Tag Archives: bay of islands

Whangamumu and Roberton Island

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We arrived in Whangamumu harbor around 2:00am, dropped the hook, had a celebratory beer and crashed.  

Jason woke up to a glorious day showcasing the beauty of Whangamumu!

That is Jason sitting on the port helm seat as Matt takes his photo with the drone.

Last month we released a full blog post on Whangamumu and its rich history with whaling.  Be sure to read all about it here.

We took Jason ashore to explore the whaling station and waterfall.

It had not rained recently so the waterfall was not gushing down, but it was still very pretty.  We were able to hike up the falls about 25 meters and just soaked up the beauty.

Sugar Shack had the bay all to herself.  The water gently lapped against the hull, the sun was shining, and everything was so peaceful.

It would have been lovely to hang out here for a few days.

However, we only had a few more days with Jason so we decided to move on to our next stop.

Roberton Bay, Bay of Islands

As you round Cape Brett you pass by two must see spots.  The first is the “hole in the rock on Motukokako / Piercy Island.”  This is an iconic natural attraction.

The peak of the island stands nearly 148 meters high with the top of the archway standing nearly 16 meters high.

Experienced and a little crazy skippers will take their boats and jet skis through the center of the tunnel.

We are content to just pass by on this beautiful day.

We dropped the hook at Robert Island (Motuarohia Island) which is a stunning little island with two lagoons.  

Captain Cook anchored and landed here in 1769.  The Maori’s named this island Motuarohia which means “Island of Loveliness.”

Mother Nature gave us a gorgeous sunset with a full moon on display.  

The sky had so many beautiful colors that it took our breaths away.

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.

We visited Whangamumu for a 2nd time with Jason around the end of May 2026.

Bay of Islands Lookout

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We went on a hike with our friends Dan and Lexi from sv Amok.  This was our last day before we left the beautiful Bay of Islands at Vanua Balavu, Northern Lau.

We load up into the dinghy and drive around to a small, secluded beach.  This is where the trail starts.  

The trail incline starts off muddy and dirty.  But it is a clear path that can easily be navigated.  We come to the first of many gates and let ourselves in to the beautiful plantation on top of the island.

We see lots of animals including cows, horses, goats, sheep, and pigs. 

This little lamb thought we were part of her herd.

We make it to the top of the island which is where the two plantation owners have their homes. 

The house below belongs to Tony.  He lives just up the hill from the village where the workers live.

You can access the top of the island several different ways.  We came up the side of the mountain. 

But you can also climb up 271 stairs from Batavu Harbor. 

A local climbed all 271 stairs in 56 seconds.  It took us a lot longer than that!

The Bay of Islands Lookout

We finally make it up to the Bay of Islands Lookout. 

It is so stunning to see the variety of blues and greens in the water. 

A breath taking location!

This place has no railings and no protection from the sharp and jagged cliff that lies below.

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events. 

We hiked to the Bay of Islands Lookout on 21 June 2025 with our friends Dan and Lexi from sv Amok.

Be sure to read about our other fun adventures around the Bay of Islands.

Fun in the Bay of Islands

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The Bay of Islands provides the perfect place to just enjoy and relax the true beauty surrounding you.  But if you get jiggy you can find plenty of fun things to entertain yourself.

Long blog post including our adventures in snorkeling, cave diving, SUPing, Beach bonfires, bats, and floating happy hours.

Snorkeling

The crystal-clear turquoise waters make snorkeling fun everywhere you swim.  There are lots of fish and corals around each of the mushroom-shaped, limestone pillars and passes.

We found a surprising number of soft coral and fans (which are my favorite).

The vibrant colors are simply dreamy!

Future homes for Nemo.

These scary %uckers come around periodically. Some have tentacles and some are just like cabbage jelly fish.

SUPing

Matt went on epic SUPing adventures averaging 5-7 miles each day.  He enjoyed finding new nooks and crannies and circled all of the mushroom-shaped, limestone pillars and islands that he could find.  He would later take me by dinghy to all of the cool places he found.

Why didn’t I go with him on my SUP? Well, (1) because I sprained my ankle and (2) I am not crazy enough to paddle that far!

Happy Hours

Matt and I found a hidden lagoon.  We decided it would be fun to organize a happy hour with the boats in and around the Bay of Islands.  There are a lot we know and several that we don’t know (yet).  We invited 15 boats.

We sent out this message and asked others to spread the word: “Tuesday, 10 June at 2:30pm Happy Hour. Location is at 17°10.6606S / 179°01.6036W. Get your adventure on to find it. Bring a dinghy anchor, drinks, snacks, and join the fun!”

We loaded up our brand new Bote 10′ Hangout float, magnetic cups, magnetic speaker, GoogleFi phone (which has our music stored on it), snacks, and drinks.

And the crew starts to arrive.  First come first serve as they say….everyone loads up on the new Bote Float.  There is a 1200lb limit but we managed to squeeze 11 people on here.  Probably not wise, but it was too fun!

Michelle (sv Breza) and Lindsay (sv Kumo) and I have a good laugh.  

Beach Bonfire

We celebrated the strawberry full moon with a beach bonfire.  Of course we could not see any “strawberry” in the moon, but it was a fun and beautiful night.

Underwater Caves 

There are many underwater caves in and around the Bay of Islands.  We’ve found 3 that are particularly fun to explore.  Many you can enter at low tide, but some you have to swim under the low hanging limestone rocks to enter the cave.

Caves at the Bay of Islands

Caves at the Bay of Islands

We took a cave tour when we first visited the Bay of Islands in 2022.  You can read about those adventures here.

The Meeting Room cave is the furthest away from the anchorage.  Elders used to meet here during low tide.  You don’t need a mask to get inside, but you do need to swim in.

Fruit Bats

There are several types of bats that live in the Bay of Islands. 

Many scientists consider the Bay of Islands a five-star resort for bats!

The Pacific (Insular) Flying Fox bat is widespread in Fiji.  They feed on fruit, pollen and nectar and often roost in trees.

The Fijian Free-Tailed Bat (also known as the Fijian Mastiff Bat) is endemic to Fiji and Vanuatu.  They roost in caves which are plentiful in the Bay of Islands. 

This area is dotted with limestone caves making it the ideal place for roosting bats. 

These bats are made for speed and long distance travels.

Bats of the Bay of Islands

Bats of the Bay of Islands

At dusk they all come out to scavenge for food.  It makes for a truly fascinating sunset.

Favorite Photos from the Bay of Islands

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.  

The events from this blog post occurred during the first 2 weeks of June 2025.

Learn more about the Bay of Islands from our last blog post.