Luxury Sailing Hauraki Gulf with Gamesail

GameSail.co.nz Sail Away - Sunday Star Times, Escape Magazine, 11 January 2009 Posted On: Tuesday, 17 March 2009 by Miriyana Alexander To step on board luxury catamaran Kupe and set sail for a weekend at sea is to leave the real world behind. Rising unemployment - Pfff. Failing house prices - Who cares? Global economic mayhem - Fuggedaboutit. For the next 24 hours the stormy seas are not near us. Our biggest decisions will be fishing or swimming, white wine or red, sunbathing or snoozing. The housework and our offices are a million miles away. I do the unthinkable and turn off my mobile phone. Remarkably, I do not feel limbless - but I do feel ridiculously indulgent. The feeling lasts until exactly the moment we step back on land. The gorgeous 18m Te Ngakau A Kupe is owned and operated by Hamilton couple Christine and John Erkkila. It was launched in 2006 after a complicated middle-of- the-night journey from Hamilton to Auckland. At one point, air was removed from the truck’s tyres so it could fit under a bridge; at another the truck’s cargo was lifted to safely clear the median barriers. The boat’s name was gifted to the couple by a Maori Chief. It translates to ‘the sacred heart of Kupe”, referring to the great Maori navigator, who, legend has it, crossed the Pacific more than 1000 years ago, coming from Hawaiki to discover New Zealand. Kupe has all the bells and whistles. It sleeps six in three luxury cabins which come complete with queen-size beds, air-conditioning, ensuite, and 14-inch screen with DVD’s and Playstations. The saloon has a 42-inch plasma screen and DVD, the galley a dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. The couple charter it crewed (skipper, hostess and dive master if required) and all fishing and diving gear is provided. Its playground is mainly the waters around Great Barrier, but it has been up to the Pacific on big-game fishing expeditions. Today we four - hubby and I, plus friends John and Sara board at Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. Suddenly we are the beautiful people we’re usually staring at enviously from the bars. Bubbles in hand we motor out into the Hauraki Gulf to the north east end of Waiheke Island, sunbathing, and marvelling at our good fortune. After lunch, we pull into Hooks Bay and I brave the water for my first dip of the summer. Hubby knocks the booze on the head in preparation for a scallop hunt with dive master Jackie, and there’s much faffing about as the gear is prepared and Richard gets a refresher lesson. We follow the bubbles rising to the surface as the pair take seriously the task of getting tonight’s first course. We raise a toast as they return an hour later with a healthy-looking dive bag. Then it is time to catch our second course - snapper. Our skipper Mike heads for Gannet Rock, where punters on this very boat have been known to land 8kg specimens. Gulp. The pressure intensifies when Christine says should we not catch anything we’ll be going hungry tonight. She obviously doesn’t know John’s fishing history. He swears he is a jinx and has never caught a thing in his life. We’re determined today will be different. Our lines are loaded with pilchards and before long I get the first bite and reel in a 2kg Kahwai. I’m quite pleased with myself and pose for a photo, but it all goes horribly wrong when Jackie throws my fish back. Turns out it isn’t the tastiest of varieties. It’s a decision we could live to regret but I don’t argue - Jackie’s already got our lines baited again. We stick at it for another hour or so and although we all get nibbles, that’s all we get. We give up, pour another wine and anchor at Waiti Bay, opposite Pakatoa Island, agreeing we could get used to this lark. Our fabulous crew ensures our glasses are never empty and it already feels like we’ve been out of the city for days. We watch a glorious sunset as Christine rallies in the galley - turns out she has chicken in the freezer for just these occasions. Our feast starts with scallops and ends with a delicious berry cake and dessert wine. The sea is so calm we don’t spill a drop. Bellies full and wine glasses empty, it’s time for bed, where we sleep the sleep of the dead, dreaming of the dozens that got away. Click here to see more of Gamesail.co.nz