After staying in the boatyard for the longest time, we were so excited to go back in the water. John’s wrist is almost fully recovered. Spring is approaching. It is slowly getting warmer. Daylight is getting longer. In a couple of months, we will sail to Australia!
Last Friday, the marina (Port Whangarei Marine Center: www.portwhangarei.com) lifted our boat on the slings of the travel lift and removed the stands. The stands have been holding us more than 7 months. On the weekend, John applied the last of the bottom paint where the stands held the boat.
As scheduled, on Monday, September 9th, “The Bunny” got back in the water. Lowering the boat in the water scares me, especially more at this time because we were out of the water so long and had lots of new installs/repairs done on the boat. All went smoothly. Nothing leaked. No disasters!
We liked Port Whangarei Marine Center. This marina was mentioned to us by another cruiser when we were in Tahiti. It was a good decision. The marina has two travel lifts. The bigger one holds 560 tons. We have noticed all types of boats lifted here in and out, work done, and left. Employees know what they are doing. We liked their jobs and very satisfied. John commented that it was the first boatyard he had ever been in where he was not constantly covered in sweat. The climate was awesome and we did not need AC at all. During the winter we did run a portable heater as it can get quite chilly at night.
Our spot in the boatyard offered a great view. I told John, we have a National Park in our back yard. Living in a boatyard is not convenient because we disconnected the kitchen plumbing system and boat toilets. That means, I use the marina kitchen with a big refrigerator and a freezer. The marina offered awesome laundry rooms, toilets, and a giant cruisers lounge for the boaters. Most of the times, I was the only person using the kitchen. I kept telling myself this is the biggest kitchen in my life and pretended it was my own. Positive thinking!!! The cleaning crew kept the facilities very nice and clean; the kitchen, laundry area, showers, bathrooms, all were very well taken care of. Toilet paper and paper towels were always refilled. Everything is in good working condition.
The office staff was quickly responsive. We ordered lots of boat materials from the US and also locally. They kindly handled our deliveries. It was nice to have a reliable mailing address. Most of all, when John had an injury, they helped us in all aspects. They even drove John to the hospital and picked him up later. We felt more like family than just a boat name and a paying customer. Kudos!
I felt very sad to good-bye to our new friends and our old dinghy of 15 years. The old dinghy never failed but protected us even when it was over turned after hitting rocks in Mexico. John devoted his love to this dinghy and maintained it like new. The only problem was he built it too strong so it was VERY heavy. Because of that, we bought a new dinghy, a well-known “Offshore Cruising Tenders” (www.octenders.com) made in New Zealand. The new dingy is 35Kg where the old one was more than 100Kg.
After good-byes, we drove the boat about a half mile to a new location, Port Nikau Marina (www.portnikau.co.nz) Our Irish friends whom we met in the Caribbean in 2015, stayed here before they sailed in May to Fiji. Approaching this new Marina, John had a chance to test/use his newly installed “Bow Thruster”. Installing the bow thruster was a huge decision. We gave up one of our water tanks (40 gallons) to find a space for it. We are now carrying 160 gallons of water. I didn’t like the idea making two big holes under the water line of the boat, not to mention to the cost of the device, electrical work, new battery system, and installation. John was thrilled with the extra control and maneuverability that the thruster gives him.
At the new marina, after being in the water, I finally have my own kitchen sink back. I washed “Rice” and experimenting with cooking rice with raisins and pumpkin seeds. Surprisingly, the result came out good! It brought back a memory of my mom who sometimes added sliced potatoes or sweet potatoes on the top of the rice. I still have wanderlust and am not a homebody. However, little memories of my mom here and there make me miss a settled place on land.
<John’s Comment on Port Whangarei Marine Center>
Oceania Marine Services also known as Port Whangarei Marine Center aka “The boatyard” offers everything you could want. If you are a do it yourselfer, they will leave you alone. However, if you want something done, they can do it no questions asked. When I broke my wrist, we hired out some electrical work and were extremely happy with the result. We also had some gel coat repairs done where previous repairs were not done correctly and were peeling or had changed color. The new ones are a near perfect match and are indistinguishable from the original finish. We also had them install the bow thruster tube and all the fiber glass work that was involved. It came out strong, smooth and we could not be happier with the result. The yard offers full services from complete bottom painting, stainless steel fabrication, total repaints in an enclosed building, excellent woodworking, and pretty much whatever else you can think of.
There is also a LOT of marine centric businesses scattered around Whangarei. Two marine chandleries, numerous hardware stores, a rigger, sail lofts, canvas businesses, refrigeration repair, stainless steel fabrication, and too many places to mention. It really is an ideal place to haul out as there is something for everyone here.
Downtown Whangarei has a lot to offer. Everything from big grocery stores, even Kmart, gyms that you can join, an Aquatic center with huge swimming facilities and an attached gym, hiking trails, a bicycle and Skate Park, and more are all here. It truly was an exceptional place to be stuck while I recovered from my wrist surgery.
