musket Cove, Namotu Surf Break and Denarau Marina

Musket Cove Yacht Club: 22 years ago we partied at the same place but, it was called the “$2 Bar”… it isn’t $2 anymore $$$

Bless the sailor and the founder of Musket Cove Yacht Club Dick Smith; for creating and preserving an unpretentious yacht club in the South Pacific!

Again so many memories around the BBQ…Priceless!

There are over 10,000 Musket Cove Yacht Club members worldwide. Back in the day your yacht’s name was etched into the beams of the club when you became a member. Martin spent some time trying to locate the “S/V Topaz” plaque from when we sailed and stayed at Musket Cove in ’98

So Grateful that Musket Cove remains welcoming to us sailors. It is still a social watering hole for all of us to get together and BBQ communally at picnic tables and share stories. LOVE IT!

Cloud 9

Floating bar and restaurant in crystal warm Fijian waters. Very touristy yet very cool. Great music and atmosphere with folks having fun jumping off the second level platform. Not your typical “soggy dollar” kind of place…they only take credit cards.

The Wood-fired pizza at Cloud 9 and cold beers were to die for after Martin and Garth surfed the extreme tides and waves at Namotu’s all morning

Port Denarau

The three R’s: Rest, Re-provision and Recreation.
It was a bit overwhelming coming into this swanky marina and retail complex. The Hard Rock Café with live music and half dozen restaurants to choose from. Everything looking new, well maintained and Touristy…something that we are not used to. That being said we didn’t have any issue watching the Rugby World Cup Games on wide screen TVs

We took the open air “Bula Bus” that offers a continuous loop around the island stopping at each resort

The “Bula Bus” was indiscriminate with who got off at any one of the many resorts on  Denarau Island including the Westin, Wyndham, Radisson, Sheraton, Sofitel and Hilton so we did! We took our time looking at the restaurants, pools and spas of many resorts to see where we would celebrate our 22nd Wedding Anniversary.

Martin did his research on the many spas and treated me to a “Dream Spa Retreat” at the Westin…Best Anniversary present Ever!

Vinaka Fiji!

We are setting sail for New Zealand to sit out the cyclone season

Fair winds, safe passage and Love to all the amazing friends we met during our Pacific passage

PEACE

The Kingdom of Tonga was never colonized by foreigners so, unlike the other islands we have visited in the South Pacific…Tonga offered a more authentic cultural experience.

Traditional feast with David and his family at one of the anchorages we visited. His son pictured here maintaining the fire

Not everyone onboard Shenemere was “on board” with the pig roast however, it was a feast of local vegetables and fish dishes that satisfied all pallets both vegetarian and otherwise

Polynesian Paralysis=

A welcomed malady

Martin, Garth, Elizabeth and Adrien partaking in a local kava ceremony

In Tonga, kava is like alcohol

It is derived from the ground root of a pepper plant and is served up as a mild tranquilizer

From a communal bowl we each received a coconut shell full of kava

Neiafu- The town center of the Vava’u group

Good moorings, vegetable market, grocery stores and a local cruisers watering hole made Neiafu a great stop in between our island explorations 

Me and my kayak in our natural habitat

I appreciated every creek, cave, island I explored “independently” in Tonga on my kayak

Picnic and Snorkeling off a secluded beachNarrow passage of Hunga ; we entered into a big volcanic crater lake and enjoyed good holding during a Northern frontal system

S/V Irwinish off our bow as we make way from Tonga to Fiji

Not much street art in Tonga

AND (on the waterfront I found this)

The word is spreading

Next stop Fiji

The Kingdom of Tonga was never colonized by foreigners so, unlike the other islands we have visited in the South Pacific…Tonga offered a more authentic cultural experience.

Traditional feast with David and his family at one of the anchorages we visited. His son pictured here maintaining the fire

Not everyone onboard Shenemere was “on board” with the pig roast however, it was a feast of local vegetables and fish dishes that satisfied all pallets both vegetarian and otherwise

Polynesian Paralysis=

A welcomed malady

Martin, Garth, Elizabeth and Adrien partaking in a local kava ceremony

In Tonga, kava is like alcohol

It is derived from the ground root of a pepper plant and is served up as a mild tranquilizer

From a communal bowl we each received a coconut shell full of kava

Neiafu- The town center of the Vava’u group

Good moorings, vegetable market, grocery stores and a local cruisers watering hole made Neiafu a great stop in between our island explorations 

Me and my kayak in our natural habitat

I appreciated every creek, cave, island I explored “independently” in Tonga on my kayak

Picnic and Snorkeling off a secluded beachNarrow passage of Hunga ; we entered into a big volcanic crater lake and enjoyed good holding during a Northern frontal system

S/V Irwinish off our bow as we make way from Tonga to Fiji

Not much street art in Tonga

AND (on the waterfront I found this)

The word is spreading

Next stop Fiji

Checking out of French Polynesia I went to the immigration office. I said to the immigration officer “Bonjour” and explained politely that my French is limited and asked if he spoke English?
His response (in perfect English) was “you have to speak French here because in your country we have to speak English”
Fair enough, I held up my phone and told him I have Google translate if he has the time.
We proceeded to complete the check out process in English.

1079 miles/ 8-day passage from Maupiti French Polynesia to American Samoa
 Strong winds and big seas for 4 of the 8 day passage

Halyard uphaul line broke from the spinnaker pole so “someone” had to go up the mast underway and retrieve it. I volunteered only because it had to happen fast and I wasn’t sure how quickly I could winch Martin up the mast. Scary 15 minutes up and down to get the line followed by a few days for the bruising to go away

Tsunami in 2009 killed 29 people in American Samoa and decimated the lower portion of Pago Pago Harbor

We arrived in the morning following instructions from the Harbor Master to come along the dock for immigration/ customs check in. While we were there, we hailed our buddy’s S/V Polar Wind to find out more about the anchorage. What we heard back about the anchorage wasn’t good. Since the Tsunami of 2009 the harbor is still a “Debris Field”. The bottom of the harbor is littered with cars, matrasses, toilets etc., S/V Polar Wind blew out their anchor windless dragging up a net that eventually got caught in their prop. Another boat in the anchorage at the same time hooked a car and couldn’t get their anchor free without hiring a local diver to dive on the anchor. In addition, the tuna fish processing plant releases tuna bi products into the harbor thus attracting Bull sharks so, diving on your anchor here isn’t really an option. A kitty pool, tractor tire and mattress were some of the other items fouled in anchors.

Hipping up with our friends on the dock seemed like a logical solution to the terrible anchoring situation. Strategically tapering the three masts so when the wind blew (and it did) our rigging wouldn’t get fouled into each other

Pago Pago Harbor

Gritty as it comes; two tuna canneries with all their smells when the wind blows just right and a huge working seaport. Yet, this harbor still has magnificent peaks of the protected national parks all around and the people are the friendliest we have met in the Pacific.
We were able to overlook a lot when the conveniences of American grocery stores/ restaurants were finally within our budget and our engine parts were ready at the post office.

National Park of American Samoa
The territory’s sole national park protects  swaths of pristine landscapes, volcanic geology, rainforests and coral reefs

From Fagasa Pass we hiked 7 miles of the park’s lowland “up hill hike” and mountain rainforests

Bats are the only native mammals found in American Samoa. These bats were all over the place day and night, some with impressive wingspans

Local aiga or “family buses” are frequent but with no schedule so you just hail a bus and jump on board. For $1 per ride we were able to get all the places we needed to go…groceries, hardware supplies and touristy places

Nu’uuli Falls
Day trip with John, Joe, Martin and Adrien to the secluded waterfall with deliciously cool swimming hole at its base

I don’t know how else to say this…American Samoans are physically huge. They apparently have the highest representation in the NFL relative to their population of only 46,773 and you can see why. They have huge hearts too and I would have to say they were the friendliest we have met in the South Pacific. We had people give us rides, help us out with directions and I was even invited into a families home for dinner after we had a conversation on the bus about our mutual appreciation for a good curry cooking. Genuinely friendly nation of people.

Next stop: The Kingdom of Tonga

Drone footage of Maupiti

Maupiti … “Boro Boro’s discreet little sister” A ravishing island of only 1,500 residents have decided will not turn into another Boro Boro. There are no resorts and just a single road around the island with only a few cars. They don’t even have an ATM and don’t accept credit cards, so we had to be careful with the French Francs we brought; making sure we had enough for our visit while spending it all before we left as this was our last French island

Shenemere safely nestled within the coral reef lagoon. Boro Boro seen 27 miles in the backdrop

Onoiau Pass

There aren’t even that many sailors that visit because the pass to get into the lagoon is known as one of the trickier in the Pacific. Reefs SE of the pass make it look like the pass has breaking waves in it. The waves breaking over the reef raise the water levels in the interior of the lagoon creating a strong current flowing out of the pass.

Conditions have to be just right to get in or out of the pass so even if you make it in you could find yourself stuck in the lagoon waiting for less than 20 knot winds and less than a 2 meter swell.
Also, the pass is quite narrow, so you then have to carefully line up two sets of markers just right. We have said it before, and it was true for Maupiti the French do take care of their navigational markers.

Cool hammock made out of a fishing net

Maupiti has incredible sights and friendly people but what struck me most was the laid-back vibe. Everyone was so incredibly friendly; virtually everyone you pass greets you with their sing song “Ia Orana” their Polynesian “Hello”. They are very family orientated and bury their loved ones in their front yards in elaborate tombs that are usually shaded by trees. Family members like to hang out around the graves at sunset chatting and remembering.

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Another highlight was snorkeling with the massive Manta’s 

Climbing Mount Teurafaaiu (380m) was one of the most rewarding hikes with breath taking views all along the way that just got better and better as we ascended

Tereia Beach
 crystal clear water and a completely sandy beach (no smashed coral) It was a stunning place to picnic after our morning bike ride

Traditional Dancing
We got lucky, we where there for the islands annual festival

Martin gets a kiteboarding lesson from Steve Sadler

Take Care

        Peace Out from all of us on Shenemere