Mercury Island

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Mercury Island, also known as The Mercs has been on our destination wish list for over a year!  There are 7 islands that make up the Mercury island group including: Great Mercury, Red Mercury, Korapuki, Green, Atiu/Middle, Kawhitu/Stanley and Moturehu/Double Islands).  

Great Mercury Island, which is where we explored, is the only inhabited island.  The rest of the Mercs are managed by DOC (Department of Conservation) and are preserves.

We see some of the other islands as we sail around Great Mercury.

Coralie Bay

Our first anchorage is on the east side of Great Barrier and it is called Coralie Bay.  We decided to go to this bay because we had really light winds and typically this is not very protected.  This is a pretty large bay with lots of places for anchoring.

We happened to visit Mercury Island during a 4-day weekend so there were lots of local boats out at all of the anchorages.  At dusk we counted 23 boats which is a lot to us, but evidently not very many to others.

We met our friends Mirko and Daniela from Yum Yum and Leigh and Linda from Moon Shadow.  The next morning, Leigh picked us up and we did a quick hike up to the top of one of the many beautiful mountain tops.  

Peachgrove Bay

We decide to continue our exploring while the weather is calm so we head to Peachgrove Bay.  This is another bay that is typically exposed to the weather, but our calm conditions it is perfect.

There is a lovely walk to a set of waterfalls here in Peachgrove Bay.

Sunsets are stunning.

And Sugar Shack is so happy in this beautiful water.

Bumper Bay

This is truly a beautiful bay!  The water colors are stunning, the beach is long and there is only one other boat here, our friends, Yum Yum (Daniela and Mirko).

The winds were predicted to shift so we had leave Mercury Island.  We motored across to Coral Mandel, Matarangi Bay to do some provisioning.  It was not a pleasant anchorage and the dinghy landing was even worse.  We got drenched by waves and almost flipped the dinghy.  Gesh!

Afterwards we had a lovely sail, with lots of tacks, to get to Little Bay where we stayed for the night.  We arrived at 1800 and left in the morning so not much to say other than it was pretty.

Our blogs run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog occurred during the first of February.  Hope you didn’t miss the absolutely gorgeous Rakitu Island in our last blog?

Rakitu Island: The Cove

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Matt was looking at the satellite charts and found what looked like the perfect, pristine anchorage called The Cove at Rakitu island (also called Arid island).  This is a relatively small island (329 hectares) and has towering cliffs that rise 180 meters from the sea.  It gives this anchorage a fortress-like feeling as you are protected from many directions.

The island used to be a farm privately owned by the Rope Family.  They raised cattle and had several houses and outposts here.  The Department of Conservation bought it from the Rope family and it has since become a scenic reserve (1994).  It is naturally free from many predators (rats, stokes, cats, rabbits) so the birds and their nests can flourish. 

The Ngati Rehua people cleared and cultivated the central valley where 3 historic sites remain today.  This is a beautiful saying of Rakitu:

You are a guardian, protecting and looking after our land, our family, and our future generations. Behold the breath of life!

The Cove at Rakitu Island

This little piece of Heaven called The Cove is just around some beautiful towering pinnacles.  As we enter the anchorage the water changes to a magnificent blue.  We pass many caves which are just begging to be explored (more on this later).

We drop the hook and settle in to our new favorite place.  

Onshore Rakitu Island

Even though this is an uninhabited island, there are still several buildings left behind from the Rope Family.  Evidently government officials use these facilities when they visit the island to check on things.

There is a short path from The Cove anchorage to the other side of the island.  You walk through some thick grass and across a few muddy rivers, but otherwise it is pretty easy walk.

When we return to the beach we are rewarded with a beautiful view of our boat at anchor.

The Caves

The next day we decide to go explore some of the many caves.  We hop in Sweetie (our dinghy) and head to this stunning arc in the rocks.  On our way in to The Cove, we passed by this as we came in on the big boat and I’ve been wanting to go under in the dinghy.  We posted a video on sv Sugar Shack’s Instagram which is a lot more fun than the photos.

Then we went around the north side of Rakitu and came across several more caves.   Look at the water color!

It was high tide so we could drive in most of them.  We found one in particular that was truly stunning.  There were so many colors in the rocks that it took my breath away!

Just in case you need a closer look to appreciate the beauty.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred at the end of January.   In our last blog post we enjoy a 2+ mile beach!

Whangapoua: Pristine Beach With a Tragic History

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Most cruisers visit the west side of Great Barrier island, especially its famous Smokehouse Bay  We stopped by last season but it was in the midst of a storm and was completely empty.   This season we decided to mix it up a bit.  We have always wanted to visit the East side of Great Barrier but you have to have just the right weather conditions to anchor in these exposed bays.  The weather was in our favor and we headed to Whangapoua also known as Motoroa Point.

Just off NZ’s coast are loads of islands to explore.

After we left Hen and Chickens we saw our window to go to a bay on the east side called Whangapoua Bay. At the North tip of Great Barrier there are these beautiful pinnacles that jet out of the sea to greet you as you pass by.

Based on the satellite charts Whangapoua Bay has a very long 2.4 mile beach that is begging to be walked on!  We motor the 40+ nm because the winds were very light and arrive to a gorgeous bay that we have all to ourselves.

A Walk on the Wild Side

This is an absolutely gorgeous beach.  Super soft sand and a variety of landscapes.  First you have the beautiful, green hillsides, then these rich, green towering evergreens, then flowing sand dunes, and pockets of tiny shells.

These tiny spiral shells were so beautiful.  I desperately wanted to collect these beauties. However, I left them there as I was sure they were filled with little critters waiting for the tide.

The beach seems to go on and on and on… We walk from end to end, taking our time and enjoying the beauty of this bay.

The Tragic End to the SS Wairarapa

Despite its beauty, Whangapoua Bay has a very sad history as it is the location of a tragic accident. From the bay you can see the outlines of white picket fencing that mark the mass grave sites.  The SS Wairarapa crashed along the rocky entrance causing New Zealand’s third most deadly shipwreck.

Evidently, the captain didn’t respect the weather conditions. He did not slow down or navigate properly causing this horrific disaster where over a hundred people perished.   The SS Wairarapa had a tragic ending that is remembered on this beach.

We somberly walk back to our boat and thank the Heavens modern technology has improved so much.

Haratonga Bay 

We move a few nautical miles (nm) to a new bay called Haratonga Bay.  The sun was out but it was pretty darn chilly so I put on leggings and grabbed my jacket!

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred toward the end of January.  We visit a Chicken Anchorage in our last blog post – but did we see any chickens?