NEW ZEALAND and AUSTRALIA

New Zealand consists of three main islands: North Island, about 44,000 square miles and home to approximately 70% of the population; South Island, about 58,000 square miles; and Stewart Island, about 700 square miles.  There is no point in the country that is more than 70 miles from the sea, and from end to end the country would stretch from Los Angeles to Seattle.

The first Polynesians are believed to have arrived in 750 AD, and Kupe, a Polynesian voyager in 950 AD named it Aotearoa “Land of the Long White Cloud.”  Abel Tasman was the first European to sight the land and called it Nieuw Zealand.  But after Maoris killed several of his crew, he sailed away without ever landing. The famous Captain James Cook actually set foot on New Zealand soil in 1769.

There is a lot to see in Auckland itself, including the Maritime Museum on Hobson’s Wharf with its fascinating displays of Polynesian watercraft; outside, some of New Zealand’s famous racing yachts are on display.   Parnell Village, a quaint Victorian section of the city, is worth visiting where you will find pubs, restaurants and shops. The tourist bus has a regular stop in the village and other places of interest in the city. Auckland is most friendly and the food is superb!

For a wonderful sailing experience, head to the Bay of Islands, a national maritime park of spectacularly beautiful islands in a region of the North Island known as Northlands.  There are numerous anchorages, the water is very clear, and some islands have excellent walks.  Once you leave Russell, there are no restaurants or stores.  If the weather is settled, sail outside past the Cavelli islands to Whangaroa, a huge inland “lake” formed from the caldera of an ancient volcano.

Australia

Photo: Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Islands, Australia

Readers of the London Gazette of August 19, 1768 found a supposed “leak” of a “secret voyage” to be undertaken by Lt. James Cook to observe the transit of Venus from Tahiti.  The Gazette also indicated that it had received “certain information to the contrary,” and that Cook had received instructions from the Admiralty…

“We have reason to believe these orders are for a voyage of discovery, and will carry “Endeavour” to lands far distant in the South Pacific, and even to that vast continent which is said to be quite as big as Europe and Asia together, and which is now marked on the maps as Terra Australis Nondum Cognita.”

Discovered by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770, during his passage through the Cumberland Islands on Whit Sunday, Cook named the passage Whitsunday Passage, and thus the group of islands situated 100 nautical miles north of the Tropic of Capricorn received its name. 

There are 74 islands, most of which are totally unspoiled national parks, and 128 principal anchorages protected from the ocean swells by the Great Barrier Reef.  Not as tropical as one might expect, most of the islands are covered with Hoop Pines - a tropical pine.  The islands are very hilly, some even with mountainous terrain.

There is excellent snorkeling, and one can even charter a seaplane for a flight to the actual reef.  Nara Inlet has well preserved Aboriginal cave paintings as well as splendid views.

Australia itself is well worth some sightseeing time; we are particularly fond of Tasmania, and Sydney is a beautiful, sophisticated and fun.

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