déjà vu

NZ to Fiji June 2023

Departure: Tauranga, New Zealand

Arrival: Denarau, Fiji

Total Voyage Duration: 4 Days 

Total Passage Distance: 1,300NM

Crew: Greg, Rod, Mick, Dave, Mitch, Daz

Having just returned from delivering XF60 ‘Rapide’ from New Zealand to Fiji a few days before, Dave and Mitch almost immediately spotted another window of good weather across the South Pacific, forecast to be just 3 days away.  After a rapid discussion with ‘Déjà Vu’s’ owner it was decided to go for it. Acting fast we put together a crew, notified customs and started to prep the boat. 

Tuesday night closed with a prepared and provisioned boat and crew, the Aussie half of the crew having arrived that afternoon, ready to depart from Tauranga at sunrise the next morning.  It was relatively calm weather when we left Tauranga first thing on Wednesday, giving a quick and easy trip up the coast to the Bay Of Islands. Stopping at Poor Knights Islands on the way we took the boat into Rikoriko cave – one of the largest sea caverns in the world. This side of Poor Knights was in the lee of the swell and wind so it was very calm. We shut the boat down inside the cave and cranked some music – Dire Straits’ Money For Nothing was an immersive experience in the unique acoustics of the cave. While in the cave Mitch put the drone up – much to its displeasure – and took the opportunity for some unique and cool footage. We finished up at Poor Knights with lunch under the cliffs, watching schools of big trevally and snapper play around the back of the boat. In Opua we topped up with fuel, dinner and an ice cream, cleared out of customs then headed straight offshore at around 6:30pm.

The window of good weather for this trip was wide enough for us to take the opportunity for a slightly different route to visit somewhere unique. Setting a direct course, we ran comfortably through the night and the next day at 28-29 knots. The weather was good with a following sea of around 2 meters, 12-14 second period, and very low wind. We had a mellow day onboard, spending the time chatting, reading and doing our watch shifts. A pod of humpback whales swam alongside us, joining our passage for a while as we cruised on. After a beautiful sunset at sea off to port the now black canvas of the sky shone with the light of unending stars. We slowed down on the second night to 8 knots in order to arrive at our mystery destination during daylight – a wise precaution when approaching remote, largely uncharted areas.

During the passage the week before on ‘Rapide’ we had heard about a place called Ceva-I-Ra, also known as Conway Reef – a tiny pillar that sticks up from ~3,000m deep, located around 250nm from the nearest land. The morning brought bright sunshine and a warm tropical breeze, a longingly anticipated change from New Zealand’s cold winter as we ventured deeper into warmer seas. Arriving just after sunrise we were greeted by a stunningly beautiful scene of rolling waves breaking onto a small reef, topped by a tiny sand quay in the centre that rises just 1.8m above the water. Flocks of sea birds large and small who made the islet home circled lazily overhead. Skeletons of dead trees rose from the sand alongside the shipwreck of a fishing boat which had made its way all the way through the shallow reef into the sand, both a clear display of the harshness of such isolation and the ferocity of South Pacific cyclones. The crew’s excitement was noticeably building fast, due to more than just the tropical environment – it was time to fish!

The hunt was on with twin, carefully selected lures run out past the wake from the aft quarter rod holders, and in less than 10 minutes the reels screamed and we had our first response – a pair of yellowfin tuna striking both lines at exactly the same time! With Greg and Rod on strike both fish were landed and found to be perfect eating size, promptly processed and put on ice, and the lines put straight back out. We carried on trolling a few laps of the atoll, fighting several more game fish and bringing in another two good yellowfin. We switched to jigging and caught giant trevally and various other striking looking reef fish including red bass. We hooked onto some dogtooth tuna for serious fighting, but ultimately lost every round to them and lost plenty of gear in the process through cut lines, torn off hooks and bent knife jigs. Even with high quality gear, the rate of attrition for fishing gear can be pretty high when taking on the monsters found in such isolated, untouched places. When the jigging gear had been dealt to by said monsters, we switched to the topwater.

Cracks in the outer reef are often home to large predators, however they’re a challenge to reach, especially in a big boat. Thanks to the delicate manoeuvrability and shallow draft of the Voodoo XF60 we were able to sit right in among the breaking waves and cast double from the bow and stern of the boat. In the crystal clear water we could see the fish charging out to chase the poppers and stick bait, resulting in very exciting fishing. After some good fighting we were rewarded with the biggest giant trevally any of the well experienced crew had ever seen, that truly earned its title.

By this time the first yellowfin had chilled enough, so Dave dished up some fresh as can be sashimi, eaten at its best sitting in the warm sea air in the open cockpit as we watched the deep blue breakers rolling and the birds gliding above the colourful reef. A beautiful meal to match the beautiful scenery.

A final troll saw Daz bring in a very generously proportioned wahoo, and we said au revoir to the remote reef. Ceva-I-Ra had made a lasting impression on us of its hard earned, isolated beauty and rich marine life. We powered up and motored through the night to Fiji, coming into the shelter of the reef at Navula passage in the early morning.

Coming into Denarau Marina for a day and night, we first cleared customs and refuelled, then cleaned and tidied up the boat after the passage. We ran into Bill from Rapide in the marina and he joined us on Déjà Vu for a stunning lunch of sesame crusted seared yellowfin tuna with wasabi lime crème and mango chilli salsa, with some beautiful New Zealand wines, swapping stories of adventure. In the afternoon the crew visited the shops for provisions and some more appropriate attire for the beautifully warm Fiji weather, then hit a restaurant in Denarau for dinner and the rugby game, and lastly a well-earned sleep.

Our second day in Fiji was to be a relaxing one, Mitch started the day by joining the crew of M/Y Como for some yoga in the cockpit of Como. After breakfast at Sails we left the marina and headed out to the reef at the southern end of the Mamanuca Islands where we spent the day swimming and relaxing. Tropical cocktails at a floating bar in the reef, a vivid Fijian sunset, and a calm night anchored in the lee of Malolo Island was the perfect way to end the journey.