School Holiday Sailing Trip
We’ve just completed the school holiday between Terms 3 and 4, and I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the end of the school year approaching. (If you’re unfamiliar with New Zealand’s school system, check out my post here for more info.) Because Kiwis are a) huge travellers and b) unable to easily travel out of the country at the moment due to quarantine requirements to re-enter the country, domestic travel is a really big deal at the moment.
Even though the whole country is at Level 1 - meaning no restrictions are in place due to coronavirus - we still decided to go the socially distanced vacation route and go on a sailing adventure. We’d get to explore some new places while avoiding just about everyone. While my husband is a frequent sailing racer (and OMG I mean frequent - usually twice a week he’s out there) and I’m moderately competent on a sailboat, we’ve never been out with both kids for an extended period of time. It was daunting to think about being within 38 feet of my entire family for days on end. To make this trip as comfortable as possible, we decided to charter a really comfortable cruising boat through CharterLink. This way, we had all sorts of non-racing boat amenities like a large head (bathroom) fit for bathing kids, and more berths (beds) for all of us to spread out.
We visited several different islands in the Hauraki Gulf. It was fun to explore some of the islands we can see from land and to discover a couple of new ones.
Motutapu Island - We anchored in Mullet Bay after discovering that the anchorage at Motuihe was jam packed with boats, some of whom were there to par-tay. Mullet Bay was well protected and was perfect place to go ashore and do a little exploring. The kids loved playing on the rocky beach and climbing around the old military defense bunker left over from World War II.
Tiritiri Matangi Island - This was a fan favorite. It’s a wildlife conservation site and full of native birds that are used to humans. Hobbs beach is a lovely anchorage and place to play or picnic, plus there are lots of paths to explore inland. The lighthouse is quite impressive and about a thirty minute walk from the beach. It was once the most powerful lighthouse in the southern hemisphere!
Kawau Island - This island is populated, unlike the last two, and is home to Mansion House, an impressive seaside home that was once owned by Sir George Grey, a controversial figure in New Zealand politics. We were able to find another delightful beach to play on, but some of the charm was lost because of the houses surrounding it.
Islington Bay - This bay links Rangitoto and Motutapu and was a popular anchorage with both sailors and motor boaters. This is a spot that is easily reachable from the Auckland marinas and is therefore really popular with the kids. They’ve had success fishing here, so it is an exciting place to anchor.
I’ve put together a video of our trip that shows the best and the worst of our adventure. It’s definitely something to consider if you’ve got boating skills. If you don’t, Fullers360 runs ferries to Rangitoto and Tiritiri and Kawau is accessed by Kawau Cruises or water taxi. These islands are wonderful day trips!
