Bareboat Bay of Islands, New Zealand

Sailing Conditions

General Conditions
The warm water of the tropical South Pacific flows westward along the equator. When the current turn south it produces a semi-tropical maritime climate enjoyed by the Bay of Islands. The tempered environment influences the summer from getting too hot (November - April, the seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere). The spring and fall are mild and the bay area is referred to as "winterless".

The seasons in New Zealand are summer from December to February, autumn (fall) from March to May, winter from June to August and spring from September to November. The climate is mostly temperate but varies from North to South. The North Island is slightly warmer, but only marginally. The South Island average summer temperature is 21° Celsius down to 1° Celsius in winter. Indeed, destinations such as Invercargill on the southern coast can experience bitterly cold winter temperatures assisted by the southerly Antarctic winds. The North Island Summer temperature averages 23° Celsius dropping to 8° Celsius in winter. If traveling around the country, it is probably a good idea to pack a little of every type of clothing: from wet weather gear to a bathing suit. 

Historical Weather (Averages by month):

Tides
There is a marked tidal fluctuation within the cruising area. The range is approximately 1.6m. During low tide, large mudflats are exposed along some of the coastline and inner harbor areas.

Weather Forecasts
There are many resources available to the voyager planning a passage to, from and around New Zealand. Much of this information is available on the New Zealand MetService website at http://www.metservice.co.nz/.

Weatherfax: The NZ MetService broadcasts weatherfaxes over five single-sideband radio frequencies: 3247.4, 5807, 9459, 13550.5, and 16340.1 kHz. The Tasman-New Zealand and the Southwest Pacific mean sea-level analysis charts are updated every six hours. The Southwest Pacific prognosis charts looking ahead 30, 48 and 72 hours are updated twice a day. The transmission schedule is broadcast between 11:00 and 11:45, sequentially at 15-minute intervals on the above frequencies. The schedule and faxes are also available on the MetService website. Satellite images are on the website as well.
Voice broadcasts: The High Seas Forecast is a human-voice broadcast that is updated twice a day and transmitted as follows: at 0903 and 2103 UTC on 6224 and 12356, and half an hour later at 0933 and 2133 UTC on 8297 and 16531. In addition, warnings are issued at 0303 and 0333 UTC and at 1503 and 1533 UTC on the above frequencies. The forecasts are divided into three areas:

• The Pacific, from 170 degrees west to 120 degrees west between 25 degrees south and 55 degrees south.
• The Subtropics, from 150 degrees east to 170 degrees west between 25 degrees south and 40 degrees south.
• The Forties, from 150 degrees east to 170 degrees west between 40 degrees south and 55 degrees south.

New Zealand coastal-area forecasts are broadcast on VHF and on 2207, 4146 and 6224 at 0533, 1333 and 1733 NZ Standard Time and on VHF only at 0733 and 2133 NZST. The country is divided into 17 marine areas and each is covered in the forecast. In addition, local forecasts are broadcast in some areas on VHF radio. In Auckland, continuous weather information is transmitted on VHF channel 21.