Cyclone Vaianu, hits Northland, New Zealand

Thank you for all the safety wishes as Cyclone Vaianu clipped Fiji then went to northland, New Zealand. It was as a large, powerful and potentially historic systems. There were good chances the north island was to get a direct hit, with winds at 60-70 knots, but all we saw was 53 knots. Not any problems really, just a lot of wind and rains for 2 days.

So, what did that mean for Kalea? We of course had to stow all gear, and watched the weather regularly all week. We tucked into a local favorite hide an away, in Opunga Cove in the northland in the Bay of Islands. The choice for us was at anchor in a snug hurricane hole, on a mooring ball or at a dock in Opua Marina. Neither of these options are were great, but we felt the safest at anchor and we were ready for whatever may occur.

Cyclone Vaianu, turned into category 3 with winds building as it went south. The worst part for us, besides being trapped inside for a few days is the sideways rain. This can sometimes blow under our hatches, creating moisture inside the cabins, but only in big gusts. In addition to all the prep work, we decided to wrap a halyard around our furling jib, extra protection is always good.

Funny, we came to New Zealand because it’s supposed to be out of the typical storm region. 🤷 (reminds me that I need to go reread my insurance policy, lol) We love weather in general and enjoy seeing the awesome power of Mother Nature. As much as many feel we are crazy, these were very interesting times. What does tend to get me down though is the days and days of rain. We really questioned coming back to New Zealand this year because of how wet April was last year. Oh well, only a few more weeks till the tropics.

Anyway, there is a lot of land between us and the reported 24 foot seas off shore. The land also knocks down much of the wind velocity other than gusts that make their way around the mountains.

We met some new friends who reached out on Facebook who are anchored right next to us. Too funny! And another new friend called us on the vhf, a rare occurrence these days, and mentioned they are good and making up some afternoon South African pancakes. I often make ham, avo, tomato sandwiches for lunch and spent the afternoon working my 1000 piece puzzle. We sure thank you all for your support and kindness, 🥰 less lonely this way. All is well.