Omokoroa

One small Kahawai for dinner
smoked chicken salad for lunch

cooking dinner

dawn

boat ramp

On the Omokoroa trip, my wife Christine came along to find out why I like cruising. I dropped anchor and we slept in sleeping bags. The wind on the second day was good, at 10 knots. I explored the northern end of the harbour. The water was barely deep enough for my trailer yacht at low tide. In some parts, I had to raise centre board completely for a while. It was fun and the boat does not heel so much with the keel up. In some parts the current was very strong and my boat was moving sideways like a crab.

Tauranga harbour

Mt. Maunganui
boat ramp at the Marina

Wednesday evening regatta

Regatta


The winner


Nanook cruising

Sunrise at Tauranga

In the evening, I beached the boat near Mt. Maunganui and went ashore to buy some pizza for dinner. I took my pizza and drink to a park bench where I sat down and enjoyed my dinner for about an hour. When I returned to my boat, I discovered that the tide has gone out and my boat was left high and dry. I asked three big German tourists to help me push my boat back into the water. When I was afloat, I thanked them profusely, saying "Thank you Fraulein! ". Yes, they were German ladies! Quite strong too!  :)

Russell near Paihia

The longest distance that I have towed my boat was 370 km to Russell. On the way, I picked up a friend, Tsun Kong, in Auckland. A ferry runs from Opua to Russell. Boat and car cost $8/trip. There is room for about 20 cars. The waiting time is never more than 15 minutes; probably much less in the summer months, due to heavy traffic during the holiday period. The first night we slept in the boat. The second night we checked into a back packer for the hot showers! It was quite a nice cruise around Paihia harbour. I raised my Genoa (geniker) and it pulled the boat forward in very light winds!

Launching

on the ferry

Rotoiti

Munupira Hot Springs on lake Rotoiti is well developed. It costs $5/visit but is well worth it, especially in mid winter when your boat does not have central heating! It felt really luxurious soaking in a natural hot pool with a glass of red wine. The water is crystal clear at the jetty where the fresh water trouts are easily visible!

Lake Arapuni

Arapuni is an artificial lake on the Waikato river created by a hydro dam, near Cambridge. There are  six dams built across the mighty Waikato river to harness cheap hydro electricity. Seen here with me is a friend from Borneo, Tam Chi Kim.

In Manawatu there are many huge wind turbines constructed along the hill tops using the wind to generate electricity in a more environmentally friendly way. In Wellington harbour, kiwi scientists are experimenting with wave generators.

Huntly lake

First time on the water in NZ. I picked the wrong day. There was hardly any wind. The boat was a 19 ft Kestrel towed by a Merc, 280SE

Lake Ngaroto

This was the first time I launched the Kestrel to check the integrity of the hull. The small 2 hp outboard engine is used mainly for parking and in case of emergency caused by unexpected equipment failure. It is adequate for moving the boat at 5 knots without using the sails. I am a member of the Ngaroto sailing club. In summer we usually hold a regatta on Sundays. There are other trailer yachts and many dinghy sailors.

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Melissa on her Starling.

Alex on his catamaran, a Paper Tiger which he used for running circles around us during Sundays regattas at Ngaroto.