“Well, I guess we should head down to Whangaroa before it gets dark,” I suggest to Graeme after we return to Kingfish. Graeme possesses a no-nonsense pragmatism that I attribute to his Kiwi DNA. “We could, or we could just stay here for the night and go in for another dinner,” he replies. Secretly, I know Graeme is torturing himself for not ordering one of Chef Paul’s dessert soufflés the previous evening. We stay another night and we both have the soufflé.
The Moorings 4600 is the ideal boat for exploring the area. Four staterooms and four heads will easily serve a large family and the covered cockpit is the place to be for morning coffee. I like the standardization across the Moorings fleet. Our 4600 is exactly like the ones I’ve chartered in the British Virgin Islands. Even the bucket is in the same place. It means less time learning about a new boat and more time discovering magical cruising grounds. The Moorings closed its base in Auckland, but offers one-way charter packages between the “City of Sails” and the Bay of Islands. You can explore Auckland, cruise around Waiheke Island and head for Great Barrier Island before sailing north.
After several days of cruising, we return to the charming little village of Opua. Ending the trip here would leave me fully content and gushing with accolades about New Zealand, the people, and the cruising. Yet we decide to make the most of our time and continue the adventure. I tell a shopkeeper in Opua we’re heading for Eagles Nest across the bay in Russell, and receive a wistful sigh and a smile that hints that we’re off to somewhere special.
A short ferry ride away from Opua is the charming town of Russell. The intoxicating Indian summer weather and sleepy pace of the hamlet entice me to pick up a few listings from the local real estate office. We feel compelled to enjoy an ice cream cone (for research purposes, of course) while sitting on a bench along the water. Before reaching Eagles Nest, I plan out my entire escape program for the next decade. A house along one of Russell’s waterfront streets, a dinghy pulled onto the town’s sandy beach to serve a day sailor tugging at my mooring, and a midsize powerboat for more extensive cruises.
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