We left Windora in a snug harbour on the island of Askoy, a few miles from Bergen, at the end of October as the days started to grow shorter and the temperatures dropped. Phil was out hosing down the deck one afternoon and the water was freezing behind him so we were pleased to hop on a plane and head back to NZ to enjoy the southern summer.
We had planned to build a tiny home this year but have been able to stay in a cottage behind Luke and Ella's house which has been great as we get to see the grandchildren every day, a rare treat for us. Instead, Phil's energy is going into helping Luke get their converted fishing boat ready to start cruising next year.
Since we are not doing so much I thought I would post some pictures of our cruising in the fiords of NZ. We have done two trips down there, one in the winter where we were the only yacht, and a few years later when we enjoyed a very social summer cruise. The fiords are quite different from those of Norway, steeper and unpopulated. Only a few yachts venture there, but there are quite a few hardy fishermen. Our fiords are on the south-west coast of the South Island, with the first arm at 44 degrees south. Leaving Nelson at the top of the island, there is not much shelter until you get to Milford Sound 400 miles away. Westport is an option in good weather but that's when you don't need it! Otherwise there are a couple of bays with limited shelter, so picking the right weather is important. Ahhh, but once you are there it is magic!
Milford is the only fiord that can be driven to, but nothing can compare to arriving from the sea. It rains in Fiordland....182 days and about 7-8 metres a year on average (one of the wettest places on earth) so the first thing you see are some amazing waterfalls. This one falls 150 metres! We always anchor in a cove by the local fishing boats under our own private waterfall. From there we can do several good bush walks, including the start of the world-famous Milford Track.
25 miles south of Milford is one of my favorite fiords, George Sound. 12 miles long, right at the head is a snug anchorage with a line to tie a sternline onto already set up. From there we can scramble up to Lake Alice where Phil's brother left a canoe many years ago when he was fishing in the area.It feels so isloated and peaceful, one of those magical places.
One of our best cruising stories happened here. We were rafted up to a fishing boat while it rained for 8 long days in the middle of winter and couldn't get ashore as the overflow from the lake was causing a metre high wall of water across our bow. I said to Phil that I could do with some female company, and would you believe it......the very next day a charter boat turned up with ten lesbians onboard!!! We had so much fun with them and were able to go adventuring up swollen rivers in their big dinghy, share meals and laugh all the time.
Blanket Bay used to be a pretty social spot for the fishermen to meet. It had a freezer, fuel, shop, helicopter pad and pub but is now just a great spot to tie up to and get water.
The fishermen often set up permanent lines where it is too deep to anchor. Here we are tied alongside a line between 2 islands and below we are stern tied to an old wreck.
Preservation Inlet in the far south is full of history. There was once a settlement called Cromarty where a private lodge now stands and from there you can follow an old tram track to the remains of a mine. It is hard to imagine living here. Life must have been very hard. Here's Phil with some paua (abalone).
So that is a look at one of our favorite cruising areas. It isn't the easiest.....more bush-bashing than tracks, plenty of sandflies at times, no shops, but the friendly fishermen and stunning anchorages keep drawing us back there.
