Category Archives: New Zealand

Whangamumu: Echoes from a Forgotten Whaling Harbour”

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Whangamumu is one of Northland’s favorite anchorage.  The bay is large and picturesque, with solid holding, and great hiking treks.

The history of Whangamumu can be considered pretty ugly.  So before we dive into that let me share some beautiful photos of this peaceful anchorage.

Waterfall Hike

Just beside the whaling station is a small path that leads to a waterfall.  Lucky for us it had just rained so the water fall was flowing nicely.  Unlucky for us in that with the rain came some severe storms which caused a mess on the path.

It took us less than 10 minutes to get to the base of the falls.

Matt decided to hike up the falls (in his flip flops) and captured some more photos. 

Can you find me in the left photo and Matt in the right?

The Whaling Station at Whangamumu

Note:  Whaling is now considered abhorrent.  However, back in the day, it was a way to feed families, and provide oil for lighting and more.

This bay is best known for its remote, abandoned whaling station. 

This was once a bustling industrial site.  It was established in the 1800’s and expanded into a full processing station by 1910.

It was Northland’s longest running whaling operation which finally shutdown in 1940. 

However, rusting machinery and concrete ruins are left behind.  The natural bush is slowly taking over creating an eerie yet beautiful site.

Why was Whangamu’s Whaling Station Unique?

It is believed to be the only whaling station in the world that used nets to catch the whales. 

Most of the operations used boats and harpoons.

During its peak, this operation had processing plants, boilers, slipways, and oil vats that lined the shore. 

Up to 70 whales a year were caught and processed here.  Every part of the whale was used and nothing was wasted.

The whaling station was finally closed due to economic issues and the steep decline in the humpback whale population.

From shore you can just make out the large concrete vats where they used to collect the oil.

We believe this is an old heat exchanger of some sort. 

We were not sure if the concrete wall was added later or if it was part of the original build.

There were lots of bits and pieces on the grounds.  Can you make out what any of them used to do?

There were three signs.  However, only two of them were legible.

The old slip where the men winched the whales to the plant is still partially seen offshore. 

As very sad part of history. 

However, with conservation efforts the humpback whales are  returning to their former glory.

Find Whangamumu on No Foreign Land.

Our blog posts are 6 weeks behind actual live events.  We enjoyed the beautiful bay of Whangamumu around mid-April 2026.

Majestic Maitai Bay

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Maitai Bay is a super special anchorage with pristine twin bays.  You can find Maitai tucked on the Karikari Peninsula in Northland, far north New Zealand.

We have wanted to visit this tiny anchorage for a few years.  However, you need good weather to make it this far North.  In addition, you have to have fairly settled conditions to stay in the bay.

Sporty Passage

We left Whangaroa heading North 25nm to Maitai Bay.  We did not expect the big winds (gusts up to 38kts) and choppy seas.  It was a bash into the waves for 4.5 hours!

Not a pleasant day at all. 

However, as we neared the anchorage we were greeted by a huge flock of little black birds.

The two beaches are absurdly clean and peppered with sea shells and pebbles. 

The beautiful towering mountains shelter the beaches from the strong winds typically associated with the Northland.

Beach Walk

We decided we needed to “touch land” as soon as we set the anchor.  

It was low tide so we had a very large, beautiful beach to walk on.  

There were sections covered in pebbles and rocks and other sections covered with shells.

There is great snorkeling just beyond these rocks. 

However, the water was way too cold for us to even consider swimming here.

It is unfortunate that we were not able to spend more time in Maitai Bay. 

There are several beaches to explore and a few other hikes.

We visited Maitai Bay mid-April 2026.

Find Maitai Bay on No Foreign Land.

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events.

Baguette search day #2

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The first night done and dusted, bounced as Lionel Richie would say “all night long”. Bits of sleep were had, always takes a bit to get into the swing of making a passage.

You know what makes it all better! BACON! Perfect reward for night one down, also pork products are one of the many things not allowed to be on the ship when we arrive. Bacon McMuffins a great way to start the day, sounds like a Macca’s slogan. ( that is what McDonalds is called in this part of the world, still spelled right just pronounced differently )

All in all a good day, still struggled with current in the morning, shook a reef out of the sail eventually found favorable currents and seas were turning the corner and decided we were going interesting places and start to follow along. Instead of thinking the waves could get us to stay in New Zealand they listened to our story and promise of the perfect baguette,

Lots of naps and staying inside where it’s a bit warmer, with the winds and seas out of the south it’s a bit chilly. Only venturing out a few times per hour to look for pirates or any other possible collision targets. None spotted.

Boat was totally crusted in salt from the previous bashing. Seriously needed a car wash. Read foreshadowing..

Spent the day watching AIS traffic and which boats were leaving and which were staying. With at least 3 professional weather routers and at least 100 boats all trying to get to the tropics, can you guess the common topic and gossip? This time of year, weather opinions trump American politics. Everyone has a “thought” and with being 6 weeks past the end of cyclone season and non normal weather patterns there is too much information. Hard not to get caught up in the heard. Add to the difficulty that leaving NZ is at least a 5 day passage and the weather forecasts are good for about 3 days, the gossip and possibilities about days 4, 5, 6 and beyond adds a the stress of making a passage. The go, no-go choice is always a challenge when it’s not champagne sailing.

Checked into gulf harbor radio with Patricia and Dave at 5:15pm on the SSB. They offer tracking and weather information to the cruising community, and most of all someone else to chat with on long passages.

Spicy Cajun pasta and focaccia bread for dinner after the ham radio net. Christine is getting ready to go to sleep, and asks “should we take in another reef for the night” to which I reply “it’s fine” it’s been a wonderful day. She just got to bed, and the sounds of wind are starting. Where did that squall come from? 35 knots of driving rain, I get soaked reducing the head sail and running even further downwind. Needless to say we took the reef for the night. And boat got was it deserved.

While we did have the radar alarms on, they were set for looking ahead of the boat, but since we were now going the same direction as the weather the alarms need to look behind too. Fixed now, after the surprise of course.

Cheers all well on board on night #2

Our first 24 hrs, nearly 200 miles through water, 176 miles over ground but only 156 count toward our destination. That’s sailing math. We have 645 miles to go