Tawa Cove, off Onapua Bay (Tory Channel) 25th January 2012

Along the coast of Banks Peninsula

The fine days exploring Akaroa came to and end as we slipped down the harbour with a following breeze and a slowly lifting light sea fog. Rejane was keen to see the volcanic vent in Scenic Cove so we turned west along the forbidding cliffs outside the heads and motored into a tiny cove with a large rock in the middle.

With the southern ocean's sleepy swell heaving we tiptoed in and circled the rock awed by the fiery aspect of the vent with is red and black walls plunging to unknown deeps at the foot of the cliff. With enough adrenaline for a couple of days we retraced our steps to pass across the entrance of Akaroa heading east, coasting along the heavily indented wildly craggy coastline of the peninsula with a light breeze and the motor running. Bay after bay, tiny cove after cove unfolded with the green grassy hills behind the cliffs and trees and bush in the valley folds with the occasional 'crib' hidden in the trees.

Always some maintenance to do

Slowly the coast turned north and then west again as we circumnavigated the volcanic bulge of the peninsula and as the afternoon wore on we made into Lyttleton Harbour and scampered down it in a brisk nor-easter to the Naval Point Yacht Club marina.

The God of Wind

We had a bit of excitement when we spun into what we assumed (never assume!) was a pontoon berth and it turned out to be piles with no lines attached. A bit of hasty foot work and we conjured up several more mooring lines and made fast after a fashion without breaking scraping or bending anything, a miracle with a cross current and following wind.

The marina piles are old and dilapidated but the welcome as warm as ever in South Island. It was the site of a disaster several years ago when a hard but not exceptional sou-wester took out the new marina, first a bit of the wave attenuator came adrift then some pontoons and boats until the whole lot went with 32 boats sunk.

Ken and Ross the marina managers gave us the lowdown and the numerous live aboards filled in the details of life on the piles- One bit of advice was to get off the piles and anchor under Quail island if a 50knotter sou wester was forecast.

Kiwi bush

We invited Andi Henderson over for a meal on board on the Friday night. I hadn’t seen Andi much since our last expedition together in 1988 and there was much catching up to do. Andi invited us to meet for coffee in Lyttleton, a small town blighted by the massive earthquakes of February 2011. The coffee shop, 'Samo', had moved three times as the initial and subsequent premises collapsed. It was now in the garage and forecourt of a private house.

The pub, the original five having gone or were going, was artfully constructed of sea containers, the community petanque court was a demolition site and the weekly market had been moved out in the open after the school was condemned. Roads bulged, cracked and leaked while houses and high-rise had broken windows or cracked walls or overhung drops where cliffs had given way. Many buildings had been demolished and removed, the gaps like missing teeth.

The weather was good to us and the mood in town seemed particularly energised and positive. At Samo an aftershock roared and shook for perhaps three seconds and the locals completely ignored it as Rejane and I looked at each other in awe. 

Andi kindly lent us his car and we went through the tunnel to Christchurch in search of a cinema for Rejane to watch War Horse (terrible storyline, great horse acting). We spent a lovely sunny day in Christchurch, watched a cricket match in Hagley park, visited the magnificent botanical gardens and then walked into the Christchurch CBD in the open part of the fenced off red zone of the city centre. The street has been refurbished using the most amazing sea containers to built fabulous coffee shops, coffee shops, banks, etc. The place was packed with people and buskers. Down every other street there was a fence blocking it off and rubble strewn across the road, building cracked and broken and huge empty space where office blocs once stood. 

Diamond Harbour

It will take decades for things to get back to any resemblance of normality.

Later we went along the coast and there were cliffs that have fallen, leaving houses tittering on the edge or fallen off into space. 

Spotting a possible weather window to make the next over-nighter up the coast to Cook strait, we decamped from the piles and made our way north. It was blowing a risk nor-wester and the shallow Pegasus bay was putting up a nasty steep sea that combined with 30knots of wind saw us give up the idea of beating north for a few hours ahead of a sou-westerly change and we turned and ran for cover in Pidgeon Bay. Next day we crept back into Lyttleton and settled into Diamond Harbour for five days to await another window.

Diamond Harbour is a lovely little cove with a lively jetty scene, the ferry coming and going and kids swinging wildly off the small boat crane and into the water. We walked the coastline and made a half-hearted attempt on mount Herbert getting halfway up its 1000m slopes before retreating. Finally the weather was looking good and we moved to Port Levy to sit out the worst of the gale and get off on its shirt tails for the 160nm run up the unfriendly coast to Cape Campbell and the entrance to Cook strait.

The happy skipper!

Entering Tory Channel

We motorsailed for thirty hours to get this forbidding stretch over and made our way into the narrows of Tory channel with its strong tidal currents two days ago. Just as good as we are now well tucked into a cove off a bay off the channel and expecting 55kns tonight as Cook strait is under a storm warning.  

Tawa Cove

NZ is 1200nmiles in length and it seems like all the wind and waves of the Tasman sea occasionally want to squeeze through the 20 nmile gap of Cook strait. While we still have some interesting sailing ahead, ie to round the East cape of north island, it feels as if we have got some of the most serious part of our voyage behind us and we are pleased to be looking at a few weeks in the Marlborough sounds.

But first we are low on water and fuel and cinemas and will head for the fleshpots of Picton tomorrow.

Akaroa 11 January 2012

Akaroa

The sail north from Port Chalmers started with a gale and was followed by a 28-hour passage, time split evenly between sail and motor which seems about par for cruising when you are in the forties and coasting.

Akaroa's art

Akaroa

Dingo is at anchor off the Akaroa Cruising Club wharf and clubhouse, Rejane is ashore at the Library catching up on IT.  It’s been six wonderfully sunny and settled days here in 'Long Harbour' surrounded by hills and tiny settlements time to unwind, relax and indulge with walks, coffee, shopping, clothes washing, wining and dining.

Akaroa

Akaroa, popular summer destination

Akaroa is the biggest harbour out of the many which ring the ancient volcanic mountains of the Banks Peninsula. Christchurch is at the landward end of the peninsula and the village of Akaroa in French Bay (site of a french immigrant settlement in the 1740s) is tucked into the most sheltered nook. The village is busy at this time of year and its small beach, promenade and shops are crowded with holidaymakers, some of them from the cruise ships that arrive every day or two. These ships, some of the huge, usually go to Christchurch (Lyttleton harbour) but the quakes have seen to that.

Dingo prepares to leave Dunedin

Port Chalmers

We are sitting in the Port Chalmers Yacht Club (established 1862) in Otago harbour, watching Dingo dancing on a mooring as a summer gale rips down the harbour churning its surface to a white frenzy.

Captain Les MacBean

Les MacBean owns the mooring and has moved his 1930s fishing boat 'Julia' (the boat that took Knox-Johnston's mail out to him during the Golden Globe race), so we can hang here. Les, an accomplished sailor and shipwright, has been helpful in many ways, a mine of local information, wise words on local conditions and the next leg of of our trip. He fixed up our dinghy last April when a gale flipped it and a davit arm punched a hole through the floor. 


Deciding not to rush, we left Dingo moored on the piles at the Otago Yacht Club from April 2011 till we returned last month. She broke free once in a 70knotter and Les re-moored her.

When we pulled her up the slip three days before Christmas we discovered the prop had corroded badly and after having it brazed by old Bob Watt (of 'Charlie Noble' fame) Les epoxied, filled, two packed and anti-fouled it. He then conjured up a wee spring loaded copper brush to earth the prop shaft to prevent it happening again.

All part of the warm blanket of hospitality visiting yachties can expect in these cold and windy waters. Mind you the weather over the last two weeks has been bright, sunny and warm while the rest of New Zealand has been rained out.

We hired a Rent a Dent car ('Rint a Dint') for two day look around the Otago harbour environs, walking the Spit at Aromoana, Tairoa Head, Lovers Leap and the Organ pipes. Of course we went to the pictures, one of them being The Iron Lady, a stunning bit of acting by Meryl Streep. We made the acquaintance of restaurants and numerous visits to Bunnings hardware mega store. Jimbo bought a bike for 20$ that packed up after a couple of rides but then found one for ten which is stowed away on board.

Dingo coming out of the water

Rejane doing the antifouling

We spent Christmas on the hard anti-fouling the hull (Rejane and local youngster Josh) and doing those underwater jobs like the propellor, zinc anodes, through hulls etc (Jimbo). Rejane made a picnic and we walked to the botanical gardens for a lovely sunny Christmas day dinner, surrounded by flowers, birds and bees. We exchanged presents, Rejane got a cheap electronic keyboard and is warming up for a recital, while she gave me a new Lumix camera with more pixels than my old Olympus. As is our tradition we went to bed at nine on new year's eve and watched a film (The Great Gatsby), falling asleep well before midnight.

Christmas dinner

Home for disabled penguins

So now we are poised to recommence sailing. After a lay off it is always a bit of a leap to cast off and go forth on the briny, a leap needing an awful lot of preparation and a few deep breaths. Our destination is the flooded volcanic valley of Akaroa 150 nm up the coast as the Albatross soars. It is on the south aspect of Banks Peninsula (that's Sir Joseph Banks of Captain Cook's voyage fame), a massive complex of a dozen ancient volcanoes and a dozen bays large and small to explore. The peninsula's basalt roots are firmly planted and, as South Island moves north east past it, you get earthquakes. Christchurch is at the neck of the peninsula.

Port Chalmers