Hauraki Gulf Cruising Notes: Kaitu Kala Islands

The Kaitu Kala Islands - Sibling rivalry over copper, a ship wreck and plenty of gulls. What more could you possibly want.
36°28'S 174°48'E

The Kaitu Kala Islands are located to the south of Kawau Island and north-east of Mahurangi Harbour.
Via Land Information New Zealand - Crown Copyright Reserved.

You know how it is, sometimes little sisters get so often overlooked. Kawau Island is such a popular anchorage and day-trip from the mainland (and rightfully so), that sometimes the smaller, neighboring Kaitu Kala Islands get overlooked. But not to worry, I'm here to put that right. All you little sisters out there can thank me. So here we go. There are three islands that are part of this grouping:

• Motuketekete (Food Basket) Island
• Moturekareka (Pleasant) Island
• Motutara (Gull) Island

I've seen a fourth island mentioned, Kohatutara, which joins up to Moturekareka and Motutara Islands during low tide, but don't see it on the chart above. Not sure what that's about, but I'll go with what the chart says.

I first came across mention of Motuketekete Island on the very informative Timespanner website (great resource if you're interested in the history of Auckland). Turns out there was a bit of tension between Motuketekete and Kawau Island in the mid-1800s over the issue of copper mining. Kind of like when brothers and sisters fight. Copper was discovered on Kawau by accident when they were looking to extract manganese. Copper mining operations were established in 1844 and ran until 1852 with two rival companies working the same body of ore on Kawau Island. The two chaps who headed up the rival copper mining operation (Frederick Whittaker and Theophilus Heale) encountered quite a bit of hostility from the existing outfit on the island. They were told that their miners couldn't sleep on Kawau Island at night so they had to ferry them back and forth from Motuketekete Island (which they bought in 1850). Seem a bit churlish to me, but when money is involved then sometimes people aren't on their best behavior. At the height of the mining, there were over 300 folk living on Kawau with mining villages at Mansion House, Two House Bay, Sunny Bay, Schoolhouse Bay, Dispute Cove and Miners Bay.

Heale & Whittaker - courtesy of Timespanner 

In an attempt to make it easier to ship the ore to the Northern Hemisphere, two copper smelting houses were built - one on Motuketekete and one on Kawau. Unfortunately, the copper ore became increasingly difficult to extract as they had to constantly pump out water from the mine workings. Eventually, the copper ore was all tapped out and the mining operations shut down. It must have been profitable when they were operating, however, as a report from the Southern Cross in 1852 reports that on Captain Heale's Island (or Motuketekete), "The puff puff of the engine of a smelting furnace apprised us that the hand of the diligent maketh rich." And it looks like Heale and Whittaker didn't do too badly out of their purchase of Motuketekete either. They originally bought the title for ₤59, or a pound per acre, and sold it in 1855 for ₤100. The island has since changed hands a few time and is now in private ownership.

You can find more information about Kawau Island and copper mining at the Department of Conservation's website. While you can't land on Motuketekete, you can check out the remains of the mining on Kawau Island - both in the main historic reserve and at the smaller Smelting House Historic Reserve on the north side of Bon Accord Harbour.



1880 map of Keta Keta Island (now known as Motuketekete Island) from when it was sold for ₤140 to a Matakana farmer.
From deed 64125, LINZ records, Crown Copyright. Courtesy of Timespanner.

Motuketekete isn't the only interesting island in the Kaitu Kala grouping. If you like shipwrecks, you can check out the Rewa just across the Blanche Channel and off the north-western side of Moturekareka Island. The Rewa began life in 1889 as the Alice A. Leigh, a 3,000 ton four-masted steel barque built in Cumbria in the UK. She ran the typical routes of large four-masters at the time taking cargo from India and Australia to London and the Pacific coast of North America. She was sold in 1921 to a group of New Zealand businessmen and renamed the Rewa. At that time she became the largest registered sailing ship in New Zealand. She continued to sail until 1922 when steam vessels became dominant. For eight years, she stayed off of Northcote Point in Auckland and eventually was towed off to Moturekareka in the mid-1930s and scuttled there. Today, she is a local attraction for boaties. You can find out more about Rewa's fascinating history by reading Phil Braithwaite's post here.


The Rewa today. Courtesy of Peter Tasker - check out his other great photos of the Hauraki Gulf here


And, yes, I promised you gulls. If you go to the third Kaitu Kala island, you'll find plenty of gulls. It is called Motutara or Gull Island. The name kind of gives it away. You can find the remains of an old wharf on the island and see lots of white fronted terns (or kahawai) hanging about. Motutara was once quarried in the 1930s for construction in Auckland. Nowadays, it is a peaceful spot for a picnic on the sandy beach.

So there you go, there is far more to see in the area than just Kawau Island. Next time you're in the area, make time to stop and explore the Kaitu Kala islands.

If you're interested in other posts in the "Hauraki Gulf Cruising Notes" series, check out this page.

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Category 1 Boat Inspections in New Zealand

The lovely Rhonda from Laugh Quotes recently asked about whether New Zealand Category 1 requirements will apply when we buy our next boat in the States if we go down the route of getting her a Kiwi registration. And this got me thinking that when you’re buying a boat, it isn’t just about the colour of the cushions or how big the galley is, safety should pretty much be at the top of the list of considerations. So I thought checking out what New Zealand requires for boats going off-shore would be a great place to start learning more about ensuring your boat and the crew are safe. Plus we’re still up in the air as to where we’ll register our boat – either the States or New Zealand (each with their own pros/cons) so it can't hurt to learn more about the Kiwi way of doing things when it comes to boat safety. (By the way, Rhonda is a fellow American ex-pat who lives in NZ and has some very funny observations on living here which I can completely relate to – check out this.)

If your boat is registered in New Zealand and you plan on taking her overseas, then it must have a Category 1 inspection by a yachting safety inspector from Yachting New Zealand / Maritime New Zealand. The purpose of the inspection is to make sure the boat design and construction is suitable, the safety and communication equipment is up to snuff and the skipper and crew are capable of undertaking the voyage safely. If you are a member of an affiliated yacht club, then the inspection costs NZ$121 and the certificate if valid for two years. For everyone else, the cost is NZ$221. Although, I'm not quite sure if the fee is the administration charge with a separate fee for the inspector him/herself. I suspect it is more than what I've indicated. If you're going for a Category 1 inspection, then your certificate is valid for one overseas voyage after which it becomes a Category 2 certificate for the remainder of the two year period of validity.

If you want more information, you can find a copy of the Safety Inspector’s 25-page manual and checklist here. If not, here is summary of some of the key things they’re looking for. I've also included a translation of what that means for my mom and others who don’t speak Nauticalese. If you're seriously thinking of a Category 1 certificate, definitely check out the manual as I'm sure I've gotten things wrong.

By the way, I’ve just reread the rest of this post and realize it is pretty long. You might want to fix yourself a snack first before you keep reading.

Safety Equipment

Equipment	Translation
A functional 406 MHz EPIRB	EPIRBs are emergency position indicator location beacons which are activated in a dire emergency when all other means of rescue or communication have failed (e.g., boat is in danger of sinking, life-threatening accident or medical emergency). They are linked to your specific vessel and your position can be pinpointed to a 2 nautical mile radius. Some activate automatically when submerged, others need to be manually activated. For New Zealand, it is recommended that your EPIRB is GPS equipped to help pinpoint your location and reduce the amount of time to rescue. One of the single most important pieces of safety equipment for boats going offshore which you hope you never have to use. Apparently they cost quite a bit, but probably well worth the peace of mind they bring.
Lifejackets (with crotch straps) in good condition and the correct size for each crew member	I think everyone knows what lifejackets are but they have come a long way from when I was a wee one. They now call them PFDs (or personal flotation devices) and there are a lot of different types to choose from – see here. And the “personal” is good, because if you fall in the water you really want your own flotation device. It isn’t a great time to have to share with someone else. You must have one on board for every person who is on the boat. And while the crotch strap sounds rather weird, if you’re in a storm and conditions are rough, you really want to make sure your PFD stays on you. So the more straps the better. In a G-rated way of course, not in a 50 Shade of Grey way. Sorry, you probably weren’t thinking that at all and now you can’t get it out of your mind. Let’s move on…
A minimum of two suitable harnesses	The harnesses are lines that connect you to the boat. Like what you put toddlers in to keep them running away in the shopping mall. These kind keep you attached to the boat should you fall over. If you’re going to do serious offshore sailing in all kinds of weather, you need to ensure your boat is equipped with harnesses.
Communications receiver (at least VHF) which has maritime distress capability and suitable long range communications (MF/HF radio or satellite phone)	I really don’t know that much about communications or radios. It all kind of reminds me of using walkie-talkies when I was a kid. Fortunately, Scott has taken the VHF course and sounds very official when he talks on it. Basically, you need to make sure you have a way to communicate long-range, contact someone when you're in trouble and get weather forecasts.
Medical kit	Pretty self-explanatory. Hopefully any medical treatment that needs to be administered by us to each other on the boat will be confined to the occasional ibuprofen tablet and bandaid. But for something more serious, you need to have a variety of tablets, first aid supplies etc. as your local GP isn’t going to row out to check on you when you’re in the middle of the ocean. I’ve also got my hands on an electronic copy of Where There Is No Doctor in case we find ourselves without a doctor. Or just don’t want to pay for one.
Suitable life raft that is in survey date	Gilligan and his gang could have used one of these when their ship got into trouble. Nowadays, they have purpose-built life rafts that are very expensive but well worth it should disaster strike. Although some people would argue against carrying one given the cost balanced against the likelihood that you would need to use it. If you have one you need to get them inspected and serviced regularly because you really want your life raft to work when you need it. And you need to make sure it is attached on your deck with substantial through-bolted fittings. I don’t think there would be words to describe how you would feel if your life raft came loose and drifted away if you boat rolls over or is knocked down. If you haven't seen a life raft being deployed before, check out this video on the Sailing Simplicity (it also shows flares being tested).
Grab bag with suitable pyrotechnics in survey date	It’s like 4th of July or Guy Fawkes Day – a bag full of pyrotechnics! Except these ones aren’t meant to be fireworks that the obnoxious kids down the street set off for fun when they’ve had too much to drink. Instead you need hand flares, red parachute and orange smoke if you’re going overseas. Your grab bag should have all your other essentials that you would need if you had to ditch the boat in an emergency (identification, food, water etc.). And you’ll probably want to put a picture of your mother in your grab bag too because you might be pretty scared by this point. And moms have a way of making you feel better.

Fitted Systems

Equipment	Translation
Suitable bilge pumping equipment	The bilge is the very bottom of your boat and you do not want water in it. You don’t want water anywhere inside your boat unless it is in a glass and you’re drinking it. If you do get water in your bilge, you need to be able to pump it. We have a manual bilge pump and need to pump ours out regularly as a little water gets in it from time to time.
Sufficient fresh water	Fresh water doesn’t really require a translation as everyone knows it is essential to staying alive. It is also great for personal hygiene, but that is a secondary consideration. (Unfortunately, Scott loves to use the excuse that he is conserving water as a reason not to bathe. Boys can be icky and gross at times.) But one of things you might not think about is that you should have at least two separate supplies of water. Your water supply could get contaminated and you really need to have a back-up source. For ocean voyages you need a minimum of 2.5 litres per person per hundred miles.
Suitable fire extinguishers	Pretty self-explanatory. You need to check to make sure they’re free of corrosion and have been recently serviced. You need at least three and you need a fire blanket as well.
Suitable anchoring system	You anchor is one of the best friends you’ll ever have on your boat. It keeps you safe and secure. And you can never have too many best friends, so if you’re going offshore, you need to have at least two anchors and most people have more. If you’re on a catamaran or have less the five people on a monohull, you also need a sea anchor or drogue.
Suitable navigation system and equipment	I can’t quite tell if there are black and white guidelines around this. The manual talks about the difficult decision inspectors must make whether to sign off on boats with outdated charts and acknowledges that most people rely on electronic navigation systems. I’m guessing that they want to ensure you can operate your navigation system, have decent enough paper charts and know what to do if it all goes to hell.
Basic tools and spare parts	This is a no brainer. There are no marine stores on the big blue sea and you’re on your own when things on your boat break. Which they apparently do. All the time.

Boat

While they don’t do a survey of your boat, you must haul your boat out so that it can be inspected and they check out everything to make sure your boat is seaworthy. They check out the hull, keel, deck, windows, rig, spars, sails, cockpit structure, the galley, the structure down below etc. Basically, they need to answer the question, “Would I sail on this vessel?”

Skipper & Crew

Even if you have all of the right safety equipment and fitted systems and your boat is in good nick, if your skipper and crew don’t know what they’re doing, then you won’t get a pass to go offshore. There are no black and white rules to determine if the skipper and crew are capable, but the inspectors use the following guidelines:

• At least one person must have previous ocean sailing experience.
• At least one person must have navigation experience.
• The skipper must have knowledge and experience with (1) the operation of the vessel’s equipment, machinery, safety and communications equipment; (2) weather patterns and resulting sea conditions; (3) international collision rules; (4) buoyage; (5) rigging and cordage; (6) boat stability; (7) boat handling; (8) survival at sea; (9) handling emergencies at sea; and (10) management of crew.
• If you have kids on board, you need to have enough adults to tend to them.
• All adult members of the crew must be proficient in (1) use and stowage of safety harnesses; (2) starting and stopping the vessel’s engine; (3) understanding when the skipper should be called; (4) operation and stowage of fire extinguishers; (5) stowage and operation of man overboard equipment; (6) use of storm sails; (7) use of white flares or spotlight; (8) emergency use of the radio and EPIRB; (9) stowage and use of lifejackets; (10) stowage and use of the grab bag; (11) stowage and deployment of the life raft; (12) abandon ship procedures; and (13) use of emergency flares.

You hear people talk about how onerous the Category 1 requirements are and whether they are necessary. Some folks say that the American boat Nina, who left New Zealand earlier this year and is presumed to have sunk in the Tasman Sea, wouldn’t have passed the Category 1 inspection. Who knows whether that’s true or not and what actually happened, but it is a good cautionary tale about the importance of safety equipment and the fact that anything can happen out there on the big blue sea. I’ll definitely be thinking more about safety then the colour of my boat cushions going forward regardless of where we register our boat and what safety certifications are required.

Although we’ll only be coastal cruising this summer in New Zealand and obviously don’t need to meet the majority of the Category 1 requirements, I thought this was a good prompt to put together a little safety checklist for us to work our way through while we’re out on the water.

1 - Fire extinguishers

We have two on board (a primary one plus a spare in a box) plus a fire blanket, but to be honest I’m not sure I would know how to operate them if we did have a fire. One fire extinguisher is mounted near the hob but has been there for ages so I’m not sure if it would even come free from its strap if you tried to pull it out. So I think we’ll do a little fire drill and pretend to use the fire extinguisher and blanket. I also want to look at the placement of where our main fire extinguisher is. If flames are coming up from the hob, you might not be able to reach it without burning yourself. It might make more sense to set the other one up on the other side of the cabin.

2 - Man Overboard

We’ve done the usual drills where you steer the boat back and try to pick up a fender in the water, but I’m not sure that this would prepare us if someone actually fell in the water. If it gets warm enough, maybe we’ll practice with one of us in the water and try throwing out the dan buoy and a line. I vote for Scott jumping in. He looks very cute in his swimming trunks. (Hopefully flattery is a sure fire way to get him to swim in the cold New Zealand water.)

3 - Life jackets/PFDs 

We’re all set in this department and actually have the fancy and expensive Spinlock kind of PFDs that theoretically inflate if you hit the water. We haven’t tested this theory out. I wonder if we should as we have spare gas canisters. It might be fun to jump in the water and see if they inflate. Or I can watch from the cockpit and take pictures while Scott tests the theory out. Does anyone actually do this? At the very least, we’ll do an inspection of our PFDs and make sure everything is in working order when we get the boat ready to go for the season.

4 - Water 

We’ve never really worried too much about our water supply when we sailed last summer as we were always back on shore by the time we needed some more and it is more or less readily available in the Hauraki Gulf (although not always treated). This summer, I want to pay more attention to how much water we actually use each day to get a feel for where we might be wasting it, how long we can go without refilling the water bladder etc. I also want to figure out how to treat water. We’ve ever only used treated water from marinas, but maybe I should experiment with treating some water in a jerry can? And then experiment with the treated water on Scott?

5 - Boat Handling

I’ve helmed the boat last year and have actually come a long way from when we first chartered boats in the Bay of Islands. I think Scott still has fond memories of when he was down below in the toilet and I screeched with panic in my voice and made him run up top because I thought a boat was going to run into us. Turned out the other boat was a looooong way away and would have taken another two hours to get close enough to hit us. I might need new glasses. So I’ll need to do a lot more practice including becoming more comfortable in crowded areas and being at the helm when we moor and anchor the boat.

I’m sure there are plenty more things we should practice and work through, so any suggestions welcome.

Checklist via Yachting New Zealand

Going For A Walk: Mt Hobson, Great Barrier Island, New Zealand {Or I Can't Believe I Made It To The Top}

Mt Hobson is the highest mountain on Great Barrier Island, rising 621m above sea level. If you're spending some time in Great Barrier, climbing up to the top of Mt Hobson is a great outing. Once you make it up top, there are some spectacular views over the island and across the Hauraki Gulf and, if the weather is cooperating, you can even see the Coromandel Peninsula.

There are a number of different trails which lead up to the summit. We parked our dinghy and started off from the Bush's Beach trailhead which is in Kaiaraara Bay (one bay over from Port Fitzroy). From there, we walked along Bush's Beach Track which joins up with the Kaiaraara Track. The Kaiaraara Track starts at Forest Road near the Kaiaraara Hut where there is a whole "spaghetti junction" of tracks which meet up there. From this point it is 5.6 kms to the summit and is supposed to take roughly 3 to 3-1/2 hours. (We have found that the Department of Conservation is very conservative in its estimates and it shouldn't take the average person that long.) The track rises steadily until you get to the junction of Cooper's Castle Track. Along this portion of the track there are a number of fun swing and wooden bridges to cross over the stream. 

At the Cooper's Castle Track, it is definitely worthwhile to take the short side trip down to the Lower Kauri Dam. This dam, along with six other ones lower down, were built in the 1920s. The dam was designed to be tipped once enough logs were slid down against it. Once the dam was tipped, the water would push the logs down into Kaiaraara Bay.

Once you get back on the main path to Mt Hobson, a lot of the track from this point onwards is made up of boardwalks and stairs to protect the environment, prevent erosion and keep pesky humans away from the breeding grounds of the Black Petrel birds. It also makes the tramping a lot easier. Which is good as the track becomes much steeper as you keep going. But the view from the top is well worth all those stairs.

Carry your heavy dinghy up from the beach and park it by the picnic bench. Stop complaining about how heavy the dink is when Skipper Scott threatens to make you swim back in the cold water to the boat.

The walk from Bush's Beach to the Kaiaraara Hut. Deceptively flat. You foolishly think this will be easy.

The first bridge! While you're crossing, tell Skipper Scott to knock it off and stop jumping on the bridge which makes it hard to walk across.

Oh look - there is the stream you just crossed. Pretty!

Another bridge! This time you notice the "danger" signs. You can only have so much weight on the bridge at one time. I hope all those cookies and chips I ate last night don't push me over the limit.

View as we start to climb higher. I wonder if we can see our boat down there?

The Lower Kauri Dam. I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of the dam when they tripped it and all the logs came rushing through.

People more intrepid then me bathe in these pools. Too cold for me.

Great scenery along the way.

The start of the steps!

Have another look and see if our boat is still anchored safely.

More steps!

Stop and catch your breath. Pretend you are looking at the native plant life.

More great views!

Stop again to catch your breath. Pretend to be entranced by this spider web.

You made it to the top! Celebrate with some water.

The views are definitely worth all those steps.

Linked up to Wordless Wednesday at Laugh Quotes

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Living Without A Fridge: 8 Food Storage Things To Try

There are a number of things I'm going to have to learn to live without when we move onto our boat full-time in New Zealand next month and one of them is a fridge. Yep, that's right, no fridge. I figure it shouldn't be too bad. After all, I haven't had a clothes dryer for over ten years since we moved to Scotland and I still don't have one living in New Zealand. I thought it was strange, but I adjusted. People back in the States seem very perplexed by our lack of a dryer. You can only imagine their reaction to the news that we're also giving up another major appliance. But I like to prove people wrong, so I will adjust to not having a fridge and smile while I do it. Well most of the time anyway.

In preparing for my new life of room temperature food, I've been scouring various books and websites for some tips on food storage and here are eight things I'm going to try. I'll give you an update in a few months and let you know how it goes. Hopefully, we'll avoid food poisoning and the smell of rotting food.

1 - Eggs 

This one will be easy. In addition to not commonly finding clothes dryers in Scotland and New Zealand, it is rare to find eggs that are refrigerated. While it kind of freaked me out at first to find them on the shelf next to the peanut butter, I'm completely used to it now. The big difference is that these days I put them in my fridge when I get home. Going forward, I'll be skipping that step. Instead, I'll become an egg turner. Pretty much everything you read about egg storage talks about turning your eggs over every few days so that the inside of the shell remains moist. This keeps air from entering the eggshell which causes them to spoil.

2 - Milk 

Another easy one. I already use powdered milk at home for my coffee and cooking. I got tired of having to try to remember to buy cartons of milk and found mornings very challenging if I was out of milk for my coffee. So I switched to powered milk a few years ago and I never run out because it comes in a big bag. It is also much cheaper which is a plus.

3 - Lemons 

We like to have gin and tonics in our cockpit when the sun is setting and they are much nicer with lemon. Last summer on the boat, we bought one of those plastic lemons with juice inside thinking that would last longer than fresh lemons. Which wasn't the brightest move. You wouldn't normally leave orange juice out of the fridge for a few days and expect it to be fine. Doesn't work for plastic lemons either. So we'll go back to fresh lemons except this time I'm going to wrap them in aluminum foil. Theoretically this should keep them fresh for several weeks.

4 - Meat 

Despite my short-lived teenage vegetarian rebellion, I still like to eat meat. We aren't the biggest carnivores out there, but we do enjoy meat from time to time especially in tacos. Fresh meat is going to become a luxury for us and probably more something that we eat when we're on land. Instead of having beef or chicken on a regular basis, we'll rely on Skipper Scott's fishing prowess to catch us fresh snapper, as well as eating more vegetarian recipes. I am going to buy a few canned meat products to test out as well. We'll see how that goes. The thought of Spam doesn't seem too appealing (unless Monty Python are singing about it), but canned chicken might be okay.

5 - Cans 

I've become a big fan of canned goods the past few months. Not only will we not have a fridge, we also won't have regular access to the big Kiwi grocery stores such as Countdown and New World. There are smaller grocery stores in other parts of the Hauraki Gulf in New Zealand, such as in Coromandel Town and on some of the islands, but the prices are higher and the selection smaller. So I'm planning on stocking up on a variety of canned goods so that we can whip up tasty meals wherever we are and not have to rely on a fridge to preserve things.

6 - Leftovers 

One of the big things we use our fridge for is to store leftovers. We won't have that option on our sailboat. And although Skipper Scott seems happy to play Russian Roulette with his digestive system from time to time and eat things that have been left out overnight, I'm thinking we need to change how we cook instead. So we'll be looking to adapt recipes to just make two servings of things.

7 - Condiments & Other Jarred Goodies 

I currently keep the usual condiments like ketchup, mustard and mayo in the fridge. They leave ketchup and mustard out on tables in restaurants all the time, so I'm sure it will be fine to keep ours out of a fridge too. I'm the only one that really eats mayo and I do so rarely so I think we'll just go without. I know there are lots of people out there who swear that you can keep it out of the fridge without a problem but the whole idea of that kind of scares me so I'll do without. I love jam and you can definitely keep that out of the fridge. After all, sugar is a natural preservative and jam sure has a lot of it in it. We also eat various other jarred goodies (such as jalapeños, capers, olives, sundried tomatoes etc.). I figure if they have oil or vinegar in them that should keep them preserved out of the fridge. Or at least that's the theory. Check back in a few months - hopefully there will be no tummy problems to report.

8 - Bread

We've only been able to keep a loaf of our favorite store bought bread (Vogel's) for a few days on the boat before it gets moldy. Since we won't be hitting the grocery store regularly, I'll be making our own bread. But in addition to not having a fridge, we don't have an oven either. So, I've been experimenting with various breads you can make in a skillet including scones, fry bread, naan etc. I'm also going to stock up on tortillas as they last a long time in the packaging that they come in.

So check back in a few months and see how we do living without a fridge. And if you have any other tips on storing food and eating well without a fridge, let us know.

Mr. Ketchup - you're in, welcome aboard!
Mrs. Mayo - sorry, you didn't make the grade and you'll be staying on shore.

Being Sun Smart In New Zealand

New Zealand has some of the strongest levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the world and the highest rate of melanoma skin cancer in the world. There are more than 2,000 new cases of melanoma skin cancer each year among Kiwis and over 300 people die each year from melanoma skin cancer. And if that doesn't seem like a lot to you, keep in mind there are only 4.49 million people living in New Zealand. Almost as many people here die each year from melanoma skin cancer as they do on the road. That's a bit sobering. As we are about to move onto our boat full-time here next month, it is something we need to pay particular attention to.

When we moved to New Zealand, I ended up getting a sunburn. This wasn't too out of the ordinary as I am very fair and rarely tan and when I don't burn, I generally just get freckly. But Scott, who never burns, even got a sunburn here and that's when I learned all about the giant Antarctic ozone hole which spreads over New Zealand and how dangerous it can be.

New Zealand is located at the bottom of the Southern Hemisphere and is very close to the Antarctica. In the 1980s, scientists discovered that there was a hole in the ozone over the South Pole which we humans caused with our bottles of hairspray and other chemicals. (Yes, I am responsible for this as well. It took a lot of hairspray to get my hair to create all those fabulous 1980s hairdos.) It is kind of like having hole in your hull - it lets water in which is not good at all. The hole in the ozone lets harmful UV rays from the sun in through the earth's natural sunscreen layer - that's not good either. The good news is that ozone hole may be shrinking - see here. New Zealand also has very clear skies and not a lot of pollution which increases the levels of UV radiation. Compared to similar latitudes in Europe, peak UV intensities in New Zealand are 40% higher.

We're heading into summer now in New Zealand and getting the boat ready to start cruising full-time on it, so its a good time to remind ourselves of how best to protect ourselves while out on the water.

1. Put sunscreen on first thing in the morning. During daylight savings time in New Zealand (September to April), I try to remember to put on sunscreen as part of my morning routine. It reminds me of its importance and then I have a sort of base layer to start the day with.
2. Reapply frequently. The sun is so strong here, I can feel myself start to burn after a couple of hours, so I need to reapply sunscreen all the time.
3. The weather always changes here. We try to never leave the boat without a bottle of sunscreen in our bag so that we're prepared to slop some more on when the sun comes out.
4. Wear a hat. Scott is really good about always wearing a hat, especially as he shaves his head. He'll wear any old hat with a brim and I think he only owns two. I have a fair few more than that (some of which are more fashionable than others), but my favorite for the boat has a strap on it so  that it doesn't go flying off in the wind.
5. Sunglasses. We try to look cool wearing sunglasses all the time. And it is quite practical as the sun can get so bright here reflecting off the water. You really can't do without.
6. We nag each other. I was actually the worst offender with getting burned and my family and Scott were always nagging me to put more sunscreen on. What's fun now is that Scott has shown he can burn in the New Zealand sun so I have an excuse to put my hands on my hips and tell him, "I told you so! Now go put some sun screen on." Sometimes the power of nagging goes to my head. But like I tell Scott, I only nag those I love.

SunSmart New Zealand has some great tips and resources on sun protection and melanoma skin cancer which you can check out here. In New Zealand and elsewhere, it pays to follow their mantra - slip, slop, slap and wrap.

Via New Zealand Sun Smart

Visit The Monkey's Fist to find other posts on this topic:http://themonkeysfist.blogspot.com/2013/11/sun-safety.html

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New Zealand Nautical Charts

Chart of the Tamaki Strait and approaches. The big island in the middle is Waiheke.
Via Land Information New Zealand. Crown Copyright Reserved.

My sister recently sent me some information about nautical charts and it got me thinking that I should learn more about those pieces of paper we depend upon to navigate our way around the Hauraki Gulf in New Zealand. While we inherited a Hauraki Gulf cruising guide with maps in it when we bought our sailboat, we decided to purchase a few "official charts" as well. To make them official you need to buy your charts from either a Principal Chart Agent or a Correcting Chart Agent (they are like the deluxe version of a Principal Chart Agent and have the power to correct your chart with the latest updates). When you buy your chart, they put a special stamp on the back. I find everyone stands up a bit straighter in the presence of the official, special stamp. We got our charts from Trans Pacific Marine in Westhaven. I like the place because the nice guy who stamped our charts for us also gave us a free plastic boatpak wallet which we use to protect our iPad. They cost extra but I asked nicely and said please. My mother was right, good manners do pay off. There are a lot of other retailers you can use - check out the Land Information New Zealand site for the latest list. You can also download copies of charts on their site as well.

So here's some history on nautical charts in New Zealand in case you're interested. Don't worry, you don't have to memorize anything. That's what made history classes so tedious for me in school - having to remember boring facts for tests. I wouldn't dream of inflicting that upon you. My Ohio History class was the worst. The only thing I remember is that there are 88 counties in Ohio. I have never had occasion to use this fact in any sort of practical way since taking that test. So pretty much a useless course. Or maybe I was useless. But back to the subject at hand...

Although the Polynesians were the first to discover New Zealand, they didn't record their travels in writing so it wasn't until the Europeans hit the scene that we got our first maps of the area. It isn't clear who was the first mapmaker. It could have been Jean Rotz who published a map in 1542 for King Henry VIII. He drew a large southern land mass resembling Australia which has a part sticking out that some people think is New Zealand's East Cape. The Kiwis don't really like it when people assume their country is part of Australia so it is a good thing that there isn't great evidence that this is in fact a representation of New Zealand. The next guy on the scene was Jacobszoon Visscher who was part of Abel Tasman's voyage in 1642-1643. He drew New Zealand's west coast from Hokitika to Cape Maria van Diemen and this representation showed up in atlases for the next 228 years. Then of course, Captain James Cook came along with his famous voyage in 1769-1770 when he sailed around both of the main islands and plotted the coastline pretty accurately. After Captain Cook, there continued to be more detailed charts plotted, in particular focusing on the bays, fiords and harbors where ships took on supplies.

And here is a fun fact - in 1855, there was an 8.1 magnitude earthquake in the Wellington peninsula. By comparing a chart from 1849 to one made in 1903, people smarter than me can tell that the harbor entrance became shallower by up to 3.6 meters due to the fact that the peninsula was uplifted and tilted to the west. This is an example of how historical documents can be useful and interesting.

And fun fact number two - did you know that New Zealand has the world's fourth largest Exclusive Economic Zone? If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, that means that New Zealand has jurisdiction and resource rights over more than 4 million square kilometers of water and sea floor. Given all that water, it isn't just enough to have good charts of your coastline, you also need to map the larger ocean. The earliest one goes back to 1895 and is based upon the Challenger expedition of 1872-1876 which was the first world-wide ocean survey. But because they didn't have the technology we do today, a lot of depth soundings were scattered and only a few large sea features identified. But humans have a way of coming up with new tools and techniques and in the 1990s multibeam echo sounding became a game changer. I'm not really sure how it works. I read a description of it and it seemed a bit too much like something out of Star Trek. But it seems to be the real deal as they've been able to create some very detailed maps as well as discover cool things like underwater volcanoes. If you want to find out more, check out the information about ocean exploration at the NOAA website.

Now that I've learned a little bit more about this history of hydrography in New Zealand, I don't think I'll look at our nautical charts quite the same way anymore.

Note: A great resource for finding out more about nautical charts in New Zealand is Lionel Carter's article on "Charting the Sea Floor" in the online Te Ara encyclopedia which you can find here. 

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