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| We finally left Nuku' Alofa, Tonga on
November 12, 2000 after much weather research and discussions with fellow cruisers. In the
last few days of our stay in Tonga it seemed that hardly an hour passed by without yet
another cruiser coming hotfoot down the jetty waving the very latest weather fax, weathergram or email.
Different boats were using various weather routers out of New Zealand and their
prognostications would be compared and discussed endlessly it seemed. |
| This passage can be very difficult with
strong winds and high seas developing very fast as low pressure areas come across the
Tasman Sea, however it was time to bite the bullet and go. A strong High had formed south
of Australia and would, with any luck, provide us with favourable winds for at least the
first 5 days. |
Ocean Passage to New Zealand |
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| We arrived safely in Opua, NZ at 1230
Thursday November 23, 2000, cleared Customs and Agriculture, docked at the Opua Marina and
enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast at the Opua Cruising Club that night! New Zealand was our
planned cruising destination and we will be based in Opua for a while cruising the Bay of
Islands and touring |
New Zealand by Car |
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