New Zealand’s Bay of Islands Urupukupuka’s Otehei Bay as seen from our hike from Paradise Bay.

While Paradise Bay, Urupukapuka makes a great anchorage for cruisers, too-shallow-to-anchor Otehei Bay is an easy hike from Paradise.  There’s also a ferry dock at Otehei, providing another option for those hankering to visit lovely Urupukapuka from Paihia or Russell.

Trail down to Otehei Bay, Urupukapuka.  Bay of Islands, New Zealand.

Otehei Bay, once a fishing “camp” for the rich and famous, popularized by Zane Grey, is a great place to bird watch*, both the feathered and the other 2-legged variety.  Cafe, brews on tap, tables, bean-bag chairs, grassy knolls, a sandy beach, kayaks, jet skis, a small historical/interpretive center — Otehei offers activity options in spades.

*NZ bird watching post coming up soon — this one mostly focuses on the other “natives”

A vibrant palette of blue skies, green hills and teal waters, with intense floral accents in red-orange and hot pink, Otehei, like so much of New Zealand, is quite pretty.

Yacht-ertainment – this boat was well and thoroughly stuck in shallow Otehei Bay.

The yacht-ertainment (or yacht tv, if you prefer) — watching the shenanigans that result from boating incompetence provided excellent entertainment during our respite at Otehei Bay.  I suspect it’s a common occurrence.

Testosterone-based assistance overcame the urge to kick back at Otehei Bay.

Movement!  We were impressed with these can-do Kiwis.

Seagulls were quick to clear food left behind at a cafe table. Otehei Bay Urupukapuka, Bay of Islands, New Zealand.

Don’t forget your wallet if you might want to reward your hike with a refreshing beverage or a bite to eat.  After our hike on that pleasantly hot day, we eyed the cool tap beverages with envy.  The air was tinged with the mouthwatering tang of malt vinegar.  My stomach rumbled a bit.  However, we didn’t consider bringing our wallets as most of the Bay of Islands there’s no possibility of using it.  We were thrifty on accident that day.

Regardless, Otehei is a great place to while away an afternoon chilling out in the sunshine or learning about Urupukupuka’s history and wildlife conservation efforts.

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.

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.