About the Author

Mike Pigneguy has always been involved with boats and ships. Mike and his partner Dee owned and operated the 96ft(30m) 'Te Aroha' out of Auckland for fifteen years, taking 20 passengers on 3 and 5 day natural history cruises around New Zealand's wonderful Northland Coast. Over the years Mike has also freelanced as a skipper on other charter boats and super yachts, not only around the New Zealand coast but also in the South Pacific, British Columbia and South East Alaska, the East and West Coasts of the USA and the Bahamas. With his intimate knowledge of the New Zealand coast and its people, super and mega yachts often contract Mike to work as their coastal pilot.