Getting to the Bay of Islands:
Our base is situated in Opua Village, about three and a half hours' drive north of the city of Auckland, and four hours' drive from the international airport. Go north to Kawakawa on State Highway 1, then SH 10 and follow the signs to Opua. The main tourist town in the district, Paihia, is 6km north of Opua.
Parking is accessible off-street from Opua Marina. Free on-street parking.
Flights between Auckland and the nearest airport at Kerikeri are operated by Air New Zealand. Each flight is protected by a shuttle service that runs for half an hour to Opua. Cost: $85 per trip (up to six passengers) by Paihia Taxi's or Kerikeri Taxis and Shuttle. Drivers will stop for provisions at the Waitangi supermarket if needed.
Regular bus services are run by Intercity between Auckland and Opua or Paihia. Opua Hill is our base's closest stop. If you are commuting by bus, contact us so that we can arrange to pick you up from the station, which is 800 meters from the village on the main road. A rental car is a perfect way to take a drive from Auckland and combine it with sight seeing along the way. The only firms providing one way hire with a drop off option at Opua are Far North Rentals and Epic Rentals. The cost is about $390 each way, so it's easier to rent a car for the whole period and leave it parked at Opua if you're sailing for a week.
No, you only need experience on similar boats you'd like to charter. If you don't have much experience, we are happy to assign a skipper for a day or as long as you think you need to get you up to speed.
You do not need a visa to visit New Zealand if you are Australian citizen or resident; A UK citizen and/or passport holder (you can stay up to six months) A citizen of a country which has a visa waiver agreement with New Zealand (you can stay up to three months). Talk to us to make sure you have the correct documents before you travel for your New Zealand yacht charter.
In a New Zealand town or area, the best way to get WiFi is to buy a coffee! Many cafes have free WiFi for uploading images and videos, which is good enough. On WiFi, some cafes have time or MB caps. Also, an obvious alternative is internet cafes.=answer
What can you tell me about sailing conditions in New Zealand?
The area in which our bareboat charter boats are licensed stretches from Cape Karikari, 60 miles north of the Bay of Islands, to the south of Cape Colville. This is 170 miles of the finest sailing to be provided by New Zealand. The warm season in New Zealand, which lasts from September to May, is the best time to sail. Sailing conditions are ideal for all sailors during this season. The Bay of Islands tidal depth is never more than 2 m and tidal streams are negligible.
Along the equator, the warm water of the tropical South Pacific flows westward. It creates a semi-tropical maritime climate enjoyed by the Bay of Islands when the current turns south. The seasons in New Zealand are from December to February in summer, March to May in autumn (fall), June to August in winter and September to November in spring. Most of the climate is temperate, although it varies from north to south. Slightly colder, but only slightly, is the North Island. The average summer temperature of the South Island in the winter is 21 ° Celsius down to 1 ° Celsius. Indeed, on the southern coast, destinations like Invercargill will encounter bitterly cold winter temperatures aided by the southerly Antarctic winds. The summer temperature of the North Island averages 23 ° Celsius, decreasing in the winter to 8 ° Celsius. Pack a bit of any form of clothing while traveling around the country: from wet weather gear to a bathing suit.