Sailing to an island sanctuary in Hauraki Gulf New Zealand

Episode 013 In this video we spend a few days anchored off Rotoroa Island in the Hauraki Gulf. Rotoroa Island used to be an alcohol rehabilitation center owned and operated by the Salvation Army. Because of this, it still has a few historical buildings remaining including a jailhouse, school house, butchery and a church. However, it is now owned by a private trust who have opened it up to the public and are working hard to restore native forest on Rotoroa Island and provide a habitat to some of our most threatened native bird species. Rotoroa Island has an informative information center explaining its rich social history. We were fortunate enough to see the amazing regeneration of native forest and thriving native bird life whilst learning about Rotoroa's rich social history. Having sailed and visited the island sanctuary a few times now, we have to say that this is a must see on list of places to sail to, anchor in, and visit! What will you see on your visit to Rotoroa Island? We hope you enjoy it! As always, thanks for watching. Sincere thanks to Charlotte Rockstar Jones for composing and recording Te Tāiko's theme song. Please remember to subscribe, like, comment - it helps us out! If commenting, we ask that you be respectful. Any comments made that are intended to be hurtful, disrespectful, antagonistic, and inappropriate to us or our viewers will be deleted and you will be blocked from our channel. Ways to support us: Subscribe to YouTube (it's free) 👉https://www.youtube.com/@adamandvickistravels?sub_confirmation=1 Become a Patreon 👉patreon.com/adamandvickistravels FOLLOW US: Website 👉https://www.adamandvickistravels.co.nz/ Pinterest 👉 www.pinterest.com/adamandvickistravels Facebook 👉 https://www.facebook.com/adamandvickistravels/ Instagram 👉https://www.instagram.com/adamandvickistravels/ Music from Epidemic Sound. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We’re Adam and Vicki. After a few years of studying and working hard we decided it was time to make a change. We needed a change that would allow us to spend more time together, give us a better work/life balance, and the freedom to travel. While we still had time on our side, we wanted to use it to live rather than use it to chase money. Learning to sail was the answer. In December 2021 we moved onboard Te Tāiko, a Chico40, and since then we have been so fortunate to explore many of New Zealand’s pest free islands and its beautiful anchorages. With our love of travel and adventure, this lifestyle has enabled us to experience so much more than we could ever have imagined. From new experiences to meeting incredible people along the way, our life has been enriched in so many ways and makes us ever so more appreciative of our environment and the footprint we leave behind. Tāiko is our floating home. She gives us the freedom to go anywhere the wind and weather allows. By living a more minimalistic and sustainable lifestyle, she has provided us with a better work/life balance and has taught us to live and be present more in the moment. Tāiko has also taught us to be more independent and less reliant on services. Some of these experiences have taken us out of our comfort zone many times but as the saying goes, ‘a comfort zone is a wonderful place but nothing grows there’. Our plan is to do blue water cruising. So, over the next year we will be completing some maintenance work on Tāiko and be getting her ready to meet New Zealand’s category 1 requirements to be able to go offshore. In the meantime, follow along with us as we navigate this new lifestyle whilst sharpening our skills exploring New Zealand waters. #boatlife #boat #travelvlog #digitalnomad #lifestyle #sailing #travel