Competitors in the PIC Coastal Classic 2023 jostled for position at the start in off Devonport wharf in Auckland. Photo / LiveSailDie
Coastal Classic returns
For the past 42 years the fleet of the Coastal Classic yacht race has left Auckland and headed north to arrive at Russell wharf somewhere between nine or so hours later or as much as a day after the start.
Last year conditions were tricky and nearly half the fleet didn’t finish. Line honours went to Wired, the Tp52 yacht skippered by Rob Bassett. A close second, by eight minutes, was the catamaran of Okiato’s Erle Williams.
The original concept for the race came from Roger Dilley from the then Auckland Multihull Sailing Association and was loosely based on the speed record attempts by power boats dating back to the 1920s over the same course.
Twelve crews took up the challenge in 1982 and Roger coined the name “Coastal Classic”. Krisis, skippered by Duncan (Cookie) Stuart was the first boat into Russell and his record of 18 hours was not broken for four years.
In 1984 three all-women crews took part including a team aboard a 1910 cutter called Maeva. The first boat in, sailed exclusively by a female crew, was awarded the Te Hoe o Wairaka trophy.
Carved by Te Hau Tutua, it is named after Wairaka, daughter of the chief of the Mataatua canoe who beached the canoe after it had accidentally been set adrift with only one woman on board.
Over the years the race has attracted as many as 200 starters in 1995 to around 164 in 2023, but it is, nonetheless, one of the biggest yachting events of its type in the world.
This year several entrants are making a mad dash from Barcelona where they are attending the America’s Cup event to get back to Auckland in time to start the Coastal Classic. Whether they make it in time is still to be determined, given the cancellations to date in Spain because of weather.
Port Whangārei Marine Centre has joined the PIC as a key sponsor. The event takes place on Friday, October 25.
Russell’s grand old lodge
Arcadia Lodge is a boutique accommodation establishment that sits high on the hill overlooking Matauwhi Bay in Russell/Kororāreka.
To quote a Jeremiah proverb the property exists (in which to) “refresh the weary and satisfy the faint” and this year it celebrates 100 years of doing just that. There are, however, two schools of thought.
One is that it became Arcadia Lodge as early as 1924 (hence the 100-year celebration) but others suggest it didn’t become an accommodation lodge until 1930. Documentation to prove either has been lost but there is no doubt it is one of Russell’s iconic and well-established small hotels.
The lodge structure is original. It was built in 1902 by Rev Robert Goodine Boler for his wife and six children. It was the third house he built and the current owners, Peter Gillan and Greg Hoover, understand that much of the wood used in the construction was reclaimed and barged up north from Wellington.
It has solid kauri floors throughout and was originally built on a whale bone vertebrae, one of which sits in Arcadia’s lounge and the other is held by Russell Museum.
Across the years Arcadia has been everything from a boarding house, a backpackers and a youth centre for teenagers to go after school. At one point it was registered by Far North Council to hold 24 people.
Peter Gillan says it’s a “stay with personality” that has its own character with uneven floors and is sometimes classed as “quirky”.
“But” says Gillan, “we are only as good as the next guest walking through the door.”
Sitting beside Arcadia Lodge is Arcadia Cottage which is classified as a “renovated shed” but much is not known about the cottage since the records were lost in a council fire in Whangārei years ago.
Today it is a fully self-contained cottage that has gone through many renovations and yet it holds the greatest occupancy rate for the Arcadia business as a whole.
Pop-ups and consultation
For 10 days from April to May this year the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board conducted a series of “pop-up” consultations in Russell to discuss speed limits on roads in the region and the potential future of The Strand, the Russell waterfront road, among other more aesthetic subjects.
There were 446 ideas to improve The Strand and waterfront and 175 ideas for small changes. There were 724 “likes” on Facebook and 126 comments.
Subsequently the Far North District Council (FNDC) called for feedback on its speed management plan which proposes to lower the speed around schools, marae and downtown in urban and rural areas within the Russell-Kororāreka catchment area.
The catchment area includes the communities of Russell, Ōkiato, Rāwhiti and Kāretu. Council declared it wants to set speed limits “that better acknowledge local conditions and surrounding environment.”
One road under discussion is the main road from Russell to the car ferry on-ramp at Ōkiato. It starts as Russell-Whakapara Road and merges into Aucks Rd with a current open speed limit of 100km/h. This speed limit reduces to 70km/h within 500m of the ferry on-ramp in Ōkiato.
Residents suggest where it is currently the open speed limit, that speeds be reduced to 80km/h, or even 60km/h, and 50km/h through Ōkiato.
There are two different authorities governing these two main roads. The Whangārei District Council (WDC) has authority over Russell-Whakapara Rd while the FNDC governs Aucks Rd. After more than a decade of asking for speeds to be reduced on both roads, neither hasn’t been actioned.
New speed limits in Paihia became mandatory in June. Some of the roads with reduced limits came under the authority of FNDC while the main waterfront road, Marsden Rd, falls under the jurisdiction of NZ Transport Authority (NZTA) or Waka Kotahi since it’s a state highway.
The deadline for FNDC to receive feedback submissions on the speed management plan is 5pm on Monday, September 30.
Bay of Islands Walking Weekend
In mid-October the well-established Bay of Islands Walking Weekend kicks off four days of rambling, hiking, strolling and even imbibing. Many of the walks are labelled “walk to wine” and there are several opportunities to do just that.
There are a variety of walks to choose from which cater for every level of fitness, from 2km to 21km. The weekend is now in its eleventh year and every year the aim is to have a few new walks.
Last year, for instance, the PhatHouse Brewery River walk was established along the Waitangi River, through native bush to end up at Haruru Falls and the brewery for a behind-the-scenes tour and the chance to savour beer straight from the tank.
Also last year Barefoot Sailing Adventures was introduced as a “walk”. It is a sail on a catamaran to Moturua Island to beaches that date back to the Polynesian voyages of 1320. On offer is a walk from the beach through the bush and back to the beach.
New this year is a walk with a finish at the well-known Eagles Nest, an exclusive luxury lodged that has panoramic vistas across the Bay of Islands. It’s a “bubble and squeak” walk with a glass or two of champers at the end.
The Rakaumangman walk to Cape Brett lighthouse is an overnight walk for the fit. For the less fit there is the Club “humour in the heart of Russell” walk or the Pahia lookout walk with lunch afterwards at Charlotte’s Kitchen on the wharf.
Then there’s the Twin Coast Cycle Trail bike-and-walk option or the Island Hop, to Urupukapuka and Motuarohia Islands. Also available is the Kotikoti Walk which is over private land.
Northland Ferries offer ferry tickets for the walks for those who need to take the commercial boats. Bay of Islands Walking Weekend is on October 10, 11, 12 and 13.
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