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| Urupukapuka’s Urupukapuka Bay. Paradise Bay looks similar, though didn’t get a good photo of it. New Zealand’s Bay of Islands. |
Urupukapuka‘s Paradise Bay, between New Zealand’s Bay of Islands and Whangarei was another highly recommended from Cindi & Rich of Legacy’s favorite anchorages list.
What makes a bay “paradise”?
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| Urupukupuka Bay’s campsites prompted our choice of Paradise Bay instead. Still, it’s a lovely bay, too. |
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| Placid, recently shorn sheep wandered Urupukapuka. Gates and special steps over fences restricted their wanderings. |
Our list is a simple one
- easy anchoring
- good protection from weather
- a gradual, sandy beach the dinghy glides onto and invites a barefoot stroll
- calm, clear, swimmable, kayak-able water
- well designed trailheads close by
- striking beauty, an elusive quality which can take many forms
- sunny – granted that’s a luck of the draw, but still, colors our view greatly
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| Trees nicely shaded portions of Urupukapuka’s trails. The blackened, wavy trunks could seem a tad menacing for an overactive imagination. |
Urupukapuka’s Paradise Bay definitely earned 100% on our excellent anchorage hit parade checklist.
In fact, Urupukapuka island itself, one of the larger ones in the area, is diverse enough our visit there will spread out over a couple blog posts. We covered about half the island in our afternoon there — all easy hiking through the island’s rolling hills — and would happily revisit some of what we saw, as well as check out what we didn’t.
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| This warning sign was near…. |
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| … the high overlook by this natural ocean rock archway. |
Unless complete solitude is one of your primary criteria for cruising stops, Urupukapuka’s a worthwhile Northland region stop, with a little something for just about everyone. Thanks again, Cindi and Rich!
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| One of many beautiful vistas on the Urupukapuka trail. This one…. |
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| like the natural arch enclosed a teal gem-like natural pool. |
Location Location
This is a recent retrospective of our time on New Zealand’s Urupukapuka island, December 29-30, 2015 (S35.13.076 E174.13.707). Urupukapuka is part of New Zealand’s Bay of Islands.
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| No anchorages on this side of Urupukakpuka. These rugged cliffs, seen hiking, are striking and inhospitable. |
Cruising by the Numbers
While in 2015 we sailed over 10,000 miles from Florida to New Zealand, since arriving here November 21, 2015, we’re quite happy we’ve sailed about 150 miles — most of it, motoring (;(). We’re resume longer passages after cycle season ends in May, and will happily explore New Zealand overland or in short hops until then.
