13 – 15 August 2026
Set out middle of the day and motored to Snapper Bay, Motuihe. Very little wind and glassy seas on the way. A very relaxed afternoon followed by fishing at change of light. Snapper Bay lived up to the name with a quick haul of half a dozen pan sized snapper. Lovely BBQ dinner followed by more fishing – Jim stayed up late and got enough piper for breakfast tomorrow.
Woke on Friday to a cloudy morning and then a few hours of fog coming and going. After breakfast we went ashore for a walk. Heaps of birds particularly Tui. Smart birds though, they stopped singing every time we stopped to try and record them! We left around 2pm and sailed to Rakino.
Not a lot of wind, but a lovely gentle sail with quite a lot of sunshine. On the way we saw an amazing cloud filled with all the colours of the rainbow (apparently an iridescent cloud formed when sunlight is diffracted by water droplets or ice crystals high in the sky).
And soon afterwards the RNZAF Black Falcons flew in formation across the gulf a couple of times. They are a group of five Beechcraft T-6C Texan 11 aircraft. Looked (and sounded) very cool!
Anchored for the night at Woody Bay, beautifully sheltered from the wind a swell. Usually very full of boats, but tonight there were only three so a very peaceful night. Fishing was good, with more snapper and one squid.
Woody Bay, Rakino Island
Left quite early on Saturday morning. There was already a good breeze and the wind was expected to rise during the day. Sailed along the western side of Motutapu towards the north shore. A pretty exciting sail with up to 20kn wind at times. The entrance to the Waitemata Harbour was congested with sail boats and other craft meaning we had to have our wits about us.
Sailing Kingfisher 
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