Travel
Oneroa Bay, Waiheke
Scream made three visits to Oneroa Bay, on Waiheke island near Auckland. Oneroa is a delightful anchorage with room for hundreds of boats to anchor in 10-20m sand bottom off a nice sand beach. Oneroa is well sheltered from west through south. Oneroa ought to be sheltered from the south east and east, but any […]
Islington Bay, Rangitoto
Scream made a pair of two-night stops in Islington Bay, on the south side of the causeway between Rangitoto and Motutapu islands. Islington is a large bay with room for a hundred or more boats to anchor in 20 feet, sticky mud bottom. It is sheltered from all directions except the south, thought the wake […]
Bayswater Marina, Auckland
Auckland, the city of sails, has at least eight marinas. We've kept Scream at Bayswater for the last month. Bayswater has fantastic on shore facilities: a lounge with TV and computers, a BBQ, great showers, laundry, and washrooms. Their docks are good, but there is only a floating breakwater, which lets wake in, so it […]
Whangarei
Scream spent just under a week at the very cruiser-friendly town of Whangarei (pronounced fang-a-rey) just before Christmas. The town of Whangarei is about 15 miles up the river from Bream Head, but we thought it was well worth the trip. [Photo by Sandy Austin] We'd heard widely varied opinions about Whangarei from others - […]
Vava'u
Vava'u (pronounced vah-VAH-oo) is Tonga's second largest island group, and the name of the main island of the group. Vava'u is the nicest cruising ground we've encountered south of Seattle. Officially there are 42 anchorages in the group, and we're aware of another half dozen. The entire area is swell-free, with fairly consistent light to […]
Opua
Opua is a marina in northern New Zealand. It has the port of entry that is closest to the tropics, and a comprehensive collection of businesses serving the marine industry. Opua has more and better marine service than anywhere we were in the tropics. The marina is large and inexpensive. Notably, there is also plenty […]
Shore Leave in Samoa
We spent a week in beautiful Apia, Samoa. Here are some of the thing we saw there.
Niafu, Tonga restaurant reviews
We spent almost two months in Tonga, during which time we made a tour of the restaurants of Niafu, the main town in Vava'u. From north to south: Crowsnest - Open for breakfast and lunch. Best value for breakfast (T$12 including coffee). Great baked goods. Try the cinnamon muffins. Chinese restaurant - Great Chinese food. […]
Our boat's experience with New Zealand Customs
We arrived in Opua, New Zealand yesterday (November 22, 2010). Upon arrival we tied to the customs dock, which fits about 15 boats in style. At eight am four customs officers arrived on the docks and started to clear the boats. New Zealand reserves the right to force arriving boats to haul to have their […]
Nuiatoputapu
Nuiatoputapu is the island with the best anchorage in northern Tonga. The anchorage is protected by a reef. The reef entrance is the narrowest that we have seen in the south Pacific, but it is well marked with a range, three greens, and two reds. None of these are lit, so a nighttime entrance is […]