Posts in category New Zealand

Exploring Picturesque Cape Brett, Bay...

April 5, 2018 Written by El Capitán
This coastline is stunning!  As beautiful and rugged as the Big Sur coast is back home, we both voted and this stretch of coastline beats it.  I’ll let the pictures do the talking… Great hike in the morning followed by and afternoon of boat projects.  We have at least another few days of boat labor before we feel ready for the cro [...]
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Sailing and Diving the Poor Knights I...

April 1, 2018 Written by El Capitán
After heading back into Whangarei to have a new floor welded on our stainless diesel tank, we managed to escape and headed back out for more exploration!  A morning hike out to Bream Head was followed by an afternoon sail to Tutukaka for the night.  The next morning we set sail for the Poor Knights Islands, a marine preserve located 12nm offs [...]
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Mermaids and Waterfalls on Great Barr...

March 25, 2018 Written by El Capitán
The title of this post just described the recipe for a perfect day on Great Barrier Island.  A 7km hike up to the natural hot springs followed by a hike up a treacherous trail with very slippery mud and moss to reach the ultimate payoff: a secluded picturesque waterfall.  Despite the freezing cold water, and the fact that we didn’t even [...]
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Bioluminescence Ballet and Exploring ...

March 22, 2018 Written by El Capitán
We just witnessed one of the most amazing natural scenes.  Tonight we turned on the blue underwater lights that usually draw fish to the boat.  We knew this bay was extremely healthy and full of fish but we had no idea of the scale that would be drawn under the boat.  We went outside around 10pm and hundreds of fish were schooling under the b [...]
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Splashed!! QUIXOTIC 2018 Refit Recap

March 14, 2018 Written by El Capitán
After months of hard work, late nights, stress, a pile of cash and heaps of sweat-equity, Quixotic is back in the water and ready to sail north back to the islands.  She just spent the past four months in a specialized catamaran boatyard undergoing some repair and upgrades.  We had our fair share of challenges, triumphs, setbacks and achievem [...]
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Kia Ora from New Zealand! We’r...

November 23, 2017 Written by El Capitán
Kia Ora!  Coming to you live from New Zealand, 15 feet above sea level, aboard the good ship Quixotic: Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family! We have so much to be thankful for this year.  Thank you to all our amazing family and friends for all their love and support.  Thank you to all our amazing guests who have helped make Quixot [...]
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Exploring Great Barrier Island, Surfi...

April 13, 2017 Written by El Capitán
Life has been exciting the past week!  We sailed out to spectacular and remote Great Barrier Island and did some incredible hiking and kayaking.  While out there we saw a weather window to sail to Fiji so we left immediately and had an amazing downwind sail back to the mainland! We made 50 miles in under 5 hours, had dolphins dancing in the b [...]
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Riding out Storms in Auckland and a S...

April 8, 2017 Written by El Capitán
Brief update – We rode out a storm in a marina north of Auckland and survived unscathed.  We spent a night in the city and even managed to do some (free) gambling in a casino en route to a Doctor’s appointment. We met some circus acrobats who were sailing a 33-ft steel monohull that his Dad built in the 70’s.  We dodged huge tankers and flew [...]
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NZ to Fiji Passage Prep Continues – W...

April 1, 2017 Written by El Capitán
While in New Zealand we have been taking on water from a dock-side hose, which has been very convenient. This is the first time since leaving California that the water on shore is safe and drinking-quality. In Fiji we don’t have that luxury, so a watermaker, or desalination unit, is a necessity. While here in New Zealand we “pickled” our wate [...]
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Jammed Propeller but Still a Great Da...

March 31, 2017 Written by El Capitán
After exploring Kawau Island – awesome hiking and even exploring an old copper mine – we sailed down the coast and anchored near Gulf Harbour in Auckland. The next day we sailed into the harbor to pick up our new kayak but the day went a little differently than we planned… After breakfast we pulled anchor and motored into the marina and [...]
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