New Zealand

December 4, 2009


Zulu is in New Zealand! How wonderful it is to awake in the Bay of Islands to bird song and sunshine, and be safe on a mooring Christian arranged for us in an idyllic bay. The essence of tranquility.

We left New Caledonia with it's colourful population and abundance of good food on a bright, clear morning. Around the Islot Inferno with the light that guided us in from the ocean blue. We turned to see the turquoise waters and palms and pines distance themselves in our wake, always with reticence we say goodbye. The long, blue swells under Zulu's belly made for gentle motion. There were four sailboats in our small fleet: Donella the lead boat with Christian, the weather man and net control, and his two Kiwi crew, Roger and Michael; "Flagela" (sp) with John a single hander, Renahara with Ronato and Hardmood; and Zulu with Russ and Marilyn. Three Germans, one Brit, one Yank, one South African.

Christian chose a weather window where being "clobbered" was out of the picture. Except for one horrendous night of squalls and torrential rain with winds to 35, we had flat seas with mild-to-no wind. Every morning and evening we would report our position to Christian and he would give us a weather report with wind direction. Every evening, too, we would check in with the Pacific Seafarer's Net with our position, and I would report our position electronically. Threefold we were being tracked.

Donella and Zulu stopped at Norfolk Island. Renahara and "Flajola" still with distance to go, choose to bypass.
Norfolk Island was on a par with BEST so far! Only one day there, but worth 100. There are no anchorages. We anchored on a 'roadstead' (shallow Cascade bay) where rolly polly waves came in and crashed ashore. Luckily Christian taxied us ashore in his dinghy. The jetty is short with a steep ladder and a rope to hang on to. The dinghy comes in nose first and you have to jump for the ladder and hang on to the rope. Miss and you're in the drink matey. The customs man (way laid-back Ozzie) held out his hand and I landed up falling into his arms after my leap. "First time I've hugged a customs officer I said." Smile. Then there is a hook with a long line on a pulley. You use this to pull the dinghy up onto the wharf, otherwise it would be shredded by the waves. Fun and games in the circus landing.

When the supply ships come, they anchor out. All the island people come to help. Long boats are rowed out to the ship and loaded. When they come in through the swells they only have one shot to catch the hook on the jetty. If they miss they hit the wave action and can lose their load.

There are descendants on this island from the Bounty mutineers-off Pitcairn island, about 2,300 miles away. Pitcairn is small and when the population grew (from the few mutineers, and Tahitian men and women) they were offered parcels of land on Norfolk Island. They all packed up and left on a big ship and arrived at Norfolk. Later though, some went back to Pitcairn. Others stayed. The customs man was a descendant from the mutineers!

Christian hired a car and took us on a tour: to the old prison (Norfolk was once a penal colony). If you stole a loaf of bread in England in the 1800s, you went to Oz or Norfolk. They treated the prisoners terribly. Punishment was the purpose. They sent them out to the reefs all chained together to chop coral and some drowned. The cells were 6 x 8 ft, and if you gave any trouble you were put in a 'dumb' cell. i.e., an underground cell the length of your body and height only to allow for lying down. Personifying underground burial. Pheww!!! What cruel and inhumane treatment!

We went to lunch at the 'Return Service Association' club i.e., for Aussies that served in the different wars. Very colonial. Russ was told to take his cap off. Had to laugh. We popped in at John and Florence's house. He is a HAM radio operator and she a retired nurse. John gives sailors valuable weather info. We sat on his verandah surrounded by tall avocado and papaya trees. Bananas were sliced and drying in the sun. He enjoyed giving us the island tales.

The Bounty descendants one year all sailed back to Pitcairn for a visit and John went with and filmed it all. He told us what happened at Norfolk 2 weeks past: A medical jet was flying a patient from Samoa to Melbourne, Australia. The pilot was under 30 (male) and the co-pilot a 30-year-old (female). Norfolk was misted over and the jet was low on fuel so they could not circle waiting for weather to lift, nor could they fly to New Caledonia as an alternative.

They decided to ditch the plane in the sea!!! Air traffic control did not know where they were. The plane sank in 2 minutes after hitting the water. They did not have time to pull the tag on the EPIRB (radio direction finder), which would have given their position.

All six managed to get out the plane, including the Samoan patient, who I assume was not petite. There were only 3 life jackets. So all 6 hung onto the 3 life jackets in the cold waters with sharks for 90 minutes at night!!!
The pilot had a pocket flashlight. This is unbelievable, but a Norfolk native saw the light from the jetty. They still had to lower a boat via the hook system, but saved ALL six. The women co-pilot said she would never fly again!

Christian took us around the island to different magnificent view points. The whole island is like a park. The Norfolk Pines are tall and healthy looking and symmetrical. We were at one of these viewpoints with glass green waves breaking on a yellow beach far, far below when -phwoooosh- a flock of these gorgeous bright red and green parrots with long tails flew up into the pine branches. We stopped to see where, who else, but Captain Cook landed. What a place. What a man. The last view point was high, high up on a bluff looking down on Zulu and Donella at anchor. What a beautiful sight to behold.

Then down the road to the jetty to repeat the exercise of lowering the dinghy. Jump from the ladder once the dinghy hits the swells while the going is good. Like cartoon characters. Christian buzzed us back to Zulu with a papaya gift from John. We pulled out the next morning as the swells were building. I did not want to leave. I could have stayed a year!

Slowly we made headway for far horizons. One day lolling around on velevet seas spent putting new filters on the engine, which fixed the fuel flow problem. Crank on the iron Jenny. NZ here we come. Catch what wind we could. Pass North Cape, Parengarenga, Great Exhibition Bay, Cape Karikari, Doubtless Bay, Whangaroa Bay, Cape Wikiwiki. I could virtually smell the Bay of Islands. I stood watch the last morning at sea with the full moon at our stern and dawn breaking at the bow. I could see the green hills. I put on Pacabell's Cannon in D. About 40 or more big dolphins surrounded Zulu, birds swooped and dove. I felt as if I was at Cinnerama in a center seat. But it was all real. We had arrived in New Zealand.

Hold on to life and love. Time passes by like islands in our wake.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to each of you. If we could wrap up the myriad of islands with gentle green hills, green-water bays, and half-moon yellow beaches we would and we'd send them to you.


Always
Marilyn and Russ
Yacht Zulu, Bay of Islands, New Zealand.
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