Like stepping back in time

February 5th, 2024

When we were thinking about living a life afloat, we imagined the places that we would get to explore. Beautiful, exotic, and remote places where few get to venture or where getting there by land can be expensive and time consuming. We imagined taking our floating home to these places and the idea that we had everything with us (our food, our home, our transport) really appealed to us. Having everything with us meant that we could anchor in these locations for days only moving when we wanted to or when the weather said we had to. Having everything with us meant we could be as self-sufficient as is possible but best of all, live for free on anchor. One of these remote locations that we imagined sailing Tāiko to was the Whagaroa Harbour. We had first sailed to Whangaroa Harbour on a sailing course and we were just blown away by its raw beauty. It felt like we were stepping back in time. Its towering cliffs and native forest hinted at what New Zealand once looked like. 

When approaching Whangaroa Harbour by boat, the entrance to it does not become visible until you get closer to it. The channel is surround by tall rock faces and and as you are about mid-way through the channel, the jaw dropping beauty of Whangaroa Harbour soon hits you. Visiting the second time, it was just as beautiful as I remembered it, if not more so. The shelter of the harbour meant the water was so calm, a welcome relief from the easterly swell we had been sailing in. Being out of season meant we were really fortunate to have this place mostly to ourselves and we soon anchored in one of the best spots, anchoring Tāiko between two tall cliffs. What makes this place even more special is it's remoteness. Our friends later joined us, and soon we were exploring the tidal reach of the creek (at high tide of course).

If you'd like to experience all the beauty that is Whangroa Harbour, click on the video below.

Thanks for reading,

Vicki