Felt a bit guilty getting a very good sail the last day into Whangarei. A number of boats we were talking to on the nets were stuck out in bad weather and seas close to New Zealand. We arrived in Marsden Cove Marina, Whangarei at 11:30 local time and were all checked in by Bruce and Helen by 12:15.

Fault we had with the modem crashing on the way up has reappeared at about the same position so e-mails from the boat proved difficult or impossible. I’m am sending this via a land line from the internet room at Westhaven Marina.

Last day coming down from North Cape there were stronger winds but nothing above 30 knots. We had the orange staysail up for a while and were close hauled. We had been concentrating on the weather for the trip to Whangarei but not for the short coastal sail to Auckland. We went back out at 14:00. What a change had taken place in the 3 hours. Winds now 30 to 40 knots and squally. We set the staysail and the trysail and made good progress. Occasionally the squalls reached up to 45 knots but the fetch from the land was small and so the waves were easy enough. Progress slowed when we were beating into it as we rounded the last headland before Auckland. Learnt that with the trysail having the wind 50 degrees off the bow gave the best speed to windward. Squalls from rain clouds every hour prevented us setting a better sail combination. Finally into the Westhaven Marina, by the harbour bridge, Auckland at 07:00. Log was showing we had done an extra 20 miles for the 70 mile trip because of the numerous tacks. Both of us stayed up all night to keep Giselle moving well and to plan the course through the large number of large vessels entering and leaving Auckland.

Met up with Kirsty and her boyfriend Andy at 09:30. Really proud to have made this target we had been focused on form about the 6th October. Shame not to give Andy a flavour of sailing in the Hauraki Gulf, we thought, so out around the island of Mototapu with a short walk ashore. We met some of the same cargo vessels in the channel we had seen the night before. They must think Giselle is a popular name for Yachts in New Zealand!

Position: 36°50’S 174°45’E [-36.838,174.747]