Tag Archives: auckland

East Coast of NZ’s Northland

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This season we had the pleasure of traveling up and down the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, Northland.

We sailed over 700nm down to Tauranga (south) and as far North as Matai Bay.

And the amazing thing is we did not even begin to touch all of the beautiful places Northland has to offer!

We started at Whangarei (red arrow) and went south.  Then we left Tauranga and headed north to Matai before returning to Whangarei.

Along the way, we saw some absolutely stunning coastline. 

The coastline close to Tauranga (south) had a rocky terrain with specs of greenery.  It also had beautiful towering cliff faces.

Around the Auckland / Waiheke Area things were a lot greener with hillsides and mountains covered in lush vegetation.

You’d see mountains, hillsides, and then you will see lower lands but all covered in green!

North on the North Island

As we continued North toward Whangaroa we encountered more beautiful scenery. 

I love the mohawk on the bottom photo. Poor mountain does not know that mohawks are so yesterday!

Continuing North to Matai Bay

The landscape became more rugged the further north we went.  

From Whangaroa to Maitai Bay we saw beautiful mountains with green tops and dramatic cliffs plunging into the sea.

We had a very short sailing season in New Zealand this year.  We were only able to explore the east coast of the north island from February through April.

We had really hoped to explore more nooks and crannies along the coast. However, our extended stay in the boatyard cut our cruising season really short.

However, we certainly made the most out of the time we had!

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual events. We sailed the east coast from mid-February through mid-April in 2026.

An Auckland Stopover: Westhaven Marina

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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.

Sail GP in Auckland

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Matt and I head to Auckland to visit friends, run some errands and delve into the excitement of Sail GP!

What is Sail GP?  Sail Grand Prix is a fleet of (13) F50 foiling catamarans that rip through the water at unbelievable speeds!  These boats are 50 feet (15 meters) long and are high-performance, hydro-foiling catamarans.  They are designed for incredibly high speeds often exceeding 100km/h (50kts) making them some of the fastest boats in the world.

Great beginners guide to Sail GP – click here.

Auckland is the 2nd stop of 13 race locations across the globe for the 2026 season.

The atmosphere was a buzz and everyone was excited to see these magnificent boats fly across the waters.

I tried to capture all of the boats but some were not cooperating.  Didn’t they know I needed a team photo for each boat for this blog?

That gives you a fleet of 13 powerhouse sailing nations battling in Auckland — and let me tell you, the drama on the water has been epic (including a pretty gnarly collision between the French and Kiwi boats).

Here we have Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden.

United States, Denmark, Canada, UK, and Australia.

You might notice that we are missing New Zealand and France….

Horrific Crash

Unfortunately, the weather conditions were not very good during this race weekend.  It was rainy on day 1 and had gusts up to 40 kts which is too high.

On day 1, race 3, turn 1 there was a catastrophic collision between NZ and France.  Read full story here.

NZ was making the turn, was caught by a gust and their rudder came out of the water.  They immediately lost steerage (with no rudder) and the boat made a sharp turn directly in Team France’s path.  There was nothing and no time to react.  Team France’s bow severed Team NZ’s hull right where the crew were located.

One man on Team NZ had compound fractures on both legs.  Another man on Team France had abdominal injuries.  It was a blessing and a true miracle that nobody lost their life.

Racing ceased for the rest of the day.

Links about the Accident:

Catching up with Friends in Auckland

We have several friends that live near Auckland. We had the pleasure of spending time with Tony and Jaqui who live in Long Bay.  They took us to a tasty dinner at Birds of a Feather (Asian Fusion).

The next day we met Brian and Sue from Sea Rose and had a lovely dinner at Portofino near the Viaduct.

Eyes in the Sky

We ran several errands in the “big city” of Auckland. 

First, we stopped in at Costco, then Martha’s Backyard (an American “big box” store) and finally at Drone Depot. 

We had a Mavic 2 Zoom which we purchased 8 years ago.  It is a great drone but it was getting increasingly difficult to find battery replacements.  So, it was time to upgrade. 

The Drone Depot is a well stocked store with super knowledgeable and friendly staff.

They had enormous drones, small drones and everything in between.  Plus every accessory you could ever imagine.

We were considering 3 drones and then narrowed it down to the Mavic Pro 4. 

Now we had to decide on a package or piece meal our accessories.  

In the end we went with a discounted package with a dented box (we never found the dent). 

We swapped out the crappy shoulder bag and went with a Smatree waterproof and shockproof case. We also added a battery and a stick catcher.

The original bundle was going for $6500NZD, but this was discounted to $6200.  Drone Depot offered it to us GST free since we had our T.I.E.  The total cost was $5500 ($3300USD).

A super expensive toy, but one that captures the most amazing photos of our journey.

The top left photo compares our old DJI Mavic 2 Zoom to the new DJI Mavic Pro 4.

We are super excited to try our our new toy and showcase the amazing anchorages we visit.  Stay tuned!

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.  We were in Auckland at Sail GP mid-February 2026.