HELLO FIJI

 

As always it was fabulous to be back at sea and even more exciting was the fact that we were back on the move again after lockdown. We had great sailing winds, even though it was a little bumpy. Looking back at the log I described the conditions as similar to being in a washing machine. On day two we discovered that the autohelm wouldn’t disengage, which was a little disconcerting, but we weren’t going to mess around with it in the middle of the ocean. By day five the weather was starting to get warmer and we could start to put away some of our thermal gear.

The wind started to increase on day six and as we approached Fiji we were getting forty knot gusts. However once through the Maholo Passage and behind the reef the conditions were much calmer and we marvelled at the beautiful blue waters around the reefs as we made our way to the quarantine area outside Port Denarau.

Having reported our arrival to our agent we were soon visited by the Fijian Navy whose job was to make sure that we didn’t leave our vessel during the remaining seven days of our quarantine. We had been concerned about how welcome we would be arriving from another country but we were quickly reminded of the wonderful Fijian hospitality. The navy guys were charming and assured us that we were now part of their family and they would do whatever they could to look after us. In addition they said we were very welcome to swim off the back of the boat, it didn’t look like this was going to be too much of a hardship.

Waking up the next morning, after an uninterrupted night with no one shaking my leg in the early hours, I felt overwhelmed with joy to be back in the tropics. The warmth, sunshine and blue waters is for me a big part of what sailing around the world is all about! The seven days passed pretty quickly. The navy visited us several times a day, the medics came alongside fully masked and took our temperature most days and we spent our time doing chores so the boat was in tip top condition. Andrew even polished the kettle!  The locals whizzing past in their boats seemed thrilled to see us, waving madly with big grins on their faces. The Fijian government had been very brave in opening up the Blues Lanes to yachts but I could see that actually it had been very clever as our presence marked the beginning of a return to normality and gave hope in a country struggling from a lack of tourism.

Once we had had a negative Covid test we were allowed into Port Denarau to check in. We had had no option in engaging an agent but I have to say it was worth every penny and really speeded up the whole process, so much easier than the year before. Bio security confiscated my honey and frozen prawns but otherwise it was plain sailing and we were free to cruise the waters of Fiji. Lucky us!

Stepping ashore we weren’t surprised to find that many of the shops and restaurants were closed. When we were here last year Port Denarau had been overrun with tourists but now it was actually a much nicer place to be. We were thrilled to see the Rhum bar had a live band that evening and we spent our first evening out of quarantine there eating Pizza there. Sitting in the  cockpit later listening to music coming from the shore it came home to me that lovely as New Zealand is the one thing it is missing is nightlife and I am partial to a bit of that!

We met the lovely Tom, a taxi driver, in the port and he took us into Nadi to do some shopping. This was the beginning of a lovely relationship, such a charming man with an infectious giggle we were to use him every time we came into town. Arriving at the vegetable market full of an array of colourful produce we were greeted by everyone with much enthusiasm, clearly pleased to see westerners and wanting to know our story. We thanked them for letting us back into their wonderful country and told them what a fantastic job their Navy had done looking after us.  They beamed with pride and thanked us profusely for coming back to Fiji. We sampled the Indian at Indigos that evening which was delicious and I was thrilled to find it was open Thursday to Sunday. There was also Cardos which was open every night, we weren’t going to struggle being back in Fiji.

Fully provisioned we headed out to Musket Cove and put our hook down among a handful of yachts, a stark contrast to the year before when we had struggled to find enough room in the anchorage. We enjoyed a few days of relaxing in the sun, so happy to have made the somewhat brave decision to leave NZ and come back to the tropics in these unsettled times. We had left all our Pacific friends behind so were feeling rather Billy no mates but heading into the beach bar at Musket Cove resort we met the crew of Yoco and the making of new friends began. The resort itself was pretty much closed, which was sad to see.  The small supermarket was open, the Cafe served Breakfast and lunch until 2 pm each day  and the beach bar would light a BBQ for you in the evenings and was open from 4pm.

Keen to go cruising we headed up the Yasawa Islands. With no other boats in sight it was a surreal experience and one we were going to get used to. We imagined we were experiencing cruising in Fiji in the 1950’s. We stopped for a night outside the Octopus resort where we had spent a fun couple of days with our girls the year before, but despite a few lights ashore it was firmly shut. The water was crystal clear though and we had a fabulous swim. 

Next stop was the Blue Lagoon and we were delighted to find that the resort there was open and arranged for dinner on our second night. We went for a walk the next morning across to Mo’s cafe and discovered that we were only her second guest since March. She was thrilled to see us and happy to chat. She recounted how life had been over the last few months, how awful it had been for them as a community as they were banned from drinking Kava together which is such a large part of their culture. We bought some home made lemonade and I purchased two shells. I only had a $20 note with me and our bill amounted to $14. She was very embarrassed as she had no change at all, in fact she told us no one had any money on the island at all due to Covid and the lack of tourists. Obviously $6 (£2) is very little and we were there to spread the love. It is difficult though for the Fijians to accept charity and the happy acceptance of extra money told its own story.

The bay started to fill with other boats and an evening of Fire dancing was arranged for the following night. We had a very nice dinner with three other boats and very much enjoyed the show, their first performance since March. Ivan the resort owner and a big supporter of the locals was thrilled to be able to have arranged the event for them as much as us. Keen to help the locals out ourselves we set off in our dinghy the next day into the far bay to find the local farmer and buy some vegetables. Due to the lack of boats this year they had planted very little but we bought what we could. We encountered the same problem with the lack of change but whereas in the past, particularly in the Caribbean, we would have felt cheated in the current climate we were just happy to help.

After another hike across the bay it was time for us to move on and we sailed up to Sawa I Lau to visit the famous caves. Arriving in the bay we moored outside the entrance and in due course set off to give Sevusevu to the village on the opposite shore. We were greeted with much enthusiasm and after our Kava had been accepted by the elderly chief we were introduced to a family and invited into their hut. It was apparent that this was not a wealthy village but this did not seem to stop the inhabitants from being incredibly cheerful in true Fijian style. Sitting on the floor of their hut on a rush mat, which also served as their bed, trying not to swat the numerous flies away and breathing in the acrid fumes from the indoor cooking fire we chatted with the family for a good half an hour. 

The husband was the religious leader of the village, very well read and was most interested in our story and any news that we could give him from the outside world. His brother was very keen that Andrew might be able to mend his old plastic kayak and we left promising to return the next morning with some glue, although we were not very optimistic of the outcome. We had been given some children’s clothes to bring to Fiji for the locals from some charity shops in New Zealand and I also promised to bring some clothes with me for their little grand daughter.  We left the proud owners of a bread fruit for our dinner.

Returning at the appointed time we found several of the villagers helping to re thatch the roof on their hut. We were ushered in to make the repair on the kayak and once the workers had retired for the day, it was now about 9.30 am, they shared their breakfast with us of coconut rice which was delicious.  After Andrew had bodged the kayak he was taken out to inspect another Kayak disaster, this one beyond repair, and I was left to chat to the lady of the house. Lying down on the mat with her head on her pillow, which was in-fact a glass jar, she very nicely asked me if there were certain items that I may have on the boat that I might be able to give to her. Nothing too much just colouring books and pencils etc. for her grandchildren which I was happy to deliver later that afternoon. We left great friends having been issued an invitation for Christmas Day if we couldn’t get home to our own families.

We had been told by our new friends that it was not their village that owned the caves but the one we had passed at the entrance to the bay. However they said it was not necessary to make Sevusevu there they just wanted paying our entrance fee to the cave. We set out across the bay by dinghy for a few miles and found a very different village on our arrival. They were clearly much more wealthy, with brick houses and we even saw a couple of horses, but the atmosphere was not very friendly at all. We were taken to meet the chief and were severely told off for not doing  Sevusevu and ordered back to the boat to get some Kava. When we returned and made our offering they were still not very friendly, begrudgingly accepting our apology for the misunderstanding and greedily putting out their hands for the $100 entrance fee to the caves. We didn’t feel that their wealth, garnered from ownership of a piece of prime real estate, had done much for their general well being!! 

 We were then given a guide armed with a large torch, and we set back across the bay to visit the caves. He was actually very nice, clearly not related to the elders, and we had a fun hour swimming in and out of the two caves whilst he told us lots of tales. We were extremely fortunate he said to be visiting on our own as pre covid  there would be at least fifty people in their at any one time. Of course we had to return him to his village, which meant three long return trips in the dinghy so we didn’t really feel like we had got our monies worth. After all we had seen equally impressive caves before for free. Still box ticked and the anchorage itself was extremely beautiful!

It was time to head back to town to re provision, and once again there was not a sailing boat in sight. Arriving at Manta Ray bay we did however find Archer and Poahuna and joined them for a drink in the back packers hotel. The owners were busy selling Pizzas and using up their alcohol supplies, unsure like everyone what the future might hold. The next morning we went to see the manta rays at their cleaning station. We had been there with the girls when you could hardly move for swimmers but this time it was just us and a boat of locals with two Manta ray scientists. So like everything in Fiji post covid we had a much more personalised experience, and like last time they took our breath away.

Tied up in Port Denarau we went shopping with Tom and pigged out on Indian crab in Indigos one night and Lobster Thermidor in Cardos the next! This did not bode well for the supposed continued weight loss. We headed back out to Musket cove where there were now several boats and had a fabulous ten days making lots of new mates. The resort held a great and very boozy brunch, which overspilled into the beach bar. I went paddle boarding with the lovely Corrine and Andrew flew on a foil board under Ronnie’s instruction behind our dinghy and came back with the biggest grin plastered all over his face. We swam lots, went for several walks and spent quite a lot of time socialising, it was hard to believe that the rest of the world were all social distancing and wearing face masks. Maybe not a good idea to send too many, if any, pictures home!

Back to Denarau to restock and a very enjoyable evening with Martin and Anna off Pandora onboard the good ship Hullabaloo. We then set off up the west coast of Viti Levu for some cruising. Weaving our way in and out of the reefs we were grateful to have all the waypoints on our chart supplied by Curly the previous year. It was very windy and at one point we had to turn back for the night to find some shelter. We moored in Volivoli for a couple of days and had lunch in the resort that was open for the weekend. 

It was becoming obvious that if we were going to have to spend the summer in Fiji that we would need a sport to keep us busy. Having flown on a foil board the next step was to go Wing foiling which is the new alternative to Kite boarding.  We felt it was likely to severely damage us!  It is also much easier to set up and you are supposed to be able to do it in broader conditions. With time on our hands Andrew spent hours researching the equipment needed and ordered a foil board and wing from New Zealand. Now we just had to wait five weeks for it to arrive! 

Moving on we set off to see the Black Christ in Vitu Levu Bay but sadly the weather was agin us and we couldn’t safely get ashore. Venturing further afield and after a very bumpy motor with the wind attached firmly to the nose, as it is sometimes wont to do,  we anchored off Naigani Island. A beautiful picture post card tropical beach but sadly once again, although the bay offered good protection from the wind, the weather was not good enough to go ashore. Woken by our anchor alarm at 4.30am due to a severe wind shift and now on a lee reef shore we spent a few anxious hours waiting for daylight so that we could move swiftly on. It started to pour with rain and we limped towards Ovalau island part of the Lomaiviti islands with the help of our radar. We dropped our hook outside Levuka which was the old capital of Fiji. It has an Old Colonial feel to it and was recognised as a World Heritage site in 2013. We went ashore for a wander and visited the site where Prince Charles handed over independence to Fiji in 1970. Since the installation of a canning plant by the Pacific Fishing Company the town has become somewhat run down and having to moor downwind of this plant made it a one stop wonder.

Leaving early the next morning, gratefully breathing in the fresh sea air, we hoisted the Yankee and with the sun finally shining we made our way to the island of Makogai which had been a Leper colony to the British colonies of the South Pacific and New Zealand until the early 1960’s. It was now run by the department of Fisheries whose remit there was to protect and cultivate Giant Clams. We dropped the anchor in the beautiful bay and went in to present Sevusevu. We were met by some very friendly and enthusiastic local children who escorted us into the village were we were greeted by what we thought was the chief. Our offering was accepted and we arranged to come back the next morning to visit the school. Our enthusiastic new young friends were very keen that we should bring them some lollipops so we made a quick round trip to deliver some.  Arriving back on the boat we were thrilled to see Filizi arriving in the bay with the lovely George and Karina onboard, whom we had not seen since last year. So we had a good catch up on Hullabaloo.

Arriving ashore the next morning we were again met by all our new friends and taken to see the Giant Clams. We had with us by prior arrangement some children’s clothes for our guide’s family  but he didn’t seem to want to take them from us in front of the other people around. This time we had bought a huge bag of lollipops with us which created a major scrum amongst the children and we needed our guide’s help to restore order. 

Walking to the other side of the island, carrying our bag of goodies with us, it soon became apparent that our friend was not the Chief just a Fisheries employee and that there wasn’t a chief as such just a manager who we had yet to meet. We were both astonished when our friend recounted that the Covid pandemic was a result of the 5G masts that have been installed worldwide.  You read about such theories but to actually meet someone who believes such hype was something else. Of course we just nodded and continued our long walk whilst he pointed out the remains of the Leper colony and also gave graphic descriptions of the damage to the island during Cyclone Winston which had been a category five. It had blown his whole house over a mile away and all his possessions into the sea. We arrived in the other village and gave our goodies to his wife and then we were given a tour of the school by the Headmaster. Devastated by Winston it had been rebuilt by the help of Sea Mercy and many visiting yachtsmen a few years previously.

Filizi had been invited to dinner at Lucia’s house and they suggested that we came with them. We were a little embarrassed to turn up uninvited but they assured us it would be fine. The custom is that one family entertains you and you then help them out with food supplies and other items. We needn’t have worried as we were warmly welcomed and our offerings went down very well, particularly the chicken noodles which are Fiji’s answer to junk food. She had caught some local fish which was delicious and we spent a very jolly couple of hours talking to her and her three children.

Apparently she had two younger children that she was in the process of giving to her barren sister and husband who lived in New Zealand. They were at present with her parents as Covid had prevented them travelling to NZ. We thought this a very generous thing to do but we later learnt this is quite a common occurrence in Fiji. We were politely asked if we could help with any food items and agreed to return the next day.  The men of the village have a little Cyclone proof hut in the middle of the new Cyclone proof houses where they all drink Kava. Andrew had been chatting with them and as we got into our dinghies the manager asked us to join them for Church and Sunday lunch the next day.

We arrived with some gifts for Lucia, among them spices and a snorkel and mask for her kids  which went down a storm.  We then had an extraordinary lunch with the whole village sitting crossed legged on the wooden platform under the mango tree.  Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best, the men wearing sulus and the little girls in the cutest dresses. They had dug a Lomo and collected mud crabs and wrapped cassava in leaves and coconut milk. Eating with our hands we had a fantastic and very memorable feast.

When we had finished eating we asked if we could take all the children out to the boats, as they had never been invited before. So we set of in the two dinghies amid much squealing and everyone clambered aboard Hullabaloo. We had a little ice cream in the freezer, only enough for a spoonful each, but it went down very well. They all gathered down below eyes wide at such opulence, I don’t think they could quite believe what they were seeing. At Karina’s request they sung us some of their traditional songs, what a thrill that was listening to their beautiful young voices belting out tunes as only Fijians can.

We had plenty of children’s clothes onboard and Andrew decided it would be nice to let them have some of them. So we got the bags out and allowed them all to pick what they would like. More squeals, lots of laughter and big smiles they left with several items each. One little girl solemnly thanked me for such generosity she said it was like going on a massive shopping trip and I was reminded of the shopping trips I took my daughter’s on when they were of a similar age and we came home with lots of shiny new things and not second hand clothes. We stopped by on Filizi for juice and biscuits and then delivered them all back to their parents totally hyped and full of sugar. Luckily Filizi had a rugby ball to give them and some energy was worn off playing tag. Exhausted I returned to the boat for some peace and quiet leaving himself with the men and the kava. He returned a little while later without his flip flops, which were never to be seen again.

We went ashore to say goodby the next day and John one of the younger men, gave us a tour of the Leper’s graveyard and the old cinema building. His father had been the head man on the island when he was a young boy so he made an excellent tour guide.  He showed us the incinerator where, if the lepers did not want to live anymore because they were in so much pain, they could throw themselves in to put an end to their misery. That or someone would shoot them. After our tour he cut us down a couple of coconuts and we sat under a palm tree sheltering from the sun hearing more tales from the past. It had been an amazing and unforgettable few days and one neither of us will forget.

There was some strong winds forecast so we decided to head to Savusavu and after a night spent at Point Reef, at the entrance to the bay, we motored to the Copra Shed marina and tied up.  We spent a few days there provisioning and visiting our favourite restaurants, which we were pleased to see were all open.  The wonderful Sea Lovers deli was still there and I got a big hug on arrival and spent a happy half an hour finding lots of goodies that I had not seen for a while. We bought some more local cotton shirts and even got Andrew a sulu, we were going native! And we had drinks and met Optimist of London and Blue Spirit, more new friends to play with.

Before returning to Denarau we sailed down to the Paradise Resort on the South of Taveuni and picked up a mooring ball. We were very excited to learn there was a dinner and band that evening. The owners keen to make some money and keep the place open had put on this evening and all the locals were made welcome. We met a couple more boats and had a great time dancing to a local band. One upside of the lack of tourism is that some of the locals are getting to use facilities which in the past would have not been available to them. We managed a long walk the next day in the rain and then had a lovely massage, such a treat and so cheap. But it just kept raining and we were reminded how much wetter this side of Fiji can be, time to sail to back to Viti Levu.

New Zealand were not going to let us back in for Cyclone season unless we committed to spend $50,000 on the boat. This seemed a little elitist and as they are unlikely to open their borders until 2022 a backwards step. Australia was at that time not letting foreign nationals in and so it looked like we had no choice but to stay in Fiji for the summer. So it was time to start operation find a safe cyclone hole!  We had already enquired about a Cyclone mooring in Savusavu but were yet to receive an answer. Another option is to tie up in the mangroves and we had read that Bau Bay on the South Western end of Vanua Levu was a good spot, so we went to have a look and anchored for the night. It certainly had good holding but is an enormous bay surrounded by coral and we couldn’t see how we could get any shelter at all.  It was clearly more suited to ships.

We sailed across to Yadua island catching a blue fin tuna on our line, happy days! We dropped our anchor in Cokuvou harbour and enjoyed three nights in complete solitude before yomping across Bligh Water and dropping our hook outside Lautoka. A lot of boats when a Cyclone is due go up the Denarau river but Geoff the manager of the marina had already told us that we were too big. The commercial boats go up the Lautoka river so we decided to swing a lead and see how deep it was. The disappointing answer was not deep enough! We could only find 1.1 meters on the bar which would mean we would need a high tide of 1.3m to get in and we were also worried that if there was a storm surge that we might get caught the wrong side of the bar for sometime in the mangroves with the mosquitoes!

So off we trotted to Vuda Marina for a few days to discuss a Cyclone mooring with Adam. Arriving in the marina for the first time that year we had a traditional greeting with all the staff gathered on the grass singing a welcome song, it was very moving. We didn’t like the idea of lifting her into a Cyclone pit as the only ones available were on newly reclaimed land. Vuda is however a well known cyclone marina, well protected from the elements with a central mooring that all the boats attach their anchor chains to. We had been hoping that Musket cove might give us a berth but that didn’t seem to be forthcoming so we signed up for a six month berth to guarantee us a refuge and breathed a huge sigh of relief that the decision had been made.

Time to set our minds to more pressing matters, the Musket Cove Regatta! We arrived a few days early to secure our spot fully provisioned and ready for the festivities to begin and we were not disappointed. The anchorage quickly filled up with lots of boats, most of which we knew. Ronnie gave me a lesson on the foiling board and I flew, only for a few seconds but it was easy to see how exhilarating it would be. 

 We entered the Hobie Cat race but were knocked out in the first round, it is possible that the foredeck crew didn’t perform very well in the light winds..... We performed equally badly in the paddle board race but at least we had a go! We didn’t want to race the country cottage in the yacht racing and were very happy to be asked onboard NV by Jo and Timo. She is an old IMOCA 60 that they had recently bought and sailed up from New Zealand. We were even more happy when Andrew was asked to be the crew boss and I was given the Jib to trim. We didn’t have a fully sized main so didn’t win any races but the boat was full of some great people and we had a whale of a time! Add to that dancing most evenings and it was hard to believe that there was a world pandemic. The final day of the regatta was the fiftieth anniversary of Independence in Fiji and a traditional flag hanging service was performed followed by some Fijian singing and a speech from the Attorney General. We rounded up the event on the last night dancing in the pool, Andrew went first, then Martin, then me and soon everyone was in. A proper party and a truly great event, made better I was told by the smaller than normal numbers.

We gave Ronnie a lift back to Vuda, as he was going to deliver a motor boat to the USA, and tied up for a couple of days to re-group. We had a great dinner with Martin & Anna and then the next night had Timo, Jo, Ronnie and his crew mate Graham onboard Hullabaloo for supper. Our wing foil and board was due to be delivered but as usual there were frustrating delays. So we hovered between Musket and Denarau, socialising in the first with a Pizza night and then a 60th birthday party for Karen and attending a very informative talk on Cyclones in the latter.  Our new weather guru, Neville Cook, informed us that as it was a La Niña year so we could expect up to six cyclones in the coming months, food for thought. He told us about the Madden Julien Oscillation an eastward moving pulse of cloud and rainfall that typically occurs every 30 to 60 days and assured us that although it’s presence didn’t guarantee a Cyclone one wouldn’t form unless it was in the vicinity. This would mean that between waves we would be able to safely do some cruising.  $180 seemed a small price to pay for daily forecasts over the summer from a local expert and we were quick to sign up.

We were missing the girl’s dreadfully, thank goodness for WhatsApp which allowed me to be in contact with them almost every day. Emma had got herself a puppy and we really enjoyed receiving pictures of them all together. Andrew said as I had a Grand dog now that made me a Grand Bitch and seemed to think that was really funny! He also thought the dog looked a bit like me!

We had a very worrying couple of weeks after Andrew’s father had a stroke and were suddenly feeling a long way from home. Happily he was home in a couple of days and on the mend. Again we were grateful for good telecommunications enabling us to keep in touch.

Finally our new toy was released from customs and we took it over to Musket which was fast starting to feel like home. Andrew screwed it all together and we were ready to learn our new sport. He had spent hours watching You Tube videos on how to learn and the advice was to first  foil behind a dinghy

Hoping that history wasn’t about to repeat itself,he persuaded me to learn how to snow board on one leg with interesting consequences, we launched our new toy and learnt how to fly! The board has minimal reserve buoyancy and when I first started I thought I was never going to be able to stand on this thing but with perseverance and lots of practice we just got better and better and it was lots of fun! Good for the weight loss too which had reached a stalemate.

The next two weeks were spent enjoying the good weather and playing and socialising with all our mates. We traveled back to Vuda to help NV haul out for the Cyclone season. With a draught of 4.3 meters it was touch and go as to wether she would get into the basin but with the use of a large flotation balloon to keel her over and several dinghies gently pushing her we slowly edged our way in. The relief showed on Jo and Timo’s faces as she was lifted out of the water the keel only just clearing the ground, I am not sure what plan B would have been.

There were a lot of Kiwi boats that had come up from NZ in the blue lanes and they were all headed home for the cyclone season which runs from November to May. They had all been waiting for the correct weather window and mid November it arrived. We had made some lovely friends and were really going to miss them when they were gone. Alison organised a pot luck BBQ at the beach bar in Musket so that we could all say our goodbyes. As they all left it brought home to us that we really were going to be in Fiji for the cyclone season.  Hopefully the meteorologists didn’t know what they were taking about and there wouldn’t be any cyclones. We could only cross our fingers and hope......

THE NORTH ISLAND AND LOCKDOWN IN NZ

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...