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We now see them almost every time we visit the area where the Cup races are to be held , between Rangitoto and the Whangaparoa Peninsula . Meanwhile Ian had sailed there with a friend , also called Ian , and his son - - a 10-hour voyage across open water . We've sailed right alongside a replica of Captain Cook 's Endeavour : we were close-hauled and hard-pressed to keep up , which was disturbing until we noticed that , despite appearances , its square sails were aback and it was steaming along under a powerful , though anachronistic , engine . The organiser informed us that the only vacancy was in the " two-day option , " laconically remarking that this was only 15 to 18 km per day and therefore perfectly straightforward for anyone of moderate fitness . Between such rarefied events there was plenty of walking and sampling of local pubs and restaurants . Feeling a very long way indeed from any humanity - - there were no other boats out there at all - - we steered nervously through a narrow , rock-bordered channel between islets , the heavy ocean swell crashing to left and right , to take a peek at an incredible anchorage , almost unseen from the outside world except through a large hole in the huge rock that protects it from the elements . Indeed , one child had exceeded his expected lifespan so there was the real possibility that he might die any day . Gulf - - near Maraetai , and just across from Waiheke island , if you have a map handy . A great weekend was spent with Ian 's publisher and her ex-publisher husband , both of Italian descent , who live north , across the Golden Gate bridge . On the way he stopped in San Francisco ( highlight : cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito on the other side , returning by ferry ) and Belfast . Nikki 's overall comment was that the infamous bananas flambeed a la Beulah certainly lived up to expectations . The future of computing is being determined by cappuccino-drinking white males between 25 and 30 - - as culturally homogenous a group as you 'll ever meet . " Ian and Tony motored across the treacherous passage to the Coromandel Peninsula in a glassy calm , past the Watchman and his Dog , two tiny rocky islets in the middle of the ocean with a lighthouse and immense crashing waves that seem to arise out of nowhere , through the ferocious tide rips at the end of the Peninsula , past Elephant Cove on Happy Jack 's Island , a little enclosed rocky bay in the centre of an island that is not much bigger , holding just one or two boats ( it was already occupied ) , and down to Te Kouma harbour on the Coromandel for the night , before heading home . New Zealand 's South Island would have been French but for the fact that a boatload of French settlers destined for Akaroa tipped off the colonial English when they stopped at Russell in the North Island , whereupon the latter boarded their fastest boat , raced down , and hoisted the Union Jack to welcome the settlers . Security is excellent , not only guarding against unwanted visitors but also checking that boats remain properly moored and do n't sink ! And on the way back to Hamilton we ate delicious kebabs at a favourite haunt : Esmerelda 's traditional Lebanese / Maori kitchen in Papakura , alongside taxi drivers and people dining out in their pyjamas ... Sometimes Nikki 's parents ca n't really understand what the distinction is between " going out " and not " going out " - - and Nikki tells us we're in good company ; her friends ca n't understand either . But she left because of personality problems with her boss , who was the owner 's son - - and stealing money from the till .