1200 position 35 18.7S 174 07.2E. Opua Marina
The wind finally filled in from the northwest at 10 knots and we shut off the engine at sunset. We sailed all night in flat seas and arrived outside the Bay of Islands at sunrise. We doused the sails and powered the ten scenic miles in to the town of Opua and tied up to the quarantine dock.
This is the time of year when cruisers migrate from the tropics to New Zealand. All of them wait for a weather window, like we did, so boats tend to arrive here in swarms. We found seven other boats already at the quarantine dock that had arrived since the end of business hours yesterday.
The New Zealand authorities are extremely professional and efficient, and by 1030AM all of the formalities had been completed for all of the arriving vessels.
Puanani arrived at the quarantine dock shortly after we finished up with customs.
It took 8 days to complete the 1100 mile passage. We had a day of bumpy sailing when the winds came out of the south, but the rest of the passage was lovely. We never saw more than 20 knots of wind. It did get a bit chilly at night as we approached New Zealand with multiple layers, gloves, and hats required to keep warm. We were very lucky with the weather. 3 hours after arriving in Opua it was blowing 30 knots in the harbor.
After clearing customs we moved to a slip in the adjacent marina where we found Gail and Blossom waiting for us. Now it's time for a shower, a nap, and a beer in no particular order. Then we'll look into exploring the Bay of Islands.
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