Eight days – 1,179 nautical miles or 2,122 kilometers – and very few engine hours, are the key factors for our passage to New Zealand. Oh, and that “Kia ora” means “hello” in New Zealand.

On October 19, 2022, Martin goes to Port Denarau in Fiji to clear customs. From then on we still have an hour before leaving the marina and heading for New Zealand. The official is not relaxed and announces that he will follow us on AIS, to make sure we actually leave. Regulations are regulations! That doesn’t fit the actual mentality of the Fijians, who are very friendly and courteous.

Cooler weather ahead

We are a bit nostalgic, because we have to unpack our wool socks and long trousers in preparation for the cooler weather. Also, the route to New Zealand is not exactly a weekend trip. The weather forecast is at least somewhat correct. We receive updates daily and can act accordingly.

The waves get higher and the wind picks up. At night, with no vision, it feels like you’re on a roller coaster in the dark. The background noise, with the waves crashing against the hull, is reminiscent of a sea battle. We are grateful to our boat that it keeps the masses of water away from us, at least from below. On this passage, even with our high free-board, you get constantly wet outside.

Larger waves wash over our cabin roof and the wind whistles loudly. With wind speeds up to 34 knots and waves up to four meters diagonally in front, we have to bear away for a while to prevent Infinity from slipping sideways down the waves. On the fourth day, the wind and waves are at their peak, so the kitchen only produces a stew in the pressure cooker. But we have to use up all the fresh food before arriving in New Zealand. The import regulations are very strict.

Working on board is made very difficult by the constant holding on. We are not used to that from our previous trip with the catamaran. Nevertheless, we are better off than our friends on the monohulls. They report bumps on their heads, seasickness and hip contusions. The roller coaster ride also makes restful sleep impossible and we are constantly tired.

With the conditions, we are happy about any time that we don’t have to spend outside. Salt water is everywhere. The humidity rises, the temperature drops, the woollen blanket has to go on duty. You can watch the thermometer fall. Even inside, it’s only 17°C. Nevertheless, we manage without heating. Sixty degrees on the apparent wind time goes briskly and we are managing speeds between 6 and 10 knots.

Of course, we cannot avoid carrying out the usual care and maintenance work. Our Fredl gets donated fresh fat, the Leewant has to be tightened a little, the waste water pump in the shower only works sporadically. Since the port engine keeps having problems with the salt water cooling, we start it regularly. Unfortunately it doesn’t work again. So back into the engine compartment, for this we have to bear away from the wind a bit so that no waves hit the engine compartment. The cooling is finally working again, only to fail again the next day. We are now pushing the repair to the last day. The wind strength changes, which makes it necessary to reduce the sail area on a case-by-case basis. For this we have to motor briefly against the wind. Since only the starboard engine is currently working properly, we can only make left turns, which we always do in a full circle to be able to reef.

There are some things that can come back to haunt you. Martin considers changing the gas bottle before leaving, but decides against it. On the first day, the gas promptly runs out and he has to climb forward into the anchor locker to change the bottles. So he enjoys a salt water bath right away. Surprisingly, there are no other problems or ailments and we are very grateful to our Infinity for carrying us safely through wind and waves.

Preparations for arrival

The day before our arrival into New Zealand, the weather calms down so we can make our final preparations for arrival. The last food is consumed. All the necessary documents are ready, the fridge is cleaned again and vacuumed. The garbage is neatly separated.

We are assured that we will still be cleared if we arrive at the Customs Pier at Opua (Bay of Islands) before 4pm local time. We are on time, but we are put off until tomorrow. It’s actually not that bad. We are tired and first have to deal with the fact that we have almost crossed the entire Pacific. We also celebrate that extensively, perhaps a little too much when you consider the increase in used glasses the next day!

The customs officer will be in front of our boat at 8.59am. He looks at all our documentation and information. Interestingly, he takes a close look at the boat’s Croatian sales contract. Many sell their boat in New Zealand because they have reached their destination, the Pacific, or simply are tired of the hardships of a sailing trip. In addition, the prices that you can get for your boat here are so high that many a boat owner can sell their used boat at the European new price. Customs therefore want to determine the exact value of the boat. The customs officer also leaves us the biosecurity officer’s forms on board for us to fill out prior to his arrival.

The biosecurity officer turns out to be perfectly straightforward and asks for pictures of the cleaned hull. He is very satisfied and the visit does not last long. A look in the fridge, one in the freezer and one in the prepared basket with perishable food. The stamp swoops down on the form and the separated waste is collected, done. He tells us that we just have to wait for the drug dog team. The dog is really cute, but doesn’t come to us on board. Today he is allowed to snoop on an American yacht without any results.

After clearance we are allowed to leave the customs pier, so we go straight to the marina. The boat urgently needs to be desalinated. With no food left, we sit down for breakfast at the nearest and only café where we can use free internet and spend hours updating ourselves and others and doing some work online.

The rain takes over part of the boat wash while we visit our Swiss neighbors from SV Maramalda. We sailed away with them at the same time and arrived at the same time. We are working on the work list for before and after unloading the boat in Whangarei in early November.

Of course we are also interested in the sights here in the north of New Zealand. The area is referred to by the Kiwis as the “cradle” of New Zealand, which interestingly has nothing to do with the settlement of the Maori, but with the colonization by the English. Traditionally, the Maori did not own land. So the English drew up a treaty by which they traded the land for things from the old world. We want to discover a few more anchorages in the picturesque Bay of Islands and slowly make our way to Whangarei.

Kerstin and Martin Giretzlehner
SV Infinity

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About the Authors:

Kerstin and Martin Giretzlehner fell in love with the sailing life after their first crewed charter in Croatia in 2011 and spent the next few years learning all they could while chartering in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. In 2020 they took the plunge, bought a catamaran and set off from Trogir, Croatia on their circumnavigation. They are currently in New Zealand for the cyclone season and touring the country by campervan with some great reports on their blog.

https://sailing-infinity.net/

Portrait of A Cruiser

SV Infinity Report on French Polynesia

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.

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