A Sail Tale

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Ocean crossings

The Coconut Milk Run

Island-hopping west from French Polynesia through the Cooks, Niue and Tonga to Fiji, New Zealand or Australia: about 4,000 nm of tradewind cruising to Australia (about 8,000 nm if you count from Panama).

17 episodes on the chart

Distance
about 4,000 nm from French Polynesia to Australia (about 8,000 nm if you count from Panama); slightly less to New Zealand
Typical duration
a full season (roughly May to October) of island-hopping; individual legs from a few days to about two weeks
Season / best months
Roughly May to October; leave the tropics before the cyclone season (1 Nov to 30 Apr)
Prevailing winds
SE to E trade winds; route avoids ITCZ and SPCZ
Start / finish
French Polynesia to Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga, Fiji; onward to New Zealand or Australia
Fleet size
about 400 sailing vessels a year (estimate)

The Coconut Milk Run is the traditional cruising route across the South Pacific, from French Polynesia westward through the Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga and Fiji. From there boats head to New Zealand or on to Vanuatu and Australia. It is about 4,000 nm from French Polynesia to Australia (about 8,000 nm if you count from Panama), a little less to New Zealand. Sources estimate around 400 sailing vessels a year. The route avoids the worst of the ITCZ and the SPCZ by not venturing far north in the western Pacific.

Most cruisers do not do it in a single season. They arrive from the Marquesas in the southern winter, then leave the tropics before the South Pacific cyclone season (1 November to 30 April). Many head south from Tonga or Fiji to New Zealand for refit and rest, then return the next year.

Passages between islands are short, from a few days to two weeks, but the route is not easy. Reef anchorages, coral heads, poorly charted atolls, and the final jump to New Zealand in unsettled weather are the serious parts.

Highlights

  • Tuamotu atolls and the Society Islands
  • Rarotonga and Niue as calm, friendly stops
  • Vava'u, Tonga as a top cruising ground
  • Fiji's anchorages and Yasawa Islands

Watch out for

  • Cyclone season: plan your exit from the tropics
  • Poorly charted reefs and atolls
  • The passage to New Zealand needs a careful weather window
  • Clearance and quarantine rules vary by country

Episodes on this route 17

Crews on this route

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A summary for learning and dreaming, not for navigation. Rules, fees, seasons and security advice change: check current official sources before you go.

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