Back to Auckland and the Harauki Gulf

Return to Auckland  
We arrived back in Auckland the night of March 23rd expecting that marina security could take us out to our boat which was moored at some pilings (no dock).  Well, no go.  So we had to get yet another motel room (another 2 bdrm as it turned out).  But it was nice enough and had TV!  Yay!

However the next morning, we were able to get back to the boat and move it to a dock next to RNZYS, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.  It has a great view of the nightly races on the Wataita Harbour and internet!  Yay!  We really enjoyed the facilities there, but it was a long bike ride into town, sometimes against the wind.  But we got a bunch of errands done over a few days.  And as a bonus, we discovered the nearby Auckland Fish Market, so happy day.

America's Cup catamaran

We had to get back to Gulf Harbor to pick up our dinghy from the canvas maker, who made a new cover for it.  Then, we went back to Auckland for some reason I've now forgotten.  Ugh.
After a night we moved over to RAYC (Royal Akarana Yacht Club) , met our friends Brian and Marian for a nice dinner at Mission Bay, and left Auckland for good.  really...

Beehive Island seen from Kawau Island

We went to Kawau Island for "just a couple nights".  But a big westerly wind came up and we were parked there for a week....  not a bad place to be.  There are well maintained public and private trails.  They're well marked whether with signs (public) or cairns (private).

There's a cairn at the fork in the trail. You can't miss it!

We went back to Gulf Harbor for a night for showers and shopping.  We set off for Rakino Island to meet up with our friend Mike.  His crew included a 100 year old guy and an 80-some odd year old guy!  Really!  But they were interesting and we had a nice visit.Of course the weather was completely calm, so we motored.

The weather was predicted to remain very calm, so we were FINALLY able to set out for Great Mercery Island, a goal I first made back in November!!!!  ackkkk.