Sunset Moored at Kawau Island

Sunset Moored at Kawau Island - February 1999 We were now set to start properly and we decided to run up to Kawau Island at the North West end of the Gulf, a run which takes one past many of the attractive Islands such as Rakino, Tiritiri Matangi (an open sanctuary) Motuora, Motutara, the aptly named Beehive island which looks more like a Christmas pudding to us. The 31 NM logged took us a little over 6 hours, the first hour under engine as we went out to open sea through the Sargent Channel with scarcely a breath of wind. As soon as we had cleared the channel we got the forecast 15-20 knots and had a glorious run up a close reach with a conservative single reef whilst we got to know Largesse's handling. We were moored by 1500 and after a swim Peter rowed over to the beach opposite where we were moored and collected enough Pipis for a starter - there were so many he just had to collect them from the sand at low tide without even leaving the dingy! Pipis are a small shellfish which live just below the surface at the low water mark on many beaches. When you collect them they sometimes have a "tongue" still sticking out and can also eject a jet of water - perhaps this accounts for the name! You cook them like mussels - drop in boiling water and get them out as soon as the shells open.

Just as another Sunset turned the sky many shades of red another privately owned Raven 31 moored along side and we were invited over for a coffee. We took a bottle of wine and had a great evening and learnt a lot more about the Ravens - they have a strong owners club and are a very sought after boat. Gail and David Bryers have had "Business as Usual" for five years and spend all their holidays on it and participate in many of the club gatherings. They were off to Great Barrier the following day as a staging post to the Mercury Islands. They offered a lot of useful advice on the Northern Channel out from Kawau.