Really Good Websites .....

NEW ZEALAND GENERAL

Americas Cup. 2003AC seems to be well looked after and up to date (although it takes a while to get thru the flash intro), and there is a remarkable site here about the viaduct basin (the cup base). Louis Vuitton fans should look here to see true yacht racing.

The Weather! Heres an overview of New Zealand's climate and weather patterns, and here you will find out what its going to be like tomorrow.

Tides. Heres a handy tide computer.

New Zealand Fishing Regs. The official word on what you can and cant catch.

Diving & Fishing New Zealand's best dive mag runs a really good up to date web site at, and there's a fishing site with lots of pictures of people with fish here.

Charts & Maps. The finest aid to a good charter money can buy! Get yourself a roll of crisp, fresh, never-folded real New Zealand charts  - or check out the range of Dept of Conservation maps of National Parks & Island reserves.

REGIONAL CRUISING RELATED WEBSITES 
(Click on the suns to see regional forecasts and weather histories)

Bay of Islands & Northland. 
Take a look at our own cruising guide, and wander through Pic's old chum George Stumf's great directory. The wreck of Greenpeace's flagship, the Rainbow Warrior is a popular dive site some 12 miles north of the Bay. If you are keen on game fishing, the Swordfish Club is the place to sort out those records that need breaking.
Whangarei. 
The Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve  is famous for it's crystal clear waters, and a couple of wrecked naval ships, the Tui, and the Waikato are within easy reach too. 
Hauraki Gulf.  
Have a look at our own cruising guide (including a handy map). Tourism Auckland run a useful site, and there is very smart site about the Viaduct Basin here, while the Department of Conservation have lots of good sites about the Gulf's islands. Starting with the closest island to the city and working outwards, we have: Rangitoto, Motutapu, Motukorea, Motuihe, Tiritiri, Waiheke, Kawau, Great Barrier, Little Barrier, and The Mokohinaus, 
Bay of Plenty.  
There is a  marine reserve near Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula and another at Mayor Island, a smoking steaming, active volcano. Marine life abounds in the Bay, and  Butler, the famous wildlife watcher, gets to see it all.
The East Coast.  
A fairly exposed coast, but some wonderful cruising and fishing to be had in the right weather The Hawkes Bay Tourist Bureau has a good background on the region, and there are marine reserves here and here. Lake Waikaremoana is nearby and offers good walking and trout fishing. 
Wellington.
A well sheltered harbour, with a very nasty bit of water - Cook Strait - just outside. Somes Island is bang in the middle of Wellington Harbour, and makes a good day trip destination. Further up the Coast, best accessed from Mana, is  Kapiti Island, one of the biggest island reserves in the country. Most Wellington boaties head to the Marlborough Sounds for their fun.
North Island West Coast. 
Not a lot of shelter anywhere along this Coast, but there is some good fishing to be had by nipping out in a fast boat. There are, however,  some notable harbours that offer very rewarding pottering and exploring. Historic Kaipara Harbour has hundreds of miles of shoreline, while further north is the Hokianga.
North Island Lakes and Rivers. 
The biggest and busiest Lake is Taupo. Trout fishing is a big deal here, and Lee's splendidly chaotic site provides encyclopaedic information and HONEST daily reports on fishing conditions. A couple of hours north of Taupo are the Rotorua Lakes, which are well worth taking a few days to explore. A round up on fishing licenses, fresh water fish varieties etc can be had from NZ Fish and Game.
Marlborough.  
A huge area (check out our map). A nice little walking track runs around the edge of Queen Charlotte Sound (where the inter-island ferries dock), and Long Island, at it's mouth, is a marine reserve. There are three marinas within the sounds - which also happen to be your webmaster's holiday cruising grounds. Email Pic your questions. 
Christchurch  
There are two main harbours in the knobbly bit off the South Island's east coast - Akaroa and Lyttelton. Small harbours at Timaru and Oamaru offer the odd fishing cruise, and Dunedin Harbour, 4 hours drive south is the only other significant body of sheltered water in the region.
Southwest. 
A visit to Stewart Island, a newly gazetted National Park, is like stepping back in time. A great place to leave the crowds behind. Westland National Park is not accessible by road, making boat access the only decent option, and of course, the amazing Fiordland National Park is down this way too.
Abel Tasman & Golden Bay. 
The northwest corner of the South Island enjoys a little microclimate all of its own, and is home to the world famous Abel Tasman National Park. The park has dozens of estuaries, making it ideal for the shallow draught trailer yachts that can be hired from Nelson or Marahau. Tasman Bay, with Nelson on one side and the park on the other, is 20 miles across, well sheltered, and a great place to sail, and offers excellent scalloping. It is also home to Pic, your webmaster, so drop by when you come through.  
South Island Lakes and Rivers. 
Just about every river in the South Island has trout in it. A few have salmon. There are lakes from one end to the other, although Wanaka (which offers houseboats and yacht charters) and Te Anau, in the Queenstown area, are the biggest. 
Offshore & Expeditionary. 
South of Bluff are a number of bleak, windswept sub-antarctic islands of amazing beauty and conservation value. Visiting them is not usually an easy or pleasant trip, but once you are down that way, a visit to Antarctica could well be included. Three days sailing north of the North Island are NZ's Kermadecs, beyond which are trade winds and the sun-drenched islands of the South Pacific. 
South Pacific. 
Cruising boats usually leave NZ around April/May, and return October/November, you might get a crew position if you register here, or send a circular to NZ yacht club notice boards. Noonsight offers all sorts of info about serious cruising in the islands.

CHARTERING GENERAL

Luxury NZ Charterboats Having trouble getting through that inheritance? Check out Liz Smith's range of indulgences. 

Sail The Whitsundays and Get Drunk for Free Its dreadfully hot up there, and its full of Australians, but Anni & John, the owners of Charter Yachts Australia, are alright. Tell them I sent you and they'll put 6 bottles of Aussie wine in your liquor locker when you set off in one of their yachts. It will be OK for cleaning your teeth with anyway. 

Trade a Boat Having seen what carefree fun you could be having chartering, you will want to sell your boat. Do it with the guys at tradeaboat

So you want to be a charter skipper? You'll have to answer to the NZ Maritime Safety Authority, a remarkably sensible outfit with a remarkably sensible web site.  

If you have good suggestions for top class links (no ads please), contact Pic