New Zealand : Profile

Facts

New Zealand is a favourite place to spend the cyclone season in the South Pacific and it has a good reputation among cruising sailors as the place where everything can be fixed, upgraded or replaced. Marine facilities are of a high standard in the North Island, particularly around Auckland, Whangarei and the Bay of Islands.
The Bay of Islands in the north is a favourite place of entry and the cruising here is so pleasant that some visiting yachts never leave this large protected bay dotted with the many islands that provide its name.
Sailing south from the Bay of Islands or Whangarei, it is worth taking an offshore tack to call at Great Barrier Island before heading for the Hauraki Gulf and busy Auckland. Auckland is branded the City of Sails because it has a huge local fleet and excellent cruising grounds. It is the yachting capital of New Zealand and virtually every marine facility, service and brand is available in the central city Westhaven-Viaduct area.
Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty has also become popular as a port of entry with yachts arriving from Tonga, as well as a stopover for yachts during the cyclone season.
Other highlights of a southbound trip are the capital Wellington and, across Cook Strait, picturesque Picton and the Marlborough Sounds.
Sailing conditions around the lower South Island are more challenging and those who are short of time can enjoy the majestic scenery by cruising on four wheels. It is particularly difficult to cruise beautiful Fiordland on the remote south west coast because of exposed open-ocean approaches and deep water anchorages in the fiords; perhaps the awe-inspiring Milford Sound is best savoured from the deck of a locally skippered boat. Nevertheless, the east coast of the South Island has several attractive harbours such as Dunedin, Timaru and Lyttelton, but none rival the beauty of the Marlborough Sounds, which also has the advantage of being more accessible when sailing down from the north.
Cruising yachts are increasingly visiting Nelson, at the northern end of the South Island in Tasman Bay. Nelson is the country's biggest fishing port; it has a good range of marine facilities and a climate which allows outside work to be carried on most of the year.
There are workshops specialising in marine services throughout New Zealand and the quality of workmanship is usually high. However, one should insist on receiving a detailed written estimate so that both the cruiser and company agree on the scope and cost of the project, and possible contingencies, before commencing.

The climate is varied from the subtropical in the north to snowy mountains and glaciers in the south. The summer from November to March is the more pleasant season, while the winter is wetter and windier. The South Island is generally cooler in both summer and winter. Although out of the tropical cyclone area, occasionally in February or March the tail of a cyclone reaches the North Island. Lying in the westerly wind belt, the east coast is more sheltered and the main yachting centres are along that coast.

Russell Radio, located in the Bay of Islands, provides weather information for the Western Pacific and runs a maritime net on 4445 kHz from 0700 to 0830, 1930 to 2030 GMT, 12353 kHz from 0400 to 0430, 2115 to 2130 GMT, 12359 kHz from 0430 to 0445, 2030 to 2100 GMT. A fee of $NZ30 is payable for this service on arrival in New Zealand. Channel 16 is monitored during daylight hours.

Metvuw.com/
http://www.metvuw.com/
New Zealand and South Pacific weather.