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Northland: Bay of Islands & Whangaroa

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We have slowly been making our way North as we continue to explore the Northland area of New Zealand.  There are so many beautiful islands, motus and bays that one could explore the Northland for months and still not see everything.

Since we only had 3-3.5 months of sailing around NZ we decided to focus on the NE side of the North Island (Northland).  We played in the blue area.

Cape Brett and Piercy Island

As we head North we pass by Cape Brett and its beautiful lighthouse and the famous Piercy Island (also known as Hole in the Rock).  We had super calm conditions with light winds and no swell.  There were tons of birds all over the place and they waited until the last minute to scatter on our approach.

We continued on to a small island called Otehei Island which has a beautiful restaurant beach bar.  It was super, super shallow on approach so we took it very slow and anchored in 3m of water (that’s pretty shallow, even for us).  But we went ashore and enjoyed a tasty lunch as we watched the people and enjoyed the beach.

There was some really bad weather forecasted so we headed into the Bay of Islands the next day.

Bay of Islands

We only planned to stay in the Bay of Islands for a few days as there is a known barnacle problem here.  After spending so many days cleaning our bottom we did not want to have to do it again.  But, there was no “safe” place for us to go with these predicted winds so we decided to go into the marina at Opua.  The only reason we are here is to meet with a few vendors.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon and tied up in our slip.  We met with Kim at Masterpieces in Canvas who is doing a few more projects for us. We also met with Roger at North sails who did a free evaluation of our sails and we met with Matthew Duckett our sparky.  We also were able to do several loads of laundry, dump our trash and recycling and get a provision run.  The weather did come and we saw 38kts of wind and lots of rain.  So, we hunkered down inside our little cave. All in all a super productive 3 days in the marina.  

We were anxious to leave the marina, mainly because of the barnacles.  After leaving the dock, we headed North to continue our Northland adventures.  We are trying to make our way to Whangaroa but first we stopped at the famous Cavalli Islands.

Cavalli Islands

Many cruisers and locals told us that the Cavalli Islands are a must see.  We did not start looking at anchorages until we were 15nm away from the Cavalli islands. Probably not our best move.  What we found was that there is only 1 official anchorage, strange.  Well, we found another one at Motukawanui Island.  We anchored at Waiiti Bay and it was lovely.  We had it all to ourselves.

Waihinepua Bay

 We anchored at 34°59.802S / 173°48.969E in 5m of mud.  This is a really protected, pretty, small bay.  There is a bach on one side but not much else here.  The sand on the beach was rich and soft giving us a beautiful array of colors.

Love this photo.

Whangaroa Bay

We got lucky and were able to use a friend’s mooring located near the Whangaroa Boating Club and Cafe. 35°02.554S / 173°44.775E in 6m.  It was a short dinghy ride to shore where enjoyed a nice hike up St. Paul’s Rock.

There are two great hikes in Whangaroa Bay.  They are St. Paul’s Rock hike and Duke’s Nose Hike.  We do St. Paul’s Rock hike first to warm up to Duke’s Nose Hike.

St. Paul’s Rock track climbs steeply through regenerating manuka bush to the top of a volcanic plug (St Paul’s Rock) with spectacular views of the Whangaroa Harbour. Chains are installed to help you climb the last 30 metres.  First we walked up the steep road about 1.5 miles before starting the track which was about 25min straight up 500meters.

The name ‘St Pauls’ was given to this rock in the 19th century due to its domelike similarity with St Paul’s cathedral.

The chains were helpful when scaling the rock wall.  Yet, Matt still did the climb in flip flops.
We had some really beautiful views at the top.

Views of the Whangaroa Harbor, marina, and mountains.  The lower right photo is a shot of their fish farms which are plenty in this harbor.

Duke’s Nose Hike

Duke’s Nose Hike (kaiaraara-rocks) is literally straight up from the minute you start.  But luckily it is a short 45-60 minute incline. You can access the Duke’s Nose Hike from the water at Rere bay (which is what we did) or inland along a 6hr hike from Whangaroa Bay.

The trail starts behind Lane Cove Hut in Rere Bay.  You can actually rent out Lane Cove Hut for you and 5 of your friends if you are interested in an overnight.

It sure does look like a nose – or maybe a hawk’s beak?

This trail was pretty cool because someone dug out foot holds using the tree roots which made it a lot easier to climb up and down.  Also, DOC (Department of Conservation) installs these diamonds to tell you which trail you are on (they come in many different colors) see bottom right photo.

This trail has two rails that you use to climb straight up (in case you are not a rock climber).  Going up was fairly easy but going down was a challenge as you can’t see where to put your feet.

But the views were spectacular.  There is a nice reel of me climbing down on our svSugarShack instagram and facebook pages.

Simply breathtaking.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  Adventures in this blog post occurred in early March 2024.  Did you read about the amazing bird sanctuary at Tiritiri in our last blog post?

Bay of Islands, Vanua Balavu

Lao Group Island Tour: Part II

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In our last blog post, we take you and our friend Wayne on a tour of the Lao group.  The Lao group are the outer islands of Fiji that are pristine in nature, basic in lifestyle, and full of loving, generous, small tribes.

We started the tour in Savusavu, then headed to Taveuni, and then off to Ogea.  From here we started to head North to Yagasa, then Lakeba.

In an ideal situation, we would make our way to the Northern Lao Group, then slowly make our way south, then head west toward the mainland Viti Levu.  However, the tradewinds run southeast so we end up making a figure 8 and putting a lot of miles under the boat!

Continuing on with Lao Island Tour Part II

Matt caught a Mahi but he didn’t make it into our freezer.  Matt grabbed the line to take a photo and the clever fish wiggled off the hook, bounced down the sugar scoops and into the water.  It was his lucky day!

After we left Lakeba, we head to our favorite place (so far) in Vanua Balavu called Bay of Islands.  Before we head to the anchorage, we stop at Dalconi to do our sevusevu with the village chief Josese.  We also meet Tuta, the headman who we scheduled a cave snorkel tour for the next day.

After our sevusevu ceremony, we asked some kids to walk us around the village.  They were so delightful!  Can you see Sugar Shack in the top photo?

Dalconi Village

Dalconi Village

Bay of Islands

The next morning, we head straight over to the Bay of Islands.  We find the same spot from the last time we were here and we enjoy this beautiful place all to ourselves.  This is certainly my favorite place in the Lao group.

Tuta picks us up in a long boat for our tour of several caves that we can snorkel through.

There are 4 caves, but I only went inside .  Two. The first one, which happened to be the furthest away from the anchorage is called the “meeting room.”  Evidently, elders used to meet here during low tide.  You don’t need a mask to get inside, but you do need to swim in.

On the outside, it is a little upside-down thermometer (at least that is what it looks like to me).  We jump in the water, and head inside and are instantly in awe of the beautiful interior of the cave.  With its peek-a-boo holes throughout the cave walls allowing light and small bats to come and go as they please.

Matt has a flash light and illuminates the ceiling which casts an eerie glow.

I really enjoyed this cave and its many caverns and light holes.  So much beauty hidden in darkness.

The 2nd cave is a no-go for me.  The boys take on the adventure and I stay outside admiring the beautiful coral and large clams.

The boys had to swim below the surface about 2 meters and then swim 3 meters inside the cave.  Be careful to pop up away from the hanging stalactites.  It was a deep cave that went further back than the first cave, but wasn’t as tall or impressive.  There were no openings to let in the light.  The opening is a tiny peep hole just barely visible at the water line.

2nd Cave Snorkel

2nd Cave Snorkel

The 3rd cave we had visited on our own so we told him we did not need to go again.  The 4th cave was completely under water and we were told to come back at true low tide (as it was, we were 2 hours before low tide). 

Here is a photo of all 3 entrances:

Added Tour Bonus Stops

After our tour, Tuta took us to the Flying Fox tree (bats).  Boy were they unhappy about us being there!  Such funny looking animals with their see-through winds and spiny bodies.

Next we went to a private island owned by the owner of Oakley sunglasses.  The caretaker welcomed us and offered tasty coconuts to cool us off.

Vanua Balavu always has beautiful sunsets.

A New Island: Kadavu

We had another 200nm overnight passage from Vanua Balavu to Kadavu).  We sail past one of Mel Gibson’s islands here in Fiji (it is private so we can’t stop).

Kadavu is no longer part of the Lao group, but it is reported to be stunning.  On the passage, Wayne brought in a beautiful bull Mahi Mahi.

Vanua Balavu to Kadavu

Trip Details

  • Total Miles: 206
  • Moving Time: 27 hours
  • Max Speed: 12.6
  • Average Speed: 7.6

Our first anchorage in Kadavu is called North Bay.  The winds are howling so we tuck into a quiet little spot all to ourselves.   The mangroves line the bottom of the mountainside as the tall trees jet up behind them.  Super pretty contrast in greens.

Since we arrived on a Sunday, we decided to stay on the boat and do our sevusevu the following day.  A friend of ours told us that there is no “chief” per se, but that we did not stop in to the police station and show them our paperwork.

So, early the next day, we loaded up into Sweetie and headed to town.  We were greeted by a group of fishermen who were free diving for sea cucumbers to sell to China.  They were so friendly and nice, they welcomed us to the village of Vunisea and told us to enjoy ourselves.

Up and over two small hills, we finally arrived to the village that was surprisingly big.  They had 5 small markets, 1 hardware store, and a fresh veggie market. This side of the village had beautiful white sandy beaches, where we have mangroves and tree lined hills.  We found the airport (top right, and the “terminal” middle right, along with street signs!

We take a dinghy ride around the lagoon and enjoy the beauty of the island.  Lots of cascading green trees that drape down to the next tree creating a waterfall effect.

Sugar Shack sitting alone in her bay.

Next we head to Musket Cove and the metropolis of Denaru on Viti Levu Fiji’s main island.

Events from this blog occurred in the first two weeks of July.  Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual events.   In our last blog, we take Wayne on a Lao Group Island Tour.

Vana Balavu Bay of Islands

Vanua Balavu: The Lao Group

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We spent 3 days in Savusavu and had not planned on leaving anytime soon. However, a weather window opened up for us to go East which is really difficult to do as the winds usually come from the East.  So, we decided to take it and make the overnight passage to Vanua Balavu.

Yea, another overnight passage just 3 days after we arrived.  Suck it up buttercup!   It is only 100nm which should technically only take 20 hours, but the wind is supposed to be light so we left earlier than necessary.

We leave Savusavu around 0930 in light winds and end up motoring for the first 4 hours.  Great.  Around 1330 we get enough wind to raise the sails and turn the motors off.  Sweet.  It is flat seas, gentle conditions, and light winds.  Time to do some laundry and boat projects!  I squeeze in two loads of laundry while Matt works on shims for the dagger boards.

I also unearth my sea shell collection and artwork that were tastefully placed in areas out of sight and restore them to their normal places of honor around the boat.  Starting to feel like my home again.

The Winds

The winds pick up and give us some great boat speed at 7-8kts, but has us arriving at 0100-0200 which won’t work at all.  Matt and I decide to reef the main and the jib to slow the boat down for a daylight arrival. 

Then a few hours later a huge squall approaches and steals all the wind.  Literally the true wind read 1-2kts and we had 1k of boat speed.  You’ve got to be kidding.  We spent the next few hours trying to make the boat go in little to no wind before we finally acquiesced to turning on the engines. 

The rest of the night and early morning was a fight to use the sails and not the engines.  I think we motored more in this 100-mile trip than we did over the entire 1700+ mile trip across the Pacific! 

The Top left chart shows Vanua Levu (top left) and the red arrow is us at Vanua Balavu.  The bottom chart shows the close up of Vanua Balavu

Vanua Balavu

We enter the NW pass and maneuvered Sugar Shack through the pass to a beautiful protected anchorage in the Bay of Islands.

Bay of Islands at Vanua Balavu

Bay of Islands at Vanua Balavu

There are several boats hidden in different coves and bays here, but because there are so many small islands you do not see them.  I think there are 20 boats and we only see 2 which is lovely.

This is truly a majestic place!  These beautifully covered towers jet out from the sea creating a marvelous maze, thus giving this bay the name “Bay of island.”

It is amazing to me how bushes, plants, and trees grow out of the rock.  Don’t they need dirt and water?

We take several dinghy exploration trips weaving in and out of lagoons, behind islands, around pillars of towering rocks, and in little caverns.

We find lots of little alcoves with sandy beaches just waiting to be written on.

We also explore by SUP where we can get over shallow reefs, in little nooks and crannies…

And under rock bridges…

We share with you Fijian Culture and protocols in our last blog.  Keep in mind that our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual events.  Events from this blog occurred mid-to-late June 2022.