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Post by Fogg on Dec 21, 2023 14:41:00 GMT 12
Yes it’s great isn’t it? GH marina is emptying out by the hour as the carpark fills up. Until I’m free to ‘escape’ after Christmas Day, I’m enjoying day trips and taking advantage of the fact that you can leave GH marina and literally within 5-10 mins drop anchor in calm, clear beautiful waters no different to being hours away at a more ‘exotic’ destination. Time for a swim (again)… 😊  |
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Post by muzled on Dec 21, 2023 15:44:16 GMT 12
We just had three days out, two parked at tiri, which has been a long time coming. Had the boat 7 years and hadn't managed to visit. 😳   |
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Post by Fogg on Dec 21, 2023 17:11:20 GMT 12
Did you see & hear the amazing Tiri bird-life?
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Post by ComfortZone on Dec 23, 2023 14:34:55 GMT 12
Weather out here up until this afternoon (wind up somewhat) has been surprisingly good, but still very quiet around Fitzroy area. Went ashore for a walk and took a few photos this morning around 11.00am, have never seen so few boats this time of year. Looking towards Fitzroy landing  Towards Port Abercrombie, not a boat in sight!  Super yacht TTHB2 anchored in Kaiarara Bay (with her AIS turned off!), note how few boats in Smokehouse Bay in the distance  Stopped at the Fitzroy Store on the way back to the dinghy, bought 3 Oranges, a med size bunch of bananas and 2 icecreams on sticks - $25! ouch. Thinking about where to spend Xmas Day, either remain in Nagle Cove or possibly Smokehouse. No sign of any MPI presence re the anchoring restrictions, saw one boat anchored in the restricted area fishing for a while and another on Marine Traffic anchored in Bowling Alley Bay (should have turned off his AIS). |
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Post by muzled on Dec 24, 2023 9:35:34 GMT 12
Did you see & hear the amazing Tiri bird-life? Yeah, took a while to find a Takahe but then found one that had a chick which was quite cool. They have a real tui infestation up there though!  Saw a tuatara just off the beach about 5m up the start of the walking track around to the wharf. And also found a huge weta on a night walk.  |
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Post by harrytom on Dec 24, 2023 13:20:30 GMT 12
Did you see & hear the amazing Tiri bird-life? Yeah, took a while to find a Takahe but then found one that had a chick which was quite cool. They have a real tui infestation up there though! Saw a tuatara just off the beach about 5m up the start of the walking track around to the wharf. And also found a huge weta on a night walk. Call of kiwis at night?? Heard them at Motuihe but never seen them. |
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Post by fish on Dec 24, 2023 14:19:02 GMT 12
Yeah, took a while to find a Takahe but then found one that had a chick which was quite cool. They have a real tui infestation up there though! Saw a tuatara just off the beach about 5m up the start of the walking track around to the wharf. And also found a huge weta on a night walk. Call of kiwis at night?? Heard them at Motuihe but never seen them. I've been on three or four kiwi hunts on Tiri and never seen one (always after dark). But on every Kiwi hunt I've been tripping over tuatara. Far more interesting than a Kiwi. My boy (8) loves them. Related to dinosours, 3rd eye, all of that. There is a track at the very north end of Hobbs Beach (not the one with the loo on it, go another 5 meters and there is another one). It goes up over a rocky bluff. The Tuatara seem to like lying on the rock after sundown to get the warmth off the rocky ground into their bodies. There is also loads of seabird nests, they share burrows. So when the penguins and other birds come ashore after dark, they kick the Tuatara out and you see them. They often scurry into the drains that run under the track as well. First time I saw a Tuatara I was hunting kiwi and it never occurred to me there would be tuatara around. I saw this big tail slinking into the grass and thought it was a rat. I was frecking out, a fucking rat on Tiri?!?! What do I do, who do I call, this is a major etc etc. Then realised it was an ancient reptile and not an invasive species. Feckin hilarious. The last time I saw a Kiwi was on the Waterfall track at Shakespear Regional Park, about 100m from the carpark. A busy and popular track, and there it was. To be honest, it looked a lot like the kids pet rabbit. Grey / brown and fluffy, waddling along down the track and off into the bush. |
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Post by dutyfree on Dec 24, 2023 17:46:58 GMT 12
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Post by sabre on Dec 24, 2023 20:39:32 GMT 12
I spent a week at tiri many moons ago. Lucky enough to see a little spotted kiwi. Also Hihi and saddleback. During the day Tui filled the sky. Very cool place.
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Post by ComfortZone on Dec 29, 2023 8:20:19 GMT 12
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Post by Fogg on Dec 29, 2023 8:52:48 GMT 12
6 / 18 boats in Kiwiriki photo are yachts.
Motor really is replacing sail in NZ.
The weather here in recent times makes that even more understandable.
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Post by fish on Dec 29, 2023 9:48:35 GMT 12
6 / 18 boats in Kiwiriki photo are yachts. Motor really is replacing sail in NZ. The weather here in recent times makes that even more understandable. I haven't put the mainsail on my boat since 2022. Planning on putting it on in the next day or two, but it is soo much easier treating the boat like a displacement launch with all the activities I want to do at the moment. Spot of fishing, but mainly getting to a bay as quick and easily as possible with the family onboard so we can do whatever activities the kids want. I am looking forward to some 'mindfulness' sailing along with no hurry. The classic silence while moving. But in saying all that, having installed my new engine, I am also keen to use it. Got a new mainsail as well, then the birds nested in it, so I've been keeping it safe at home while putting hours on the engine. All a bit of a contrast from the pre-kids life of lots of racing. Two handed, solo, what ever was going on. Now it is get there, drop the anchor, swim, walk, or cook dinner, feed kids etc etc. |
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Post by Fogg on Dec 29, 2023 10:10:45 GMT 12
Yes when you’ve got a young family onboard getting there flat and in a predictably short time has benefits over getting there at 25’ heel “whenever the wind allows”.
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Post by ComfortZone on Dec 29, 2023 10:34:56 GMT 12
6 / 18 boats in Kiwiriki photo are yachts. Motor really is replacing sail in NZ. The weather here in recent times makes that even more understandable. Actually this is not a new phenomenon. I remember back in the mid 80's discussing the Xmas cruises with skippers I crewed for at BBYC (and this was in the day when an 11m yacht was "big") and the comment was made that "for all the motoring we did may as well own a launch". Chuck Paine (US designer) talks in his book www.chuckpaine.com/yacht-designs-book/ how he was advised in the US market 10 powerboats were sold for every yacht, and if he wanted to improve his business he also needed to cater for that market. A couple of his big power boats, along with a couple of his yachts were built in NZ in the early 2000's. The reality of sailing around the Hauraki Gulf is that it is either blowing rather more than people want to go out in with their families, or there is no wind at all, hence the appeal of a launch. Then for a given length a launch has more accommodation than a yacht. Less maintenance overall as long as you don't mind feeding the beast in the bilge. While diesel is not cheap, depending on how fast you go, the price of a new sail is not exactly cheap either, you are either paying upfront (sail) or monthly payments (diesel). As I have mentioned previously I had a launch in Perth because it suited my lifestyle, there were plenty of yachts to crew on when I felt the need for a sail. We motored over to Gt Barrier on 20th, with a bit of genoa out when there was enough angle to fill it, I would say almost every yacht that arrived here 27th motored over, noted the Elliott 1050 Sniper arriving with her full deck awning already spread most likely up for the whole trip. The one major area of growth in yachts is catamarans, alot more out this year, I guess the main limitation on people buying them is finding somewhere to park. When we decide no more offshore trips in CZ we will most likely move to a launch, ideally a powercat, the limitation being that it fits in the berth (5.5m beam). Otherwise a mono that has a fast cruise of 16-18kts eg a Corsair, Woolley or similar, gives some dynamic stability in rolly seas. You can always go slowly around the bays. |
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Post by fish on Dec 29, 2023 10:50:12 GMT 12
Yes when you’ve got a young family onboard getting there flat and in a predictably short time has benefits over getting there at 25’ heel “whenever the wind allows”. Yeah, the peace, silence and mindfulness of sailing isn't entirely compatible with: How much longer? I'm bored Can we go home now? I don't like the boat leaning over... We are getting there though. Boy wants to go snorkelling lots. Girl doesn't like wobbly anchorages, but she likes exploring new islands. |
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