Today I found myself aboard the Barbary, a beautiful yacht, and we were about to set sail out on the huge Lake Taupo – WOW!!! Leigh, Dan, Hunter (Leigh’s granddaughter who was staying with us for a few days) and I stepped aboard and settled ourselves on the roof of the cabin.
It was fairly choppy with a reasonable wind but bright and sunny and a good bit warmer than the day before as we moved out of the harbour. The skipper warned us that the wind could change on the Lake very quickly and we needed to be prepared for the boom to move to the other side of the boat at a moment’s notice.
Initially we skirted the edge of the lake in the relative shelter of Taupo Bay and could view smaller bays such as Acacia, an exclusive area where we could see beautiful properties with perfect views over the lake, some of which are worth eight million!
Jerusalem Bay, a much less popuated area, is owned and governed by the Maoris.
We then moved out into the open Lake which was like being on an ocean.
It spanned as far as the eye could see and there were snow-capped mountains in the distance. This scene was all in various shades of blues in true New Zealand style.
At this point the wind filled the sails and the boat leaned heavily to one side as it sped through the water. Yeehah what a thrill! I’d only ever sailed a small dinghy, first with my brother when we were teenagers and then I crewed a friend’s Enterprise dinghy about 20 years ago, but this was something else!
As we neared a rocky cove, we came out of the wind and bobbed about on the waves a bit as we drew close to the cliff. Here we could see Moari carvings which are over 10 metres high and are only accessible by boat. The spiritual and cultural beauty of these magnificent carvings towers above the deep waters of the Great Lake. In the late 1970s master carver Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell came to his mother’s land at Lake Taupō. On a boat trip around the Western Bays he saw the cliffs at Mine Bay and decided to use them as a canvas for his work. Matahi decided to carve a likeness of Ngatoroirangi, a visionary Maori navigator who guided the Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa tribes to the Taupō area over a thousand years ago. In recognition of the multi-cultural nature of New Zealand, Matahi also carved two smaller figures of Celtic design, which depict the south wind and a mermaid.
Then back out on to the open lake for our return trip. It was so good to be sailing again and feel the wind in your hair and the speed of the boat controlled by the elements!
In the afternoon Leigh, Hunter and I visited a Mosaic Gallery and Workshop with a small cafe, which was situated in the Acacia area we had seen from the sailing boat in the morning.
We had a spot of lunch, I had Corn Stacks with cream cheese, mango and rocket – yum, and then we walked around looking at the beautiful mosaic displays and object d’art…. interesting, colourful and some very amusing, like this armchair made totally from mosaic pieces.
On the way back we stopped by some of the little bays we’d seen from the boat. One of them was pariicularly peaceful and beautiful. We lingered watching a family of black swans as they circled around the jetty where we sat.
Parents at bow and stern with seven cygnets between. There was also a pair of Teals with their bright eyes checking us out.
After a sunny day the evening was warm and we sat out on the decking in the garden. Most houses here, just like Australia, have an area of decking under an extended roof all along at least one side of the house.
The flowers and blossom around the garden are really looking lovely now and this Rhododendron which is just coming out smells heavenly.
Hunter played with Sally the labrador on the lawn and we sat and watched the sun go down over the lake, which you could just glimpse through the trees below, sipping our Pino Gris.
2 Responses to I am sailing……