Tag Archives: fundango

Hiking the Urupukapuka Hillsides

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We left Roberton Island and headed 4nm to Urupukapuka Island.  Matt and I knew a lot of boats anchored in this area and had scheduled a hike and luncheon with everyone.

We had a lovely group of people on our 4nm hike. Beth and Dave (Warrior), Jim and Pam (Roam), and Joanne and Scott (Fundango).

There are loads of trails around Urupukapuka.  We decided to take the red track all around the island which is a medium grade track.

It was a perfect sunny day with cloud cover.  Not too hot and not too cold.

This is an absolutely stunning hike. 

Every turn offered a different gorgeous view.  Each time we were convinced the view could not get any better and yet it did!  

The colors in the sky against the rich browns and greens on the hillside were lovely.

The trail was easy to follow and well maintained.

And we encounter more amazing views. 

I kept picturing a beautiful house where we stood overlooking this view!

Joanne and Scott peeled off after the first hour to watch the NFL playoffs.  But the rest of us finished our loop with pride.

We stopped in at Otehei Bay Cafe for some cold beers and a snack before heading back to the boat.

Urupukapuka

Our neighbors, “Roam” were anchored next to us. 

I could not resist taking a photo of our two beautiful Catana Catamarans – sister ships.

Later that night we had everyone over for happy hour.

Below we have Charlie (Purr), Pam (Roam), Joanne (Fundango), Dee and John (Go Baby Go), me, Jason, Matt, Jim (Roam), and Dave (Fundango).  Such a great group of people. 

We hiked the hillsides of Urupukapuka toward the end of May 2026.

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

Smokehouse Bay: A Cruisers Paradise

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Smokehouse Bay is loved by all boaters, cruisers, and locals.  It is a spot where we can go to cook out, bathe, do laundry, and congregate with each other.  

It is a very large bay with room for loads of boats to anchor in.  

The photo on the right is Sugar Shack and our friends Jim and Pam on Roam (Catana 472).  We also had our friends Midnight, Chaos, Fundango, and Zipper here.

The land was purchased by the Finn Brothers, built by their nephew Eric, and donated into a trust to remain a public spot. 

All of the facilities have been donated and are free for all to use including:

  • (2) grills
  • (1) Smokehouse
  • (1) Pizza Oven with pots, pans and accessories
  • (1) Toilet
  • (1) Hot shower and inside bathtub
  • (1) Outside bathtub 
  • Hand wash laundry machines and drying lines
  • Book exchange
  • Tons of Seating

There is an informative welcome board giving you the history of Smokehouse Bay.  Below are photos of the smokehouse, grills, laundry, and seating areas.

In February, we met Dan and Lexi and enjoyed some BBQ.

There was a fairly large gathering here during our visit but we scored a table and a spot on the grill just in time for dinner.

Pizza Making

Matt and decided it was time to to try out the pizza oven.  We brought all of our pizza making ingredients (dough, black olives, chorizo salmi, green bell peppers, mushrooms, cheese, and sauce).

The pizza oven come stocked with pizza scoopers, pans, and all sorts of stuff.

It took a while to get the fire going.  Most of the sticks and pieces of wood we found were wet from the previous rain storm.  

But, after about an hour we got it going.

Of course the rain came while we were heating up the pizza oven.  We hid by the oven to keep dry and warm.

Feast Time

Over the weekend, the good weather brought out all the cruisers at Smokehouse Bay.  It was feast time!

One of the cruisers was celebrating her birthday and she and her family hosted a massive pizza and cake extravaganza.  It was great fun with loads of kids, pets, and cruisers enjoying the nice weather.

The next morning we had unusually calm and glassy conditions. 

It was so beautiful to see the sky reflected on the water.

Everyone loves stopping in for a visit at Smokehouse Bay!

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events. 

We were at Smokehouse twice.  Once in February and once at the end of March 2026.