Captain's Log Apr. 2005

April 1, 2005. Whangarei, New Zealand.
It has been a little over two months since returning from New Jersey and everything on the long list of things to do on the boat has been done. I purchased a new genoa, reseated the bolts on the bow chain plate, installed a new pump on the water maker, fixed an oil leak in the engine, installed a new battery charger, had the wind generator rewound and properly wired to the battery charger, sanded and painted the bottom, had some scratches on the hull touched up and the hull cleaned and polished, had the pactor for the SSB and the VHF radio serviced, had the stove, oven, and grill serviced, painted the windlass and binnacle and recalked some of the teak deck. In all, the boat really looks great and all the systems are in good working order. We are ready to leave.

I plan to depart Whangarei for Opua, NZ on April 6 ,with an arrival date of April 7, where I will check out of the country with NZ Immigration. On April 8, we will depart for Lautoka, Fiji. I have decided to take a crew of one with me as I had a close encounter while sailing solo with a freighter off the coast of New Zealand. It was close enough that had Dream Catcher been a little faster or the freighter a little slower we could have rubbed hulls. So, someone will now be on watch on Dream Catcher at all times. I really enjoy solo sailing and I am disappointed to have to give it up. But safety is a more important issue.

My stay in New Zealand has been an extraordinary experience. I met wonderful, kind, courteous, helpful people who take time to be friendly. I was invited out to dinner by two families and had two wonderful and memorable evenings. In New Zealand dinner parties at home are a very important social activity. I never met a person, who wasn't driving a car, who was rude or discourteous. Unfortunately, all that changes when they get into a car. Even New Zealanders admit that their people get crazy when they get behind the wheel of a car. Any pedestrian crossing the street is engaging in a life threatening, high risk activity. Cars have the right of way! Initially, the problem for me was remembering that they drive on the left side of the street. Forgetting that simple fact, I would look the wrong way when crossing the street and walk into oncoming traffic. To no one's credit, including my own, I have not been hit by a car.

Entering a traffic circle for the first few times was, for me, an exciting experience that produced a strong rush of adrenalin. Every car has to give way to the car on its right. (There are exceptions to this rule, but that's a minor point and I am still not sure when the exceptions apply except when the driver behind me honks his or her horn.) When entering a traffic circle, the exciting part is deciding whether the car on your right is going to turn right and pass in front of you - mandating that you give way - or that the car will go straight - which will allow you to enter the traffic circle. After several near collisions I thought it might be helpful if I put up a sign in the window "American Driver." But realized that would only invite verbal abuse or worse and concluded that the excitement I was experiencing when driving a car in New Zealand was on par with bungee jumping. So, now I just enjoy the experience and hope that the other driver is working on the same rules as I am.

A big part of the social activities here in the marina were the parties, barbecues, pancake breakfasts and sundowners we had. Everyone was out for a good time and made sure that no one was left out. These past two weeks the frequency of the parties have diminished because everyone is working hard to complete the repair and refit jobs on their boats and by the end of the day everyone is tired. Most everyone is eager to get going - where ever that might be. Some are going to Fiji, and west, ending up in Australia by November. Others, are going east to the Cook Islands, Hawaii and the west coast of the United States or Canada. Some will remain in the area and cruise around New Zealand. It is an exciting time for all of us anticipating the sailing season, but in some ways sad because it is a parting from friends that we have been with for almost a year.

New Zealand is a beautiful country, populated with kind and caring people who work hard and enjoy a high standard of living. The economy is strong, the government stable and there is, for the most part, a peaceful and respectful relationship between Europeans and the native Maori. I would be very comfortable living here and I am almost certain that I will come back to see more of this clean, beautiful and diverse country.

A bit of history. There is good evidence to suggest that the first settlers of NZ were from Polynesia - the Cook Islands, Tahiti, the Marquesas or Samoa. They landed here about 1,000 AD and were the forebears of today's Maori. Abel Tasman was the first European sailor to visit NZ in 1642. However, it wasn't until 1769 when Captain James Cook sailed here and recorded many of the natural resources of NZ that Europeans became aware of the potential wealth that could be created with the settlement of NZ. In 1814, the first European mission station and settlement was established in the Bay of Islands.

For me, Captain Cook is a hero - an extraordinary man, sailor and explorer who was responsible for opening up the settlement of the Pacific. I am delighted to be following some of the routes he sailed. To appreciate just how remarkable his courage, sailing and navigational skills were, all one needs to do is pass through the reefs and enter some of the lagoons he entered. Today, even with charts and GPS the passages can produce some anxious moments. If he went aground, his boat, the Endeavor, was damaged by storms or sank, there was no one to help him or his crew except for their own resources. His achievements were truly remarkable.

The book, Blue Latitudes, written by Tony Horowitz, is an account of his tracing Captain Cook's voyages of the Pacific - "boldly going where Captain Cook has gone before". In his book Mr. Horowitz gives the best description I have read of Captain Cook's contributions to opening up the Pacific.

"Cooks legacy extends far beyond his Pacific charts, some of them so accurate that they remained in use until the 1990's. His sails were the first true voyages of scientific discovery, aboard ships filled with trained observers: artists, astronomers, botanists - even poets. Their observations helped lay the foundation for modern disciplines such as anthropology and museum science, and inspired Western writers and artists to romanticize the South Pacific as an innocent paradise. The plant and animal specimens Cook's men collected also revolutionized Western understanding of nature, seeding the notion of biodiversity and blazing a trail for Charles Darwin's voyage on the Beagle."

"But Cook's travels also spurred colonization of the Pacific, and within a few decades of his death, missionaries, whalers, traders and settlers began transforming - and often devastating - island cultures. As a result, many indigenous people now revile Cook as an imperialist villain who introduced disease, dispossession and other ills to the Pacific (hence the frequent vandalizing of Cook monuments). However, as islanders revive traditional crafts and practices, from tattooing to tapa, they have turned to the art and writing of Cook and his men as a resource for cultural renewal. For good and ill, a Yorkshire farm boy remains the single most significant figure in the shaping of the modern Pacific".

Cook was killed and eaten by cannibals in Hawaii on his third voyage to the Pacific.

It was now time to see the land that Captain Cook had so carefully charted. New Zealand is made up of two islands, the North Island where much of the history, culture, economic strength and political power now resides - and the South Island that possesses spectacular scenery. We rented a car and decided to spend the two weeks touring North Island. The following is a description of the places we visited and the things we saw.

We headed out of Whangarei to Dargaville located on the west coast of North Island. In the 1870's Dargaville was an important river port that exported Kauri Timber and gum. As the forests were decimated, the town declined in economic wealth and is today a quiet back water town servicing local farmers. Our first stop was the Dargaville Museum which housed, among other things, a gum-diggers display and the masts of the Rainbow Warrior, the Greenpeace flagship blown up by the French Secret Service in 1985. The New Zealand government has an anti-nuclear policy and the Rainbow Warrior was about to set sail in 1985 out of Auckland to protest the French testing of nuclear bombs in the Pacific when the French blew up the boat, killing one sailor. That event unified the country against nuclear testing and the French government.

Leaving Dargaville we continued north along the west coast through the Waipoua Forrest of huge Kauri trees. Some of the trees are over 2,000 years old and are the size of the Giant Sequoia Redwood trees of California. Shortly after the Europeans came here they cut down huge areas of Kauri trees which resulted in the loss of most of the Kauri forests. The wood was used for making masts, spars, building boats, houses and furniture. Today a Kauri tree can't be cut down unless special permission is granted by the government.

On the way to Kaitaia, where we would spend the night, we stopped at the gumdiggers park - which is an authentic 100 year old gumfield where diggers extracted gum from the Kauri trees that had been buried for about 30,000 to 50,000 years. What caused these huge trees to fall all at about the same time remains a mystery. Tidal waves or meteorite strikes are currently the most popular theory. Small pockets of the original fallen forests were preserved by the chemicals in the peat swamps. In many cases entire trees as well as leaves and bark have remained preserved in almost perfect condition for tens of thousands of years.

When damaged, the Kauri tree produces great amounts of resinous sap which covers the wound and protects the inner timber. The sap congeals into hard lumps and falls to the ground where it is eventually covered by the forest litter. After thousands of years the sap hardens into fossilized Kauri Copal (also known as Amber).

Early Europeans who traded with the Maori soon saw a market for the pure Kauri Gum that the Maori were using for tattooing, chewing and lighting fires. The gum soon became a prized ingredient for high quality varnishes. In the late1860's surface gum became so scarce that people started digging for Kauri Gum which lay next to or in the trees that had been buried for 30,000 to 50,000 years. From 1870 to 1920 gum digging was the major source of income for people living in the area.

At the gumdiggers camp we saw the large holes that had been dug by the diggers in search of the gum. On display was the washing and seizing equipment used to grade the gum and the gumdiggers' huts. Clearly it was hard, dirty work, but the pay was good. In 1900 over 7,000 gumdiggers were digging holes all over Northland looking for buried kuari gum.

Just north of the gumdiggers park on the highway at Awani we stopped at Ancient Kauri Kingdom. Because no further cutting of Kauri trees are permitted,, people are now digging up the trees that have been buried in the peat swamps for 30,000 to 50,000 years using heavy earth moving equipment. The wood of the tree when dug up is in excellent condition and we saw them fashioning the wood into beautiful furniture and wood craft products. We walked up a spiral staircase that had been carved out of a huge Kauri Log.

Our final destination of the day was Cape Reinga at the northern tip of North Island. Standing by the lighthouse we could see where the water of the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean came together. The day we were there, there was only a light breeze blowing and the waves generated from the two bodies of water coming together were relatively small. However, it was quite clear where the two bodies of water met. In stormy weather the waves could get as high as 30 feet. Not a good place to be in a boat.

From Cape Reinga we headed south along the east coast of North Island stopping at Doubtless Bay, the name Cook gave the bay because he doubted that it was a navigable bay. He was right because it is quite shallow with lots of reefs. But the surrounding area is beautiful.

Traveling further south we stopped at Kerikeri to visit the Stone Store and Mission House, remnants of the Kerikeri Mission Station founded in 1819. Both buildings had been completely restored and displayed the type of goods that were traded at the time of their operation.

Our last stop of the day was in the Bay of Islands at Paihia and Waitangi where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by representatives of the British Government and local Maori Chiefs. The treaty gave the Maori full rights as British citizens in return for British rule and protection from foreign intrusion. Today, the interpretation of the treaty has become a source of contention between the Maori and NZ government. From what I have seen, there is a strong effort by both government and public groups to preserve both the Maori and European culture and their respective contributions to the history and development of New Zealand.

I believe The Bay of Islands is one of the most beautiful areas of New Zealand. It is made up of about 150 islands and is a sailor's paradise. Beyond the fact that it is the area where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, the area has great historical significance. It was the first permanent English settlement. Russell, which is just across the bay from Paihia, was the R&R port for whalers, sealers, sailors and convicts. It was also the cite of the Northland War of 1845. Today, Russell is a peaceful community and the waterfront is lined with stately colonial buildings.

Following two days in Whangarei we departed for Auckland - a very clean and modern city and the economic and cultural center of New Zealand. We visited the harbor where the 12 meter challengers to the America's Cup were docked when New Zealand was defending the cup. There were two 12 meter boats docked at the pier and it was fun just to imagine how it must have been racing on the boats.

Our visit to the Auckland Museum provided a wonderful presentation of the diverse culture and history of NZ. One whole floor was devoted to Maori culture including the complete presentation of a marae (meeting house). Clearly, there is an effort to preserve the Maori culture. Anyone visiting Auckland should include the museum in their visit.

We were delighted to see live Kiwi birds during our visit to the Native Bird Park in Otorohnga. (New Zealanders are frequently called Kiwi.) Kiwi are rarely seen in their native habitat because they are nocturnal and very few in number due to predators. The park has devoted an entire building to housing the Kiwi. Because the birds are nocturnal, the building is kept dark during the day so visitors can see the Kiwi out and feeding because the birds believe it is night. During the night the building is lit and the birds return to their nests believing it is day.

Kiwi have no wings for flight, are tailless and its body is covered with hair-like loosely attached feathers giving it a shaggy appearance. Its body is about the size of a hen. The female lays an egg that is about one-fifth of the female's body weight and is slightly smaller than an ostrich egg. Ouch! The park also houses a variety of other native birds including forest birds, pigeons, falcons, wetland birds, shore birds and owls. It was a nice experience visiting the park.

Our passage south was interesting with our planned arrival in Wellington - the capital of New Zealand. It is the southern most city in the North Island. We visited the house of Parliament and witnessed the election of the new Speaker of the House of Parliament - a woman, Margaret Wilson. Her election alongside Governor-General Dame Cartwright, Prime Minister Helen Clark and Chief Justice Sian Elias means the four most powerful political leaders in New Zealand are women. Women had voting rights in 1893 - almost 40 years before women had voting rights in the United States. Everyone, at the age of 18 must become a registered voter and 73% of the registered voters voted in the last election.

I find the political structure of New Zealand's government fascinating. There is only one legislative body, The House of Parliament. Within the House there are Select Committees that have the power to review laws and recommend changes in those laws. Before a bill is passed into law, the bill is open to public comment - and apparently there is, at times, plenty of public comment. For a country that is a little over 150 years old, the progress and stability they had achieved is remarkable. The stability is especially noteworthy because there are two distinct cultures and two races - Maori and European - and they seem to get along very well, although there is a strong movement among some Maori to reclaim land and rights they claim were taken away from them when the European settlers came to this country.

At Rotorua we visited a Maori village, Whakarewarewa. Maori are the decedents of the original settlers in New Zealand who came here over a thousand years ago. The Maoris who now live in New Zealand are very dedicated to maintaining and practicing their culture and traditional life style. While the village is made up of modern houses we did see a few of the types of homes constructed out of the trunks of Black Fern Trees - reported to be typical of the shelters in which the natives lived hundreds of years ago.

The village is built on a geothermal active area with bubbling mud pools and hot mineral springs that they use for cooking, bathing, and the Maori claim, for curing all kinds of ailments. We witnessed about an hour of traditional dances and songs. The dances are designed to intimidate and challenge the viewer. The faces they make by sticking out their tongue, enlarging their eyes, stomping their feet on the ground and slapping their bodies with their hands would move anybody to give them a wide birth.

When Tasman landed in New Zealand he encountered a large band of Maoris performing their traditional welcoming dance which included foot stomping, body slapping, enlarged eyes and the sticking out of tongues.. He incorrectly interpreted the dance to be a sign of hostility and responded incorrectly. The Maoris, killed four of Tasman's crew and Tasman departed New Zealand. The dances, we were told, were designed to frighten the viewer so that they would be discouraged from fighting the Maori. It would have worked with me!

Today, Maori and Europeans living in New Zealand appear to live in harmony and the two races seem to have achieved peaceful integration. One of the traditional Maori greetings is to press noses with each other. I like that tradition. As long as one is in the neighborhood, it might be possible to sneak a little kiss at the same time - providing it is with someone of the opposite sex.

After two weeks on the road it was good to get back to the boat. But the two weeks gave us a wonderful opportunity to see the North Island, learn about the history and culture and to see the remarkable progress the people of New Zealand have made since 1840 when there were about 2,000 Europeans living in both the North and South Island. I could easily live here for all the reasons anyone would choose to live in a country.

I haven't written much about the beauty and serenity of New Zealand. However, it is more spectacular and more impressive than I had imagined it would be. Having been here for more than two months, I may have gotten a little complacent about describing the country . I am absolutely sure that anyone visiting New Zealand will have an unforgettable experience. It is difficult to understand why New Zealand hasn't been better recognized for its wonderful vacations and exciting things to do like swimming with dolphins, hiking, salt water and fresh water fishing, surfing and just hanging out in a beautify, friendly country. I will forever remember my stay in New Zealand.

April 11, 2005, 1000 hours, Whangarei, New Zealand.
Departed Riverside Marina for Opua, New Zealand to check out with Immigration authorities and head for Fiji. Simon Murtagh, a young man from Auckland joined me as crew. Simon had no sailing experience but was eager to make the trip to Fiji. The passage to Opua would be approximately 75 miles and our ETA would be approximately 0300 hours on April 12. It would be another night entrance into a harbor, something I promised myself I would never make again. But I had been in and out of the harbor, had all the way points on the GPS and the channel was well marked, so it would be an easy and safe entrance.

We departed under power in light winds, passing down river to Bream Head. Once clear of Bream Head we turned north, raised both the main sail and genoa, cut the engine and were under sail at last. There is no sound in the world like the sound of a boat under sail knifing through the water in fair winds and calm seas. It had been almost five months since the sails had been raised on Dream Catcher and it felt good to be back on the water and to hear the sounds of the boat under sail. Our plan was to arrive in Opua in the early morning, clear customs and depart for Fiji. Simon felt uneasy on the passage to Opua so we remained one more day for Simon to get stabilized before departing.

April 13, 1000 hours. Opua, New Zealand.
Cleared Immigration and departed for Fiji. Once we cleared Bay of Islands we tuned north and raised the sails. The wind was out of the southeast at 15 knots and seas 6 feet. The wind and seas had been building throughout the day, so at 5:00 PM I put in the second reef and shortened the Genoa to 50%. The boat was moving at 6 to 6.5 knots and felt very comfortable. By 1100 PM I put the third reef in the main and reduced the Genoa so that eight feet of the foot of the Genoa extended from the head stay. Even with the greatly reduced sail area we were moving at between 6.5 and 7.0 knots. At midnight Simon came off his watch and went to his bunk. It would be the last time he would came on deck for four days. He was seasick. I was back solo sailing, sleeping for periods of 30 minutes.

During the passage the wind held steady on our bean at 15 to 35 knots with seas 12 to 20 feet. We maintained the third reef in the main and the reduced Genoa -- sailing between 5.5 and 7.5 knots. We had three days of over 140 miles. It was the wettest passage I have ever made. We took several five or six foot waves into the cockpit. One very big wave hit me in the back and knocked the glasses off my head. I thought they had gone overboard, but found them caught in my foul weather jacket. Another knocked me across the cockpit and into the autopilot with such force that the autopilot immediately stopped working.

On the fifth day out of Opua both the autopilot and wind vane steering broke and we had to hand steer the remaining 460 miles to Fiji. Not a big deal. However, Simon was still in his bunk and hadn't been up on deck for four days. I explained to him that I needed sleep and would have to heave to and stop the boat while I slept, which would probably delay our arrival by two days. Or, he could steer for two hours three times a day and we could make Fiji in about three days. He decided he would rather be sick and shorten the passage than put up with two more days of rocking and rolling.

April 22, 2005.
Arrived Lautoka on the island of Viti Levu and checked in with Immigration. Simon left and a neighbor, Joe Ferraro, joined me. The following day Joe and I moved Dream Catcher to Vuda Point Marina about 10 miles south of Lautoka. Shortly after Joe arrived a business crisis occurred in his office and he had to return to NJ. I was disappointed to see him go.

Viti Levu, is the largest of the more than 300 islands that make up Fiji. The principal industries are sugar cane and tourism. The vegetation is lush green and the people are very helpful and friendly. While I was at Vuda Point Marina on Viti Levu, I went swimming every day at a very nice resort just a few hundred yards from the boat. They encouraged yachtees to join the crowd. Now it is on to Fiji.