We were onboard Hullabaloo bright and early as we were the first boat to be launched that morning. With an engineer with us to check that there were no problems as we entered the drink we trundled towards the slipway. Suddenly we ground to a halt, apparently we had an outstanding bill to pay. No Splash without the cash so we were delayed whilst things were sorted. Finally we were launched but then had another delay as we were taking on water. Eventually we started the engine and reversed out of the slings en route to our berth. The engine spluttered and died, the skipper called for the anchor and the first mate just got it down before we hit the hard and took out our rudder.
Huge relief all around and then much head scratching before another engineer came onboard. Finally a launch arrived to stand by, we managed to get the engine started for long enough to get to the slip and we were finally tied up. We spent several days on the dock. It transpired that when the ray core filters were cleaned they had been put back incorrectly and the fuel was not getting to the engine. Problem fixed and the B&G man arrived to commission the new instruments and swing the compass. We switched the engine on but it was hunting, something it has never done before. This time we had the senior engineer onboard and more hours were spent scratching heads. Eventually we felt confident enough to leave the dock for the trials with the engineer with us and the first mate sitting by the anchor, just in case!
Then we had problems with heads that were supposed to have been fixed and on it went. My wedding ring, which I had had enlarged whilst in the UK, split one morning, was this an omen. The new engine manifold leaked and had to be sorted. Much hilarity when we discovered that this part that had been lost in the US, delayed us for weeks whilst we awaited its arrival in the Bahamas only to find we had been sent the wrong part had actually been sitting in our spares all that time! We finally got everything sorted, including my ring, and left on good terms. We were actually very pleased with all the work that had been done, amazingly! The night before we left we had a very unpleasant encounter with a rather drunk American lady who had come onboard for drinks and who I actually had to ask to leave, that was a first. So all in all we were very happy to untie and head out for a bit of cruising.
We met Colin and Peter in Urquart’s Bay and went for a great walk followed by dinner on Hullabaloo, much chat about this Corona virus which was starting to cause such concern world wide. We set sail with Burmese Breeze the next day for Great Barrier Island. It was fabulous to be sailing again and himself was thrilled with his new instruments and our new auto helm, ‘George Junior’. Arriving in Smokehouse Bay we went ashore to find a very unique set up for the cruising community. There was a small hut with a bath inside where you could heat the water by stoking a burner outside. There was also a sink to wash your clothes in, a couple of clothes wringers and a washing line. There was a BBQ area with a pizza oven and a smoker for the fish you caught. The Island is quite remote so these facilities make crushing there much easier and are so much more fun than a marina!
On day one we went ashore for a hike and then the next day motored up the bay to the local village. Here we found a gas station and a small shop and another great walk. Tired we returned for dinner onboard BB for an excellent steak supper cooked by Peter. We then moved to another anchorage on the island in Graveyard Bay in preparation for the hot pool walk that Colin had done a few weeks previously and was strongly recommending. Armed with a packed lunch the four of us teamed up with Charlie and Tim on the only other boat in the bay and set off. Stopping at the natural hot pools we sat in the steaming water until we looked like lobsters and retired to the picnic tables to eat our lunch.
We parted company with BB the next day and headed to Rachora Bay in search of some more hikes. There we found Tim and Nancy on Larus who joined us for a walk. The next day Tim joined us for another one whilst Nancy cooked us a delicious supper. So we had a very jolly time in Great barrier island and were sad to leave but there were some big winds forecast so we all hurried back to Urquhart’s Bay and some shelter.
By now the Corona virus situation was really ramping up and our worries of what to do were too. Andrew was much more concerned than me at this stage but we both agreed that it would be a good idea to take on some fuel, go back to the yard to sort out the continuing leak we had with our engine manifold and provision the boat. Wandering around a department store in Whangarei I became aware that the stocks were getting low and that the staff were spreading the stock out on the shelves to mask this fact. Things were starting to feel a bit strange. Happily the supermarkets were well stocked with the exception of long life milk and we managed to replenish our supplies.
We met up with Larus in Urquhart’s Bay and had them onboard for dinner. We were all worried about the way things were progressing. Andrew and I decided to sail up to the Bay of Islands and see how things panned out. We spent a night in Tutukaka en route in nice calm seas and winds. We had had our spinnaker put on to a furler and we tried to rig it, but the blocks we had been supplied with were too small and we had to put it away. Entering the Bay of Islands we stopped at Cable Bay where we had a great walk, both of us in our own ways getting more and more stressed and more and more uncertain about what to do.
Arriving in Russell the next day it was obvious that things were getting extremely serious. Picking up some fresh veg in the supermarket the announcement was made that the country was going into Level 3 lockdown to be followed by Level 4 in forty eight hours. Panic now set in. Arriving with our gas bottle in the local hardware store, the owner wanted us to keep our distance but he did fill our bottle and sold us another local one. We had no idea how long this would go on for and we didn’t want to run out of gas.
Once again we were aware of our lack of any alternative power source and it rather felt like Armageddon was around the corner. Suppose we couldn’t get any more fuel or we had to suddenly leave New Zealand in a hurry. So very much against our normal practice we decided we would be better in a marina tied up to the dock with power and water. We begged and pleaded with the Bay of Islands Marina and after some deliberation, and much nail biting, they found us a berth on the outside of the hammer head, a little bigger than we needed but at this point we didn’t care.
As it turned out it was a blessing as we were on our own on the dock with beautiful views and as it wasn’t a visitors berth the electricity wasn’t metered. This turned out to be a big cost saving as the weather got steadily colder. We enjoyed watching all the birds getting fatter by the day, the lack of boats charging around making their fishing much easier. With fewer and fewer planes in the sky as well life became much quieter too.
Life under level four was certainly different. The only things open were the supermarkets and pharmacies. No takeaways and no deliveries except for essential items. We were pretty well stocked anyway and the Local Opua General Store remained open, allowing one person in at a time. They sold wine, beer and general supplies and they were a lifeline as we had no car. We were starting to get rather cold and Andrew asked John the owner if it would be possible to get a heater delivered to the Post Office, sadly this could not be facilitated. However as Andrew was leaving he handed him his blow heater and told him to use that during lockdown, how lovely was that.
We settled into a routine, waking in the morning and switching on the internet. All the jokes flying around certainly cheered us up and we were very happy to be in contact with so many friends and family as we were, like everyone, feeling very unsure about life. We registered with the British Embassy who kept us updated on potential flights home but we were very torn as to what to do. We couldn’t get Hullabaloo lifted as all the yards were closed and we didn’t want to leave her in the water with no idea of when, or even if, we could get back to her with the borders being closed. We heard many stories of flights being cancelled and to be honest we didn’t fancy the idea of flying and possibly exposing ourselves to the virus, but if things got out of control in NZ would their health system cope and where would we be in the queue. Our girls, as always, were very supportive and agreed with us staying put which was a great comfort.
With our choice made life became less stressful. Once we had done a few chores each morning we then went for a long walk every day and this really kept our spirits up. We soon became used to social distancing on the paths and as the whole of NZ seemed to be out and about too, we at least got to chat to a few people on our travels. A pandemic certainly teaches you a few things about yourself. It confirmed for me that I am a lover of rules, whilst the other member of the crew stretched the social distancing a little! Andrew got to know Martin well during this period who was sort of allowed in our ‘Bubble’ as a single man.
There were many fantastic walks around us all beautifully maintained by volunteers. In addition the roads were pretty empty of cars. The scenery was fantastic, with lots of lovely birds everywhere. Amongst our favourites were Mr Tui with his easily recognisable song and the beautiful Parrots with their scarlet and green feathers. Every few days we would make a sandwich and set out for a major hike for distances of up to twenty four kilometres. We could get the ferry across the river; and walk to Russell and back, Paihia over the ridge, along the coastal path, or take the railway track towards Kawa Kawa. The more we walked the fitter we got, the less my hip hurt and the weight started to fall off. The girls were also on a keep fit regime back in the UK, the Dallas family were all getting smaller!
We were not supposed to leave the marina by boat as sailing was banned. However we got more and more frustrated watching boats going in and out. On the Easter weekend the sun was shining and we could resist it no more, it seems I am prepared to break the rules when it suits. We had some medical supplies to take to Colin who was out in the Bay on his own. We figured as long as we didn’t get on his boat then that was not breaking the rules and we also needed to get some food from the supermarket in Russell.
We didn’t need to motor out to Moturua Island and spend the night there but the temptation was too much. It was so lovely to be at anchor again in relatively warm weather and be able to have a different walk. Unfortunately the Customs arrived in the bay the next day and very politely asked us if we knew what was going on? Honesty always being the best option we explained our medical mercy trip and provisioning. They asked us if we now had enough food and if therefore we would be good enough to return to our berth. We asked if it would be okay to leave the next morning and they agreed, so we did at least get a couple of nights out! Annoyingly they motored past our berth most mornings waving cheerfully at us so it was not possible to escape again!
We rocked along, managing to get Countdown Supermarket to deliver to us a couple of times which helped. And on one long walk into Paihia we bought home lots of vegetables. Funny how life changes, in the past a long walk might result in a pub lunch or coffee stop but now avocados and spinach were the order of the day. And the skipper didn’t complain too much with all the extra weight in the backpack.
We played cards most nights before dinner with a sun downer. We avidly read the newspapers in both NZ and the UK but found it difficult to read novels as we couldn’t really switch off. We did however have a Shakespeare reading with the Aghavni family. Reading The Tempest between us with good social distancing. Andrew and I sitting on our chairs on the dock holding on to our hats to stop them blowing away whilst they sat in their cockpit.
It started to become clear that the government were doing a fantastic job containing the virus and we were now feeling incredibly lucky to be in NZ. Level three was introduced and we could have deliveries and get takeaways. We were also allowed to increase our bubble to include single people and as luck would have it it was Colin’s birthday! He arrived with some Oysters that he had picked off the rocks and I made dinner amongst birthday banners and lots of alcohol! It was so lovely to be sociable again.
What a difference deliveries made to our lives! Martin had introduced us to Nordic walking which is basically walking with two poles/walking sticks. Now I must admit to having glanced sympathetically at people walking with their poles in the past; presuming in my ignorance that they needed them, and of course I was not old enough to need such a prop. But I now know that yes they do indeed take pressure off your joints but once used properly they also provide an upper body work out. We ordered two pairs, one actually came from NZ so was with us within a few days and the other one had to ship from the US, so that took some time. We took it in turns on our walks to use them and then got impatient so ordered a cheaper pair from NZ so we could use them all the time, such was our new addiction!
Then we ordered a proper heater, sheep skin slippers, and boat parts, the sky was the limit! It was starting to get colder but we were warm on the boat, suddenly being tied to the dock with power didn’t seem such a bad idea! There were also the joys of a take away. After all our healthy eating I wasn’t too excited about fish and chips but my god those first chips were memorable. Shared onboard with Colin, Tim and Nancy we were all beside ourselves! Okay another rule broken but both Larus and ourselves had taken Colin into our bubble....
Andrew was desperate for a New Zealand Pie but refused to have one until he had obtained his weight goal. Finally the day came and we picked them up after our daily walk and carried them home like a trophy! I wasn’t going to have one but it seemed rude not to share the joy... probably why I never quite get to my own goal weight!
Very quickly we were in level two and restaurants were able to open with social distancing. Walking up to the marina that first morning what a joy it was to see people sitting at a table in the cafe with music blasting from the speakers, workers returning to the marine businesses, life coming back to some sort of normality. We had lunch in the cafe and mindful of the situation in the UK once again counted our blessings that we were in NZ. And we could finally go sailing again! Yeah ha!
So off we headed out into the Bay of Islands looking forward to some good walks and just being on the hook again. We had pickled our water maker at the beginning of lockdown and weren't ready to recommission it so reckoned we had about a week before we would need to return to port for water. Meeting up with Larus in Paradise Bay on a particularly windy day we whiled away an afternoon being taught Mexican Train. We enjoyed the wonderful walks around the island, now very familiar tracks. Friends turned up in the bay and Andrew borrowed a wetsuit from Banyan and Tim helped him scrub Hullabaloo’s very dirty bottom with the help of Colin’s hooker, Tim really doing most of the hard work.
Whilst we were there three dolphins came into the bay and spent a long time swimming around our boat, leaping out of the water and generally showing off. They were behaving more like whales even thumping their tails on the water. Later that afternoon returning from a hike they appeared again swimming next to our dingy. Andrew cut the engine as they were very close and one swam underneath us looking up at me as I peered over the front literally inches from my face. There is a theory that the dolphins and whales had been missing the presence of humans in Lockdown, these lovely creatures certainly seemed very happy to see us. All too soon it was time to head back to the marina for some water, but more importantly our new duck down duvet had arrived, what opulence!!
My lovely French godmother Flo had put us in contact with some good friends of hers and Ramesh in NZ and we had been in contact during lockdown. John and Kenda were unbelievably lovely and invited us to their seaside house to stay for several days. This seemed too much to accept and we arranged to spend the day with them. They picked us up from the ferry and we had a wonderful time with them. Driving us through Russell they filled us in on lots of local history and then took us to their stunning house on the water which they had built and right royally entertained us. Such lovely people and we couldn’t believe their hospitality to two strangers, but that is the KIWI way.
And then we were in Level one and within a week life was back to normal. No more dancing around people in the street, hands were being shaken, air kisses exchanged and just the borders firmly closed, so no way out or back. We even had a post lockdown party in the cafe with music! Zoe and Bill from Into the Blue were now with us in the marina so we hired the cheapest car we could from RAD, formerly known as Rent a Dent. The car named Norman had a few body odour issues but was cheap and cheerful. He enabled us to travel further afield to experience some of the local fine restaurants which with large amounts of red wine and lots of laughter soothed our souls!
Andrew and I had a shopping trip to KeriKeri In search of winter clothes. Kenda had recommended a shop called Caravan and it did not disappoint. I was a little sceptical about going shopping with my husband but with my smaller size he liked everything I tried on and we went home with several choice items. A visit to the Hunting and Fishing Store and we decked him out with fleecy shirts and fleece trousers and we found a nice men’s shop for a few more items. To complete the outing we had Sushi sitting in a restaurant, it felt like life was really back to normal.
All of this mad shopping had been undertaken as we has no warm clothing, bedding or anything else for winter as we had never expected to leave the tropics outside of summer during our travels.
We were keen to get out in the boat again and wanted to travel North to Whangaroa Harbour which was supposed to be beautiful. So as soon as we found a weather window we headed out, as always happy to be back at sea and exploring again, even if the skipper was a little concerned to be parted from his heater. Dropping anchor below the Duke’s Nose in Reve Bay we found Ding, who we had last seen in Fiji, with his lovely new lady friend Sue. Drinks on Hullabaloo progressed to dinner on Chiquita and a very jolly evening. Ding assured us that it was really quite easy to climb the Duke’s Nose and a plan was made to meet in the morning.
Unfortunately Ding wasn’t feeling great when we went to pick them up so we set off with Sue. The walk up the hill was fine but then we came to the final hurdle it did not look at all easy to me. We had to pretty much rock climb with just the aid of a metal bar in the middle and I didn’t want to think about the drop to our right. Sue nimbly set off with Andrew behind her. I swallowed very hard, girded my loins and started the climb which took me a little longer than the others to say the least but the view from the top was spectacular, so worth it. Until that is I started thinking about the descent. Thank god for my new mate Sue who went ahead of me and very calmly talked me down telling me where to put my feet. If it hadn’t been for her I think I might still be up there clinging to the rock face!
Sue had to get home so we said goodbye and sat down with a cup of tea pleased to be alive and in one piece! The next day Andrew and I walked the river trail across the mountain. We had to cross two streams and it was a long hike but a walk in the park compared to the previous day’s escapade. Next we moved up the bay and walked up St. Paul’s Rock, only chain this time to hang onto but no nasty drops. Sitting on the top surveying the view a little Fantail flew up to us and performed a double somersault in front of us clearly thrilled to find some company.
We met up with Ding for dinner on Hullabaloo, I left them to it at about 11pm and my hangover was bad enough!! We set sail for Mangonui Harbour and the famous fish and chip shop for a good carb lunch and it did not disappoint. Andrew was delighted to find a barber in the high street who happily sorted out the Covid hairstyle that I had inflicted on him, he definitely looked a lot better when he came out!
On our way back to Opua we spent a night in the very pretty Cavalli Islands and had a great walk across the top once we had found the entrance to the trail. Then back in the Bay of Islands and a night at Paradise Bay and two more hikes. On our final night we dropped our hook just outside Russell for dinner at the Gables restaurant. Stopping in the Duke of Marlborough for a drink we were delighted to find it full of people, what a joy to be among life again, a real Saturday night feel. Dinner was really good. Then back to the marina and some warmth, and the purchase of two hot water bottles for our next trip out as it was beginning to get very chilly at night.
During lockdown we had been researching the idea of obtaining a New Zealand Residents visa. We felt we could happily spend our winters there and in addition there were possible financial benefits, a lack of inheritance tax for starters. So we made a couple of appointments to see some advisors in Auckland. We spent a night in Whangarei en route to pick up some parts from Port Whangarei and Colin cooked us a lovely dinner onboard Burmese Breeze.
Arriving in Auckland a little early for our first appointment we came upon an Ugg store and I happily swapped my leaking pair for new ones. The first company we saw were Solicitors and breezed through the meeting making the application process seem easy. Over lunch we were sure we would do it. The next appointment brought us back down to earth as the immigration specialist grilled us, maybe we needed to think a little more on the idea. It looked like we would have to pay import duty on Hullabaloo and we have already paid the VAT!!
Back at the marina various trades threw a yard party which was fun, even if it was pouring with rain. Julian and Patricia from A Capella were staying with Into the Blue so we all went out to dinner in Paihia and then lunch In Russell which was fun and it was good to catch up with them. We had a lovely evening with Jane, Bill’s sister who we had first met in Fiji, who cooked us a delicious dinner and then we all sat around her fire, what bliss. And of course we were walking five or six days a week so keeping fit, cheerful and entertained. We even helped with some home schooling with the Aghavni crew. Life totally back to normal in New Zealand under level one, just getting wet and cold.
Then Fiji made a big announcement and said they were going to allow boats in under a Blue lane scheme. We went to a meeting in the Yacht club held by John Martin from Sail South Pacific to learn more. We would need an agent and would need to quarantine once there and take a Covid test. All the details were still to be worked out but it looked like a definite possibility. However he made it very clear that once we left New Zealand’s territorial waters we would not be allowed back in.
There followed a bit of a melt down on Hullabaloo for a few days with some individual stomps around the trails as we worked out what to do. Himself keen to go whilst I was a little worried about not being let back in. However I came to realise that I would rather go sailing and continue the adventure than sit tied up to a pontoon in the cold. We had no hope of seeing our girls if we stayed in NZ and maybe things might open up quicker if we moved on. We wanted to be in NZ for the America’s Cup but it was looking unlikely that any of our mates would be able to come out to join us. We reasoned if they were allowed in then we would be allowed back too.
So decision made we registered with an agent in Fiji and set about getting ready to leave. The liferaft went in for a service with the Jon Buoy, forms were filled out and then we just had to wait for things to progress. The weather looked decent for another cruise to Whangaroa so to fill in the time we left the marina, stopping our first night in Russell to have dinner with a friend of Mark & Isabelle’s, Gary. We met at the Russell Yacht Club and enjoyed a good chat, a couple of drinks, a fish supper and a log fire.
Our next stop was in Mahinepua Bay where we met up with Tim & Nancy and had a great walk across the island whilst catching up on all their news. Then into Whangaroa Harbour to meet Into the Blue. For some reason I had agreed to walk up to the Duke’s Nose again, it wasn’t any easier but this time I had the lovely Zoe to talk me down. Then dinner onboard Hullabaloo with all three boats.
Bill had his sister Jane coming to stay and she needed picking up at lunchtime. We all wanted to do the river walk across the island, some of us keen to do the return trip, the others able to meet us by dinghy for the journey back. Once back on the boat we all moved to Pararako Bay to sit out the bad weather, dinner on Into the Blue turning into a late lunch as the weather prevented us from doing anything active.
The next day we were all rather fed up of the rain but Zoe, Bill, Jane and ourselves braved the weather and took our dingyhs up to the town to walk up St. Paul’s Rock. The terrain was very wet and muddy so much slipping about. Walking further on after our climb we lost the track and once again found ourselves beating through the undergrowth to get home. Bill is definitely not as good a navigator as he claims.
We all left the next morning and sailed in convoy back to Opua in the grey. Our spirits lifted as we had heard that it was all systems go for Fiji and we were getting more and more keen to escape this awful weather. There was a weather window opening up but we didn’t have time to organise the Covid 19 test that was needed, so we missed being in the first wave of sailors. The rules were that you had to have a negative result and leave within 48 hours of having it done, this was obviously going to be difficult to organise. You need to leave on the back of a low pressure system so that you can get to Fiji before the next one arrives.
Whilst waiting for another weather window to open up we went out for the weekend to celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary. Zoe & Bill joined us for dinner at Sage where the food was fabulous. Then we made a last visit to cardio island (Moturua) for a final hike around the trail to walk off all the calories eaten the night before!
The rules on entry into Fiji relaxed a little and we could now leave within forty eight hours of receiving our negative test. A weather window opened up but it was on a Sunday/Monday, so I began a search for a doctors that could give us a result on a Saturday. The test itself was pretty unpleasant but at least it was done.
Saturday arrived with no results causing us quite a bit of angst. We didn’t dare leave without the result even though we knew it would be negative as there was no Covid in NZ. Weather windows change all the time and are next opportunity was the following Thursday after a pretty windy low on Wednesday. So now we didn’t want to get our result until Tuesday but of course it arrived on Monday afternoon. We had the dilemma of should we leave in a big blow or have another test.
Then Colin had a brain wave to clear out on Wednesday afternoon and ask Customs if we could go on their Quarantine Dock which thankfully they agreed to. Therefore following the rules as closely as possible, we hoped.....
Fully stocked, bottom scrubbed and after several goodbye dinners due to our continuing change of plans, we checked out of Customs and onto the Quarantine dock. We had thirty five knot gusts in the harbour and it took several attempts to tie up to the Q dock. We were reassured we had made the right decision for the boat not to go to sea that night. We got a good nights rest and snuck out at first light sad to say goodbye to New Zealand which had been such a wonderful safe haven during lockdown.
We had been told by customs that we did not need to leave but once out of the twelve mile limit we would not be allowed to come back. All of our other mates from our journey across the Pacific had either opted to stay in NZ, or were stuck outside NZ unable to return to their boats. We left with our eyes fully open to the possibility that we may get stuck in Fiji for the Cyclone season if no other borders opened up. However we felt the positives outweighed the negatives. We were back on our travels, heading for warmer climes and new adventures. Also hopefully getting nearer to seeing our girls, parents and friends. We were very aware of how fortunate we were to be able to pursue our dreams whilst the rest of the world was in such turmoil.
As we left New Zealand’s shores we set off forward into quite lumpy seas but the wind had eased, the forecast was favourable and we were at last back at sea...
