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.