Tag Archives: new zealand

Leaving NZ a 3rd time isn’t easy

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Time to head back to the tropics, well past time actually but Mother Nature had her own schedule.

Brrrrr

Saying good bye is never easy, but in sailing it’s till we meet again. Still doesn’t make it any easier after spending nearly more than a year and a half getting to know good people and making great friends in New Zealand. 🇳🇿. Will definitely miss them as this is possibly our last trip to these waters by sailboat.

We left New Zealand on Saturday June 6th with nearly 900 miles to go to New Caledonia. Was a bit bouncy with current and waves trying to keep us from leaving. We knew it was an uphill battle till we got clear of the island. After waiting for a month for a plausible weather window, getting excited and ready, only to realize the window just became a window with shutters this frosted window showed up. Not a crystal clear window, but a workable window.

The winds look good, the seas are bigger than we’d like but they are mostly going the same direction as us, except for the start.

At the last minute another system was showing up in the forecast a week out right between New Caledonia 🇳🇨 and Fiji 🇫🇯 . Ugh! Originally we were to wait so the start wasn’t into the current and waves, but leaving a day earlier added padding to the other end so scramble and push up the and that’s how we ended up out here.

Afternoon start, not much time to get sea legs before darkness set in.

Last NZ sunset

In search for baguettes,

Ocean Days and Starry Nights: Passage NZ to New Cal

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After patiently waiting (and occasionally refreshing weather models like it’s a full-time job), we are finally ready to start our passage from New Zealand to New Caledonia.

A good weather window has opened, and it’s time to go make use of it—heading out for 6–7 days of beautiful ocean sailing, starry nights, and the kind of quiet horizon that reminds you why you came to sea in the first place.

We’ve paused our scheduled blog posts for the duration of the passage.

Instead, Matt will be doing some “live blogging” along the way—real-time updates from the motion, the miles, and whatever the ocean decides to serve up.

Scheduled posts will resume on 16 June 2026, once we’re back in range of reliable internet (and slightly more stable footing).

In the meantime, you can follow our journey by heading to our website homepage, clicking “Current Location”, and then following the PredictWind link to track our progress across the blue.

Thank you for the continued support, messages, and encouragement—it means a lot to have you following along with our adventures aboard Sugar Shack.

Fair winds, and see you on the other side of the ocean.

Pure Comfort at Slipper Island

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Slipper Island is conveniently located half way between Mercury Island and Tauranga.  It was a quick stop in a beautiful bay. 

This island includes rocky reefs, sheltered bays and large fields of seagrass.  It is also a marine protected area that is home to 13 different habitats.

Seagrass meadows support a diverse range of species including juvenile snapper. Other species include horse mussels, scallops, rock lobster as well as sponges and soft corals.

The island is an important breeding site for a range of seabirds.

Slipper Island Anchorages

There are three bays on the east side of the Island. 

The first bay has a small resort called Slipper Island Resort. Guests from the resort can enjoy a private beach, beautiful nature walks and the marine reserve bay.

This bay is about 2nm from South Bay where we anchored.  We skipped this bay as it was pretty exposed to the wind.

The next bay was too small.

The third bay was perfect and aptly called “South Bay.  It is a large protected bay from the north and south winds.  

There is a beautiful sandy beach and with crystal clear waters lapping up the shore.

Ashore is privately owned so we can only walk the beach.  But the beach is enjoyed by lots of locals.

Slipper Island’s History

Approximately 18,000 years ago, when sea levels were over 100 metres lower than present day levels, Slipper Island was connected to the Coromandel by a vast coastal plain.

Sea levels began to rise 7,000 years ago, after which the island was separated from the rest of New Zealand.

During his second voyage to New Zealand in 1728, Captain Cook sailed this coast and renamed Whakahau Slipper Island. Neighbouring Motuhoa was called Shoe Island, because Cook thought they resembled a slipper and a shoe.

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

Find South Bay at Slipper Island on No Foreign Land.

You really don’t want to miss the beautiful photos in our last blog post, “A Hidden Bay at Mercury island.”

We visited this island in early March 2026.