Harlequin Cruising Blog: Opua - Great Barrier Island

Tiny, Matt & Phil

The next few days saw the remaining team (Jim, Phil, Matt G & Tiny) kick back and enjoy a spot of cruising, as we delivered Harlequin down to Auckland where we'd arranged a swing mooring.

Departing Opua at 1000, we anchored for lunch at Urupuka Bay in the Bay of Islands. Just to get a tick in the box - we couldn't really see what all the fuss was about. It gave us the chance to put someone in the water though (Phil) to test the rudder mounts which had been making ominous noises. Confirmed slack, we tightened the top bolts, enjoyed a couple of beers in the sun and pressed on.

Wow - a hole in a rock!

Yes, 6 Weetbix!

Rounding Cape Brett and Piercy Island, with its famous 'hole in the rock', we were amazed by the number of tour craft bobbing about - some quite huge power-cats. We hope the tourists felt they'd had their money's worth, at $100 pp.

We then became a little busy as three Tuna quickly took our lures (the trusty pink squid), although one was lost off the back after 'spiking'. Tuna for dinner!

The first night was spent at Oakuru Bay in Whangaruru Harbour - a pleasant spot off a remote sandy beach. Then an early start for the 70 nm passage to Great Barrier Island, known locally as simply "The Barrier".

Line snag

The early light airs gradually gave way to a building SW'ly, affording us a fresh reach under first reef (a bit of a tongue-twister) but also testing our rudder, with more signs of movement in the top mounting. We were glad to get into the shelter of Port Abercrombie where we dropped sail and motored into Kaiarara Bay (another tonque-twister) to anchor south side in 15 m.

F@*&ing thing!

Next morning we immediately set to fixing that top rudder mount. In removing the mounting bolts (SS tapped into alloy), two sheared - not a great start - so we decided to add three new, more substantial securing bolts, drilled and bolted through both top & bottom plates. Why this hadn't been done originally, God only knows...

On the scrounge...

The battery drill wasn't up to it, so Matt & Tiny were dispatched to beg a beefier ac-powered drill from a neighbouring boat. A few hours later: job done. Or so we hope.

Sheared bolts

Then the outboard started once and died. The plug was OK (new at Norfolk) so we emptied the fuel tank and sure enough: full of crap. Opened the carb': full of crap. Once cleaned up, we were finally 'go' for our run ashore.

With our small dinghy, and Tiny's massive bulk, we decided on two runs to shore. As Matt returned to collect the second team we heard 'holy shit' and looked up to see a massive shark leaping totally clear of the water three times in quick succession - straight at Matt! Never seen anything like it. We now call this area 'Shark Bay' and will think twice before any more swimming.

We set off at 1400 - finally - for our assault on Mount Hobson via the old Kauri Dam. After about 3,000 steps, built carefully up through the jungle by DOC, 1620 saw us at the top for amazing 360 degree views of the Hauraki Gulf and beyond - oh, and mobile comms. Bugger the stunning views, out came the phones!

By 1900 we were back at the beach. Delayed only slightly by Tiny's brief dip in the one of the streams - not a pretty sight.