Tag: nature

  • Hauraki Horizons: Exploring Hauraki Gulf (Tikapa Moana)

    Looking at the big weather coming up, we decided to anchor in well-protected Bon Accord Harbour of Kawau Island, arriving late and anchoring (and re-anchoring) for the upcoming storm. We took a day to explore the trails out of Schoolhouse Bay to the Mansion House and Old Coppermine.  Sir George Grey developed the Mansion House…

  • Back to Paradise: Taveuni Underwater Magic

    Almost not allowed out of the USA, as (in an amateur move) I didn’t procure a letter from Immigration stating we had a “one-way ticket” to Fiji back to our boat. I had notified Fiji Immigration of our travel and we had purchased a two-way ticket but, as it had originated from Fiji, it was…

  • Back in the USA: Alaska & Idaho

    70 hours from the “front door” of Terikah in Savusavu, Fiji to the front door of our home in Petersburg, Alaska. Looking down at the Pacific Ocean, it’s hard to believe that same stretch of water took us 8 months sailing from the Mexico coast to New Zealand. Petersburg, from the heartwarming welcome of friends…

  • Ogea: Snorkeling Delights, a Village on the Edge, and a Gift from the Sea

    Up earlier this morning to catch the high slack tide leaving the lagoon of Fulaga to head to the next island of Ogea, only a 10-mile trip today, motoring on mellow seas with little wind. The pass into Ogea is wide and straight forward and we meandered to an anchorage off the uninhabited Ogea Driki.…

  • Schist Happens

    But first, the adventures before…Three nights at Glendhu Bay Holiday Park on the shores of Lake Wanaka allowed us to explore this area to the max.  Was the extremely bumpy washboard road and river fords to the 10km Rob Roy Glacier Track worth it? An emphatic YES! And we were treated to a road-grader smoothing…

  • Camping & Anchoring in Northland, New Zealand

    We kicked off December by a “shake-down” camping overnight to nearby Whananaki.  We walked the “Longest Footbridge in the Southern Hemisphere” at 395 metres, which was constructed in 1947, enabling the children living in Whananki South to attend school in Whananaki North.  Previously the schoolteacher rowed a boat across the estuary twice a day to…

  • Day 1: Passage Tonga to NZ

    Wednesday, November 6, 2024:  Passage Tonga to New Zealand Day 1 10:20am and anchor up in Tonga for the last time.  We are out here with other boats taking this weather window.  Today is supposed to be sporty and it’s not disappointing – average winds 23, beam seas 1.5-2 meters, hauling along at 9 knots…

  • Crossing 1/3 of the Pacific (by Calder Hyer, age 14)

                  On March 31, 2024, sailing vessel Terikah left the safe harbor of La Cruz, Mexico with a destination of Hiva Oa, Marquesas, French Polynesia. Onboard were the Hyers, Cora, Calder, Dadu, and Mama, along with the crew, consisting of Emil Tucker. After large provisioning runs and filling up our water and diesel tanks, we…

  • Day 22: Crossing from Mexico to French Polynesia

    Seas continue to build and make for a “sporty” day with wind solidly in the mid-20s and seas 3-4 meters on our stern.  Our plan it to keep them on the stern and make our way west, then drop down south tomorrow once seas decrease and we can comfortably sail with them on our beam. …

  • Day 7 of Crossing from MX to FP

    We will have another 36 hours or so of these bigger seas and continue our way SW, trying to keep the seas behind us, though they are coming from three different directions.  Seas still about 6-9 feet and steep.  I was a bit green last night, but doing better this morning.  We are paralleling the…