Cast away your cares aboard a fishing bach

By GUY MULLER

We farewell Kaipara houseboat-owner Randall Haines, and with a final exchange of witticisms regarding abandoning-ship procedures, his dinghy slips quietly away from the stern of the Maple Leaf.

We motor sedately from Pahi, its Moreton Bay fig tree and its grand two-storey, one-time hotel. Ahead, a weekend for four adults and three children free to explore New Zealand's largest harbour aboard a 13m floating bach.

But unlike the Kaipara's sail and steam vessels of a century ago, two almost silent 40hp outboards power the Maple Leaf.

Nor did our maritime predecessors have the luxury of the boat's electronics including a VHF, depth sounder, detailed charts and course plotter to steer by. Perhaps such modern advantages are just as well, given that more than 100 passenger and trading vessels have been either stranded or wrecked on the Kaipara, and we don't intend to add to the number.

Thanks largely to such mod cons, we guide the Maple Leaf until will find a suitable spot and drop anchor in little more than 2m of water. We fire up the gas cooker for a brew of tea and cast a bait over the side, hoping to supplement our supper with a Kaipara snapper.

Later, with the kids bedded down, we sit on the forward deck, watching the gradual fading of the water's orange-tinged calm. Mullet ripple the harbour's surface and the sounds of cattle drift across the water. We congratulate ourselves on our boat-handling skills, console the person who has lost a ring and a timepiece overboard and decide to head for Tinopai the next day for a spot more fishing.

By midday we are feeling pleased with ourselves. Seated in deck chairs on the stern deck, we catch snapper, trevally, kahawai and, to the delight of the kids, a 30cm shark.

Randall Haines provides charts, marked with fishing spots and safe anchorages. And with a huge network of inlets, it is easy to find shelter from the wind.

Deserted beaches are plentiful and with the Maple Leaf's shallow draft - less than a metre with motors down - they are easily accessed using the craft's tender. And it is this "sense of space on the Kaipara, not having too many people around, and being able to take your own crew that appeals to people", says Haines.

Nor is space an issue on the boat. The Maple Leaf's generous interior dimensions allow plenty of room to spread out and plenty of headroom. With an open-plan feel, the main space houses the galley, wheelhouse, dining area and berths for three.

We sleep comfortably in a combination of bunks and foldout beds. There is even a separate cabin with a double bunk for those wanting extra privacy.

With a wraparound deck and seating on the bow, there is a sense of space inside and outside.

The Maple Leaf is as well equipped as the average bach with a shower, toilet, table, chairs, hot water, fridge/freezer, deck chairs, full galley, linen, barbecue, plenty of spare fuel and even a heater.

Randall encourages hirers to use the VHF radio to check in with the ever-friendly and helpful Dorothy of the local coastguard.

Before hirers leave Pahi, Randall familiarises them with the operation of the vessel, its electronics and safety procedures.

Haines designates areas of the Kaipara to houseboat hirers, depending on their boating experience. A skipper-provided option is available for those with limited or no boating experience.

Although our outer sailing limit has been designated as close to the entrance of the Kaipara Harbour, we choose to head inland for our second night. The wind drops late afternoon and we anchor in a narrow stretch of water on the Otamatea River. Making a quick trip ashore at low tide, in minutes we have some sizeable pacific oysters gathered from large clusters attached to rocks, fenceposts and logs.

We barbecue the day's bounty, then watch the sun slide into the sea somewhere near the Kaipara's entrance. With that sleepy-after-a-day-on-the-water feeling, and a glass or two of wine each, conversation soon subsides and we turn in.

Weighing anchor after a leisurely breakfast, we motor through the murky waters of the upper reaches of the harbour.

We pass mangroves, muddy beaches, shelly beaches, sandy beaches, rocky shore, cream-coloured cliffs, the remnants of wharves which once supported a booming native-timber industry, boatsheds, a marae, fizz boats dragging scallop dredges and farm houses which peer over the ridges of gently rolling farmland.

The day is spent fishing, beachcombing, reading, eating and relaxing. Until, with a late afternoon drawing to a close, we ease the Maple Leaf into Pahi and on to her mooring, where our boat's owners meet us.

We bid a fond farewell to our floating holiday home, and can't help wondering if the missing watch and ring ever will be found in the water.

* Guy Muller was a paying guest.

CASE NOTES

Where to find it

Maple Leaf is moored at Pahi, two hours north of Auckland. Turn off at Brynderwyn on to SH12.

Contact

Randall and Liz Haines

Holiday Houseboats NZ

ph (09) 4317453, fax (09) 4317453

email ehouseboats@xtra.co.nz

Boat hire costs

Summer (Labour Weekend to Queen's Birthday)

Weekend $790, mid-week $790, week $1550.

Winter

Weekend $600, mid-week $600, week, $1150

Peak season (15 December to January 30)

Weekend $890, mid-week $890, week $1750

Weekend is between noon Friday and 5pm Sunday.
Mid-week is between noon Monday and 5pm Thursday.
Other hire times by arrangement. Fuel for the journey costs extra.

* Holiday Houseboats operates another houseboat, Tui, also on the Kaipara Harbour.