Auckland to Opua, New Zealand / 140nm / 13 - 17 jun 2024

4 days / cat 3 coastal cruise / Event #2316 / Te Kaihōpara: CREW full waitlist only

The Category 3 - coastal cruise takes us from the City of Sails to the heart of the Bay of Islands, 140nm to the north with stopovers along the way to enjoy the coastline and sealife. We‘ll review the weather before departing and plan our route to Opua, which will include overnight stops and exploration ashore in 3 of the following locations;

Kawau Island
Mahurangi Harbour
Moturekareka Island
Omaha Cove
Whangarei Heads
Tutukaka Harbour

Whangaruru Harbour
Whangamumu Harbour
Te Toroa Bay
Maunganui Bay
Urupukapuka Bay
Motuarohia Island

We’ll depart Auckland and work our way up then coast at a leisurely place, planning cruising stopovers at locations that take advantage of the prevailing weather and activities on offer. We’ll enjoy barbeques, roast dinners and relax at take in the sunset each night. On the final leg we’ll sail between Cape Brett and the Hole in the Rock, before navigating through the narrow Albert Channel into the Bay of Islands.

Secure your place on the crew with a 20% deposit.

Join crew

SHARED CABIN: AUD$1,950 (PER BERTH)
PRIVATE CABIN: AUD$5,265 (INCLUDES 3 BERTHS)

4 days

Potential anchorages and stopovers on the route from Auckland to Opua (in yellow)

Activities included

Click the links above to review examples from previous sailing events across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands.

ADDITIONAL MEDIA

Check out photo gallery highlights from ocean passages.

Here’s what you will experience onboard

Sailing: Hoisting, trimming and reefing both upwind (main, genoas, and jibs) and downwind sails (poled out headsails, spinnakers, gennakers and code 0’s (subject to weather).
Watch duties: Acting as watch captain (day and night), helming, navigating, checking weather and monitoring AIS and radar and for both traffic and rain squalls.
Weather: Downloading and analysing the latest weather forecasts and calculating best route to destination.
Navigation: Navigating, hazard identification, entering waypoints and calculating updated ETA’s.
Leadership: Watch roster planning, matching responsibility to experience, crew management and communication.

Safety: Familiarisation of all safety procedures, sail planning, storm preparation planning and abandon ship procedures.
Training: Use of PDF’s (Personal Flotation Devices), PLB’s (Personal Locator Beacons), safety tethers, dan buoy’s, storm drogue, liferaft and any other equipment required to ensure you remain safe in all conditions.
Personal wellbeing: Advice on how to take responsibility for managing clothing, hydration, sleep and nutrition to maintain your health and well being aboard.
Passage planning: Planning our arrival and route to safe harbour including timing with daylight (if required), weather factors, navigational hazards, communications / customs and sail/motor arrival plan.

Itinerary

You can fly directly into Auckland on the afternoon of the 13th of June 2024 or early on the 14th. Our crew will officially assemble by 10am on the 14th of June at Gulf Harbour Marina in Auckland and we will aim to depart as soon as we complete the yacht familiarisation and safety training process and head for our first of our island anchorages. You are welcome to stay onboard on the night of the 13th, but if you plan to arrive prior to the 13th of June, you will need to arrange accommodation ashore.

Our plan is to sail into the Bay of Islands Marina in Opua by 2pm on the 17th of June and you can plan to depart out of Keri Keri Airport (a 30 minute car ride) later the same day.

Inclusions

Your crew package includes; all meals onboard, crew meals in Auckland and Opua, accommodation onboard, marina fees, the use of a PFD (personal floatation device), PLB (personal locator beacon), and a safety tether. Your bedding, a pillow and towel are also included along with suncream.

Exclusions

Your crew package excludes; accommodation ashore, flights and transport to and from departure and arrival ports, alcohol, toiletries, clothing and wet weather gear.

Its always recommended that you book flights with date flexibility incase of unforeseen changes due to weather or schedules. Accommodation options if you want to stay ashore either side of trip: AirBNB, Booking.com, Wotif & HomeAway.