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A Hidden Bay at Mercury Island

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We had a beautiful day on our trip from Great Barrier Island to Mercury Island.  We had hoped to sail, but alas Mother Nature had other plans.  With less than 5kts of wind we could not fill the sails so we ended up motoring.

But the day was so pretty, the waters calm, and the skies clear. Nothing else mattered.

A Hidden Bay 

A few years ago our friend Leigh took us on a helicopter ride over Mercury Island (read blog post).  Matt spotted this gorgeous bay that could fit 1-2 boats.  We marked the location of the bay and told ourselves that we would come anchor there someday.  

Fast forward to today!  We happened to pull up to the very same anchorage  with no boats. 

This is a shallow bay so we cautiously nosed our boat into the bay using our forward sonar, Project X, and satellite charts.

Absolutely as stunning from the water as it was from the sky!

We had this beautiful bay all to ourselves for a few days.  It was so beautiful that we decided to stay longer.

What did we do?

However, when Saturday arrived so did the Auckland launches.  The day trippers arrived in full force to enjoy the beautiful weather and pretty sandy beaches.

Then our friends on Moon Shadow, Leigh and Linda Hopper, came in their 70′ Maritimo. 

Leigh expertly maneuvered his yacht next to us.  And to our surprise he wanted to raft up.  His magnificent Maritimo 70′ yacht to our 47′ catamaran.  

Ok…we dug out the fenders and tied up.

Not 30 minutes later their friends on a 60′ Maritimo arrived and rafted up next to them. 

So, we now have a 70′ Martimo and a 60′ Maritimo rafted up to Sugar Shack.  

All I can say is our 30kg Spade anchor is AMAZING!  Granted we had little wind, but still we had two gigantic boats rafted up to us!

Yes, the smallest boat, Sugar Shack is holding the two larger boats 🙂

While we were here we had our friend John stopped by with some snapper on Friday.

Then Leigh and Linda served up some delicious pack horse lobster on Saturday.

Yes, we are living like royalty.

After our early lobster dinner both Maritimos left to a larger anchorage where they could drop the hook safely.

A Return to Mercury Island

We left Tauranga with two buddy boats: Purr and Go Baby Go.  John on Go Baby Go captured a few shots of Sugar Shack as we were underway.

And then John took a drone shot of all three of us at South Bay on Slipper Island.

We left Slipper Island and headed to Mercury Island again.  While our friends headed to Great Barrier Island. 

We wanted to go back to Little Bay but \a launch anchored right in the middle of the bay preventing us from anchoring  So we went next door to Mamona Bay which was almost as beautiful!

Sugar Shack had this beautiful spot all to ourselves.

Matt got the drone out and captured the beauty from the sky.  Check out the gorgeous waters!

Our blog posts run 4-5 weeks behind actual live events. 

We were at the Mercury Island in early March 2026 and returned mid-March 2026.

Find this bay on No Foreign Land.

The Beauty of Whitianga Waterways

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We decided to make the 5.5hr drive to Whitianga to visit our friends Leigh and Linda.  They had generously invited us down for the weekend.  Matt and I arrived after lunch and Leigh immediately took us on a drive through the town of Whitianga.  It is a lovely town with two large markets, several supply companies (marine, plumbing, hardware) and access to the waterways and beaches at every corner.  I can see why Leigh picked this location to develop the Whitianga Waterways.

Later in the afternoon, around sunset, we took the duffy out to explore of the Whitianga Waterway canals.  We packed some snacks and cocktails and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through each canal.  It was simply lovely and frankly the best way to end the day on the water seeing the potential of this fabulous development.

You know Leigh told me that the retirement community, which is under construction, will have restaurants, stores, and a full medical facility.  In addition to the standard amenities like the custom barge dedicated for residents.  And you only have to be 55 to be eligible – who knew?  Matt and I could buy in today!

Helo Ride

The next day Leigh took us out for an aerial view of Whitianga, the coast line, and several of the neighboring islands including Mercury island.  Leigh has to take off and land on this very small trailer (I’d say it is smaller than 2m x 2m) and I’m telling you it takes great skill, courage, and expertise to do so.  I was absolutely amazed at how easy he made it look!

He is such a talented and controlled pilot that he instantly puts us at ease.

The day started a little rainy and cloudy, but it soon cleared up. 

We ran along the Whitianga coastline and saw the town from above.

We even found a few anchorages that we need to check out in Sugar Shack.

Lots of little beautiful islands all around Whitianga.

The recent cyclone brought a lot of extra water that was still running off creating dozens of waterfalls.

And Leigh showed off these two stunning Kauri trees.  Not sure how they survived the demolition of the kauri trees, but thank God they did.  Estimated to be 500-600 years old, young in Kauri life.

Boat Tour

The next day we all went out for a Whitianga coastline tour in Moon Shadow.  We passed by the famous Cathedral Beach which was very popular on this bright and sunny day.  Made famous by the cave that goes all the way through (bottom image).

Leigh found a rather large cave made popular by the tourist boats.  When we arrived, there was a small power boat inside showing off the cave’s interior beauty.  After he departed, Leigh nosed his beautiful yacht into the opening and kept going!  Surprises never cease!  He expertly maneuvered his boat into the cave.  I am not sure how he did it without touching his outriggers or any part of the boat, but he did!

It certainly was hard to leave this beautiful town.  We hope to be back to visit the wonders of Whitianga!  But we had to get back to Sugar Shack.  Be sure to check out our next blog post as we visit the Lost Springs and get stuck behind a double 36-wheeler who got stuck on a tree!

Events from this blog occurred in mid-January 2023.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events. Matt and I spend months finding and fixing leaks all over the boat in our last blog.