Sally and Simon left Scotland in 2015 on board Shimshal to begin a slow circumnavigation taking in various high latitude destinations. After 3 seasons in Greenland we sailed south to northern Newfoundland. In 2019 we cruised the Canadian Maritimes. In 2022 & 23 we cruised via New England, Chesapeake, Florida, Cuba, Cayman, Providencia to Bocas del Toro. In late 2023 we began a 2 year crossing of the Pacific arriving in New Zealand in October 2025.
Saturday, 7 March 2026
Thursday, 5 March 2026
Rotoroa Island
After morning coffee with cruisers in Shimshal’s cockpit we got our anchor and headed off to Rotoroa Island where the Takahē has been reintroduced following the elimination of predators and regeneration of native bush. The Takahē is a large, flightless bird endemic to New Zealand and was once almost extinct. Now Takahē and Pūkeko roam the island that once was a Salvation Army refuge for alcoholics in rehab.
Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Anchorage gatherings
Bill Strassberg
Simon
Johanna Strassberg
Jane Gallin
Michael Gallin
S/V Gerty and M/V Golden Boot IV
Monday, 2 March 2026
Change of plan
A sleek motor launch pulled into our bay this morning with Bill & Johanna Strassberg aboard. We had been trying to fix a rendezvous for the last few days and finally our plans coincided for a walk around the coastal paths and posh Waiheke wineries followed by tea and scones on board Shimshal. We first met Bill at our Scottish BBQ in 2019. We then met them both near their home in Maine when we did our wintery cycle ride to Canada in 2022. It was wonderful to catch up again here in NZ on a fine and blustery.
An ex-tropical cyclone, well east of NZ, is blasting strong southerly winds up the east coast and blocking our progress south towards Nelson. So, instead of battling against the weather, we have cancelled our South Island marina reservation and booked ourselves back into Whanagerai from mid-March. We will leave the boat there (at Riverside Drive) and fly down to Christchurch for a land based trip to Nelson and the Marlborough Sounds. That gives us 2 more weeks of idyllic cruising around Great Barrier Island and other gems in the Huaraki Gulf. All good!
Saturday, 28 February 2026
Coastal walks
A walk along the coastal paths of Waiheke Island is like a stroll through the archives of Grand Designs. Amazing houses, manicured olive groves, netted vineyards and native bush all bathed with the noisy clatter of cicadas. The anchorages have filled with the weekend Aucklanders and those bays that are protected from the ‘strong wind advisory’ are at a premium. The 40 knot easterly gusts that our vhf warned us of have not materialised and Shimshal is quietly dancing around her anchor when a more moderate puff comes through.
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