Matt and I decide to take Sugar Shack into Auckland. It was our first time sailing into the City of Sails and it was rather tricky! The normal high traffic includes multiple ferries, power boats, cruising boats, and cargo ships. In addition, there was a regatta going on so we had lots of sailboats dashing about.
While Matt was trying to navigate around all of the traffic I was busy prepping the boat for the dock.
The fenders and lines have to retrieved, fenders inflated, and everything positioned on the boat for the dock.
Westhaven Marina
We were headed toward Westhaven Marina which is a very, very large marina in the center of Auckland.
Home to 1,800 recreational boats, four yacht clubs and a variety of marine businesses and hospitality establishments. It certainly is a tourist destination.
They have a very large fuel dock with 4-5 fuel stations. This is the biggest fuel dock we have ever stopped at.
The Plan
Our original plan was to fuel up, meet up with a friend, and grab a berth to hide out from the forecasted storm.
The problem was we did not have a berth reservation and the office was closed as it was Sunday.
We contacted the after hours number and reached Michael who helped us tie up at the fuel dock.
Our friend Tony meet us at the fuel dock to give us a new device that we are testing (more on that later).
Fuel was necessary due to the “fuel crisis” so we filled up with 426 liters even though we still had 400 liters in the tanks.
Two out of three done.
We asked Michael if he had a free slip for a week and to our surprise he did.
Now we were hungry so we decided to find a place to feed our faces.
During the walk we checked things out at the marina…in search of toilets, showers, trash, laundry, etc…
We stopped at RNZYS (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron) for lunch which overlooked the beautiful bay.
As we sat there we both realized we did not want to be back in the marina. Huh!
Change of Plans
We finished lunch, grabbed some shopping bags, and called an Uber.
We did a quick dash to the market for fresh produce and beer and zipped back to the boat.
Matt and I stowed everything, did a quick trash run, and pulled off the docks.
We had 15 miles to Rakino Island.
Why did we change our plans? Well, part of the reason is we had been on the hard for 3.5 months and then went to Port Nikau Marina (work on the fridge) for a week.
The next 3 weeks were cruising, but then we were in the Tauranga Marina for another week.
So, we had spent an unusual large amount of time in yards and marinas and we were done.
The marina was lovely, but it is not set up to be a live aboard marina.
The toilets, showers and laundry are sparse and limited and the rates are very expensive ($175/day for us). So, we left.
The New Plan
Now, we had to get to the Great Barrier Island before the forecasted system.
We made it to Rakino for one night and then spent the next day sailing to Great Barrier with a lovely beam reach.
Best laid plans are usually changed. Sailors moto is “our plans are written in sand during low tide.”
Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events.
We were in Westhaven Marina during the middle of March 2026.
