October passage Tonga or Fiji to NZ

[Els]

We are running a bit late with Pacific crossing French Polynesia to New Zealand.
We are planning to leave Papeete August 10.

What would you suggest would be the best and nicest way to sail from Bora Bora (now) to New Zealand (November).

Is it better to sail from Tonga or Fiji to NZ? (preparation for hull clean, immigration...)

Is it worth spending some time in Cook Islands?

Any suggestions or advice from people having done this trip are welcome.

Els

[barnakiel]

Bora to NZ is a drill.


Try Tonga (N Cal, Fiji, Vanuatu, etc.) instead - a shorter run and a better angle.


Cook Islands I like. We stopped at Aitutaki on our way to Tonga.


The passage to NZ may be very tough by all standards. Make sure your boat is well prepared and can handle a bad storm.


Cheers,
b.

[fxykty]

The passage to NZ is easier from Fiji than from Tonga and both are incomparably better than trying to sail from Bora Bora. From Fiji the passage is shorter (so it fits within one weather forecast) and far enough W so that when (inevitably) a strong SW flow comes up out of the Tasman as you approach NZ you won’t have to tack. Tonga to NZ allows an early pit stop at Minerva Reefs, but it is a longer passage than from Fiji and there is a high likelihood that you’ll have to go as far W as a Fiji - NZ passage above 30* S to deal with the system(s) coming out of the Tasman. If you were to sail from Bora Bora direct you’d stay north of 25* S anyway, so why not visit some amazing destinations? Even if you do it relatively quickly, next season you can sail from NZ - Tonga and spend more time in those countries.

Doing the passage in early November is still OK (check your insurance dates for when you have to be south of a certain latitude). And keep aware of any early season cyclone development.

Cool Islands are awesome, as b writes, Aitutaki is a gem. Niue too.Tonga’s Vava’u and Ha’apai are wonderful and quite different, while Tongatapu has some great spots and is better for provisioning.

Regarding your hull, clean it just before starting your passage to NZ and take a GoPro video of the entire hull(s), including any crevices near rudder post, prop shafts, thruster tunnel, etc. Send the video to NZ MPI when you lodge your pre-departure notice. One thing NZ MPI told us after reviewing our video was that they want the boat name in one continuous shot with the bottom. Grass and slime are OK, barnacles and mussels are not OK.

[JPA Cate]

Our first year in the South Pacific, we left Tonga on Halloween for NZ. It was a good passage, no storms whatsoever. Went back to Tonga, then on to Fiji for 2nd season, then on to Oz. Returned to NZ for the year of the Queen's Birthday Storm, a winter storm. Left NZ after the storm and back up to the tropics. How easy it is depends on how weatherly your boat is. There are early season cyclones to consider, to be aware of; they appear as lows in the Solomon Is. Late season cyclones also do occur, but you should have ample notice of such and be able to avoid one if one happens. The New Zealanders are very reasonable about letting you stay safe, and leave when safe to do so, but you will be expected to have an open relationship with Customs, and no sneaking.

Ann

[ejs]

Having done Tonga to Fiji once and Fiji to NZ 3 times, I can tell you that later in the year makes for an easier passage. As the season progresses, the gaps between the lows get longer and easier to predict. We have passed on early weather windows that were tight and arrived just before Christmas and it was a beautiful trip. Our usual time was around last week in November. You will notice the Kiwis tend to go late too. You do need to watch out for early cyclones, but they are (ore at least used to be) rare.

E