Passage: Tonga to New Zealand Day 7/8 – ARRIVAL!
This morning, squalls moving in bringing 360 degree shifts in light winds. Southern swell from a system off Australia is mixing with the dominant SE swell, creating interesting waves.
This morning, over coffee, Chris and I talked about what this passage from Tonga to NZ has meant for us. Over our journey thus far, we have gained confidence in Terikah; this passage has confirmed that. She is a solid boat. Our first passages we would reef very early (bring in sail), but now understand our boat better and will let her fly like she wants to. Where this passage would have been “scary” at times at the start of our cruising, this time we did not feel fear; the seas were rough and uncomfortable, but not scary.
The temperature continues to cool, as hats and fleece comes out. This, along with the dark skies and squalls about, make it feel like we should be cozying up in front of our woodstove in Alaska.
The crew requests eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast; they get slices of apple with peanut butter and a granola bar. We are eating what we need to use up before New Zealand Biosecurity takes it. Tonight, something with split peas will be made. The fridge is ridiculously bare.
Sunset on the calm sea, warm enough to sit up front for a while and just look at the ocean, stretching out in all directions.
Calder’s fishing line whirs and we are gifted with a sunset yellow fin tuna, which we have not caught since the Marquesas. We are so lucky; this is our favorite for sashimi, such a high-quality tuna.
Night is mellow, but we see the weather systems ahead; these waters will be a different beast in 48 hours. We find out that our weather router “closed” this travel window later that same evening when we left Minerva. If we hadn’t left after that 4-hour pit stop, we’d likely still be in Minerva Reef looking at the weather around us deteriorate. He said, “You’ve worked the boat perfectly to get in well ahead of this coming system.” We did it (with the help of professionals and friends); we picked a good weather window for this notorious crossing.
Final day of passage, calm enough to clean the boat a bit, take showers, eat our last forbidden foods, notify Customs and get the boat presentable for Customs.
32 miles away…land ho! Just under a puff of clouds, there it is, New Zealand!
We hoisted up the yellow Q (quarantine) flag and the NZ flag.
Water looking darker….colder. 12 miles out, announced ourselves to Maritime Radio on VHF 16; NZ accents are fantastic.
Then we were called by a friend boat already in NZ that had been tracking us; we started out with them from Mexico and had gone different paths/speeds, but here we were at the other end of the cruising season with them – what a great welcome!
Into the Bay of Islands, overcast and cool, felt like home in many ways as I cozied up in my fleece jacket, all of us enjoying hot cocoa. Didn’t make it in before dark, so close, but not quite.
Dinner in the cockpit of our freshly caught tuna with sesame noodles. Worked our way in to the Opua Q Dock in the dark, tied up around 9:30pm, will get checked in tomorrow.
Tonga to New Zealand – 1,212 miles in 6 ½ days, a very fast passage for us with record breaking days.
One year – San Diego, California to New Zealand – a total of 9,378 miles of Pacific Ocean covered as a family in SV Terikah.
SV Terikah Adventures 
16 responses to “ARRIVAL to New Zealand”
Congratulations on your voyage to the other side of the earth. I enjoyed vicariously sailing with your family.
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Woohoo!!!!! Way to go crew! What an amazing journey, an experience of a lifetime. Glad to be along for the ride.
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Congratulations
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So excited for you all what an amazing thing you all are doing and experiencing. I do sit on the edge of my seat everything I read your blog. I’m learning so much just reading and following along. Not just about sailing, thanks Hyers’s for sharing…Laure
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You are all an amazing family and team! Fulfilling your dream with hard work, persistence and endless skills! I love to read and follow for your adventures, picturing all that is happening!
Love, peace, and good health to you all, Happy Thanksgiving!🦃
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Well done! What a great accomplishment – can’t wait to see posts about your New Zealand adventures!
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So happy you are in NZ safe and sound. I was on the edge of my seat following this passage.
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So happy you’ve made it to NZ! Your blog kept me on the edge of my seat during this passage.
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Congratulations, that’s a huge milestone on this amazing journey!
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Such exciting news from you folks!! Big relief for sure! Thank you for sharing your journey. We are following you on Google Earth. Opua looks amazing for sailors. So many places to explore. Calm seas and gentle winds will be a welcome change. Take care. Hugs to all of you.
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Congratulations! What an accomplishment!! I was thinking about some of the life skills Calder and Cora are developing like: risk assessment, confidence, situational agility, making friends easily, extracting joy from every day, conquering hard things, etc. Priceless!
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Congratulations! That is quite the accomplishment. So many wonderful memories for you and your family & such an inspiration for those aspiring to do the same! Well done crew Terikah!
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You deserve a standing ovation. I will have a glass of California red to share with your New Zealand white with your fresh tuna. Sleep well!
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You deserve a standing ovation. I will have a glass of California red to share with your New Zealand white with your fresh tuna. Sleep well!
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That was a nail-biting experience reading your last 6+ days getting to New Zealand! You are so adventurous and brave, just to mention a few attributes! Kathy told me of some of your adventures, but this is unbelievable.
I love all your blogs, Diane
( as I sit in my chair, in my house, on land!!)
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Aloha Terikah 🌈
kia ora e Aoteroa!! The streaming white cloud 🤍💙🤍 a perfect welcome experience! And a hail on the radio from a friend… so so great!
We are so damned pleased for your family. Completing that passage so successfully 🙌mad props! (And just a little bit jelly) You’ve worked so hard. Way to go!!!
What a year! So many adventures & memories. Wishing you all the best!!
warmest aloha,
Ruoss Ohana, SV Hiva Oa
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