Australian, New Zealand and SouthWest Pacific Anchorages

Hi everyone,

This is a technical post.  It follows on from previous posts on Western Australian and New Zealand anchorages.  We've now compiled additional anchorage, mooring and marina waypoints to cover Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

Overview of waypoints in OpenCPN

The new waypoints were compiled from Terry's Topics GPX files and our own research.  Terry's appear to have been provided mainly by SVs Banyandah, Black Duck, Matilda, Olena and SuAn.  Many thanks to them!  We removed most of the many duplicates in Terry's files.  Useful comments and links were retained.  The MinScale parameter was set on most waypoints to avoid obscuring underlying charts - so zoom in to find them all.  And the symbols used were modified to follow our convention.

Our waypoints are also available as KMZ files for GoogleEarth.  The latter are useful for exploring anchorages and marinas in the Google Earth Pro app.  This is especially helpful if you don't have satellite 'charts' installed in OpenCPN.  This of course presumes you have Starlink aboard since Google Earth Pro needs a high-speed internet connection.

With correct setup Google Earth Pro can show your current location via a serial NMEA013 data feed from your boat network.

Our Australian waypoints from Cocos-Keeling to Norfolk Island

Our SouthWest Pacific waypoints for Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia

The screenshot below shows how we arrange our OpenCPN persistent layers.  Each is read from one of our GPX files.  The number of waypoints in each file is shown.  Loading the GPX files as layers avoids inadvertent moving/editing of waypoints.

In addition to our GPX and KML libraries we also have a KAP library.  The KAP library contains satellite 'charts' for use in OpenCPN.

Here are links to the three folders holding this data on our Dropbox site:

• GPXlibrary
• KAPlibrary
• KMLlibrary

None of this information is for use in navigation!

If you find these waypoints useful consider donating using the button at the top of this page.

Alternately Buy us a Coffee!

Trust all's well where you are.

Western Australian Anchorages

Hi everyone,

This is a technical post!  It describes a set of 450+ waypoints extracted from the Western Australian Cruising Guide (WACG).  The image below shows the anchorage locations overall.  The WACG covers WA with lesser coverage of western NT and western SA.  It is the WA cruising 'bible'.

Overall Coverage

The WACG is freely available to download here in either ePub or PDF formats.  It has been published by the Cruising Section of Fremantle Sailing Club since 1997.  I have compiled the waypoints from the v5.5 2025 edition.

This set of waypoints is not intended to be a 100% WACG set but I believe it covers 95% or more.  Some waypoints described as 'desperation' anchorages are deliberately omitted.  Likewise some public moorings shown on charts.

WACG Front Cover

As for our New Zealand waypoints, three sets of data are present.  First three GPX files of waypoints (NT, WA & SA) created in OpenCPN.  The waypoints include anchorages, moorings and marinas.  Second a single zip file of KAP satcharts for most of the waypoints.  Third a single KMZ file for use in GoogleEarth.

Below are three GoogleEarth screenshots showing the Kimberley, Pilbara and West/South coast waypoints...

Kimberley

Pilbara

West & South Coasts

Every waypoint includes the WACG v5.5 PDF page number in its description field.  The ScaleMin parameter is set on most GPX waypoints.  This prevents dense sets of waypoints obscuring the underlying charts.  Zoom in to areas of interest to see all waypoints.  The screenshots above show all waypoints.

The accuracy of these waypoints has NOT been verified.

NOT for use in navigation!

The GPX files may be downloaded here.

The three files are named "ZenAgain_Waypoints_Australia_??.gpx".

Each file should be added to OpenCPN as a 'layer'.

The KAP zip file may be downloaded here.

The file is named "Australasia_Australia.zip".

Unzip the file then place the files in a folder searched by OpenCPN for charts.

The KMZ file may be downloaded here.

The file is named "ZenAgain_Waypoints_WACG.kmz".

Load the file in either the Google Earth Pro app or its online equivalent.

Here is a short video tour of WACG waypoints - from Darwin to Port Lincoln via Broome, Exmouth, Fremantle, Augusta and Esperance...

If you find these waypoints useful consider donating using the button at the top of this page.

Alternately Buy us a Coffee!

Trust all's well where you are.

New Zealand GoogleEarth KML File

Hi everyone,

This is a technical post.   It follows posts on a set of New Zealand OpenCPN waypoints and another on an associated set of KAP 'charts'.  Here we put the waypoints in GoogleEarth itself, providing another means of visualising the places and their surroundings.

Overview

Here are links to the preceding posts:

• New Zealand Anchorages
• New Zealand GoogleEarth KAP Charts

Here are links to the three folders holding this data on our Dropbox site:

• GPXlibrary
• KAPlibrary
• KMLlibrary

None of this information is for use in navigation!

To use GoogleEarth you can either install the Google Earth Pro app or run Google Earth in your browser.  In either you can load our KMZ file.  Then you can explore the ~550 anchorages, moorings and marinas in our set.

The screenshots below show the waypoints in various popular cruising areas.

Northland

Hauraki Gulf

Abel Tasman and Marlborough Sound

Fiordland

Stewart Island

The GoogleEarth Tour below gives an idea of the detail available, moving from Three Kings Islands in the north to Stewart Island's Port Pegasus in the south via Opua, Auckland, Nelson, Milford Sound and Preservation Inlet.

If you find our KML library useful consider donating using the button at the top of this page.  Alternately Buy Us A Coffee.

Trust all's well where you are!

New Zealand GoogleEarth KAP Charts

Hi everyone,

This is another technical post.  Last week I created a set of about 400 New Zealand anchorage, mooring and marina waypoints, primarily for use in OpenCPN.  They're publicly available and described here.  This week's task was to create GoogleEarth KAP satellite image 'charts' for them all.  KAP charts can be displayed in OpenCPN.

Viewing Zen Again's location in OpenCPN using KAP charts

Many sailors using satellite imagery in OpenCPN have abandoned KAP charts in favour of MBTILES charts.  The latter allow one to zoom in and out, viewing varying levels of detail while doing so.  I prefer to only use satellite imagery when zoomed in on a small area, for example a narrow pass or a small bay.  KAP files are also much smaller, for example MBTILES for all New Zealand is about 6GB while my KAP files are about 400MB.  Both formats have their uses.

Read this post to learn about our KAP library and how to use satellite imagery.

The KAP library is on Dropbox here and the file is Australasia_NewZealand.zip.

The quality of satellite imagery varies enormously - regardless of format.  Below are a series of KAP charts in OpenCPN.  They range from very clear to 'clear as mud'.  Many of the Fiordland images are very dark due to poor light in the fiords - they're surrounded by tall mountains after all!

Napier Harbour

Sailor's Rest on Stewart Island

Kelly's in Fiordland

Alice Falls in Fiordland - note the water course

Harrison Cove in Fiordland

If you look carefully at the image below you'll see lots of small red 'dots'.  They're actually rectangles showing the location of each chart.  The set includes all main cruising areas, but of course no set is exhaustive.

All of these KAP charts were created using the VFKaps OpenCPN plugin.  This fantastic tool makes the process very easy.  The 'VF" in VFKaps refers to VentureFarther, a web site setup to assist cruisers.  To create KAP files using the plugin you need to pay a US$20 subscription to VentureFarther.  This buys you the API key required by the plugin.  Worth every cent!

If you find our KAP file library useful consider donating using the button at the top of this page.  Alternately Buy Us A Coffee.

Trust all's well where you are!

New Zealand Anchorages

Hi everyone,

This is a technical post!  It describes a GPX file downloadable from our public Dropbox site.  The file contains about 550 New Zealand anchorages, moorings and marinas.  I expect it to grow over time.  It has been compiled primarily from cruising guides.

Overview

The accuracy of these waypoints has NOT been verified. 

NOT for use in navigation.

GPX files can be loaded into many chartplotters.  This file was constructed in OpenCPN v5.  We have not tried other chartplotters and welcome feedback advising success/failure.

Four main symbols are used:

 Swing anchorage or anchor and rig own shore line(s)

 Anchor and use provided shore line(s)

 Swing mooring or side-moor hawser

 Marina

The GPX file may be downloaded from our Dropbox GPXlibrary folder here.

The filename is 'ZenAgain_Waypoints_NewZealand.gpx'.

Other files in this folder are zip files of our tracks in various parts of the world.

Most of the marks/waypoints have the ScaleMin parameter set.  This prevents densely packed waypoints obscuring the under-lying chart.  Only those in the screenshot above don't.  For example here is a screenshot showing Northlands overall, including the Bay of Islands.  Only a few are visible in the Bay of Islands.

Northlands Overview

And here's the full set in the Bay of Islands.  They emerge as you zoom in.

Bay of Islands Detail

Another example is Fiordland where only one is visible in the top screenshot above.  Zoom in to see them all.  The screenshot below shows most but not all.

Fiordland Detail

And finally here's a screenshot of Port Pegasus, Stewart Island.

Port Pegasus Detail

Sources include:

• Boaties Guide to Fiordland (BG2F)
• Coastal Cruising Handbook (CCH)
• Destination NZ - Bluewater Cruisers Guide to Northern Waters (BCGNW)
• Fiordland by Sea (FbS)
• New Zealand Cruising Guide Central Area (NZCGCA)
• Northland Coast Boaties Atlas (NCBA)
• Stewart Island Cruising Guide (SICG)
• Island Cruising South Island Rally yearbook (SIR)
• NoForeignLand

Some of the marks/waypoints provide a NoForeignLand URL and/or cruising guide pages using the acronym shown in () above.  Here's an example's Properties in OpenCPN.  It has three separate sources and ScaleMin is enabled and set to 2000000.

 

The GPX file is best loaded as a 'layer' in OpenCPN.

The file will be updated occasionally as our New Zealand cruise progresses.

Here's hoping cruisers will find the file useful.  If you do feel free to buy us a beer - link at top-level!