Sunday December 12, 1999 -Tauranga Harbor, NZ

G’day Cybersailors,

After a sunset farewell to Auckland, we anchored off the east coast of Motutapu Island. Dropping the anchor from the foredeck with Caroline and Michael the air smelt warm and sweet, a welcomed change from the city. The boys settled into an evening of computer games while the girls sat out on the aft deck with the glow of Auckland on the horizon. I hit the sack early and slept deeply till morning, snoozing through the 5:30 am sound of the motor starting and the anchor chain lifting.

Michael gave Caroline and me a lesson on the navigational computer system. As he was explaining the details of BTW and XTE, we came across Needle Rock. It is a relatively small island toped with a bit of vegetation. Its sides were riddled with holes, a lot like a huge hunk of Swiss cheese. Since Michael was busy with the camera, Caroline took the helm and brought us up close to the rock. Our curiousity was rewarded as we came in closer and rounded the southern side of the island. The rock opened up an enormous hole that ran clear through the island with waves crashing at the base.


Needle Rock

Ulli and Enrico put the fishing lines out. Ulli caught her first fish, a Pacific Bonito. After watching Michael giving the fish the knock with a baseball bat, she decided fishing wasn’t her thing. Midmorning we were visited by two huge bottlenose dolphins. They had nice yellow markings on their sides and unlike the bottlenose dolphins from the Bay of Islands; this pair swam repetitive corkscrew-like spins under the bow. We cheered them on as they spun around and around just below our feet. Later about eight common dolphins came to keep us company. Quite a bit smaller than the bottlenose, they are much more energetic. Since we were running with the swell, our bow would intermittently sink lower in the water bringing us remarkably close to the playful creatures. Their intricate coloring was plainly visible as they cleared the water jumping out of our bow wave. I was surprised how reddish brown their skin is compared to the typical gray coloring of bottlenose dolphins.

In the late afternoon light Mt Maunganui rose out of the water. Dotted with bushes and grasses, sheep were plentiful. We could even make some out grazing on the beach. What do sheep find to eat on the beach I wondered? Today’s 110-mile passage was smooth. The seas were relatively calm with the winds at Beaufort Force 5 blowing at our stern. Docking starboard to in Port Tauranga, we had a warm welcome from our cruising friends on Attitude and Juana Lucina. DJ is busy straightening up inside while the rest of the crew is giving the boat a good wash down. Usually we only rinse the salt off the deck and hull but all the grime build up from Auckland calls for a good scrubbing.

STARSHIP signing off,

Anne-Lise

P.S. Hello to Trevor and Monika who are most likely out enjoying their holiday.