Atrocious weather delayed us several times. Eventually, we took a gamble. A bright start, and Helen Crawford, Sea Spray's sales executive, and I were away from the ferry terminal ahead of the ever- earlier Auckland rush hour, but losing ground to an approaching front. Nevertheless, who could not be impressed with a Waikato spring morning? The cherry blossoms rose from bright red hedges, colonial farms hid behind nikau palms and white picket fences. Fitzgerald Glade gave way to rocky spires past Matamata, and suddenly we were there.
Smoko was the ideal time to meet Gerry Gerrand of Hamilton's Buccaneer Boats, Barry Marsh of his self-named Rotorua dealership, and his partner, Linda Brady. Marsh has centred much of his life around the lake and his flourishing business is testimony to how his knowledge translates into the valuable advice which brings customers to his door.
Gerrand has always built what he believes to be the best small boats in New Zealand, exactly the kind of boat Marsh and Brady like to sell. With these three as our hosts, we couldn't be in better hands.

An hour later we were launching two brand new Buccaneer Esprite 550s at Okawa Bay Lake Resort on Lake Rotoiti. This is the quintessential summer and sportsman's boat: big aft deck, back-to-back seating for safety and fishing, and walk-through to the open bow riding cockpit which provides heaps more comfortable seating ahead of the helmsman.
Though the rain looked imminent it was hard to hurry the launch in such a magnificent setting of elegant buildings, immaculate lawns, white trimmed docks and the timeless quiet. We whispered our way past the mallard ducks and fleet of sailboats ghosting around the lake's shoals. Then the clouds descended to meet the water and we sped away as earth, lake and sky merged into metallic grey.
We had not rigged a canopy, yet I was dry behind the windscreen as I tucked my camera into a stowage bin at my feet. I was to learn later that the design of this locker came from one of Buccaneers's development crew which gave a clue as to how Buccaneer remains at the top of the industry - good staff whose ideas are valued.

In fact, when I explored the boats more thoroughly, I found they were crammed with lockers, built with the same care as cockpit lockers on a keeler - overlapping lids and raised rims around deep gutters with lots of room for water to drain away.
Soon we were tying at Manupirua Hot Springs, an ancient treasure cut from the cliffs and only approachable by water. As I walked ashore, I knew I will always go boating to experience magic places otherwise denied. Some of New Zealand's earliest photographs were taken here 150 years ago, handsome Maori warriors enjoying the pools in flax skirts. With rain filling them almost faster than the hot spring, we shared the steaming baths with a young Japanese couple and their guide, their canoes pulled up on the beach beside our Buccaneers.
There is no hurry in such places, yet providence rewarded our patience. The cliffs had hidden the bright new sky which followed the front until the blue was already upon us. Suddenly a whole new day was ours. A few minutes fishing, without success I add, nevertheless proved how suitable the Esprite 550 is for this sport. A dozen rods tucked easily along side decks, and Gerrand had fitted one of the boats with a fine contoured arch whose rod holders would suit the most enthusiastic family. The boat contoured, clutter-free side decks left no hard edges, so that working the gear and nets away from the engine is easy and comfortable, yet always safe.
We had brought some summer toys with us - water skis, tubes, togs - and Helen was determined to show me how a kiwi summer on the lakes can be, if summer ever comes.

Besides, this was an opportunity to see Esprite 550 at work as a sport and ski boat. Like many details, this, too, had been well thought through. The aft deck is wide and open with plenty of room for setting up. An arched towing bitt is strongly mounted just ahead of the engine and gives better control than a simple pad-eye. The removable aft corner seats on a wide stern, with a folding ladder on the transom platform, make getting in and out of the water easy. All round visibility is excellent, so that manoeuvring the boat with a skier in the water was precise and safe, and Brady was well placed as the observer. Gritting her teeth bravely against the chilly water, Crawford was away. Gerrand steered her smoothly past the sparking tree lined shore and across our wake. The boat, fitted with a 150hp Yamaha, barely noticed the extra load as it zipped past Marsh and I , festooned with cameras in the second boat. Having made her point, we felt Crawford deserved to warm up again in the hot pools. Moments later we were back in this sociable setting, this time with a party of retirees.

It was time to get under way, to test the boats' high speed characteristics. A bow rider presents the designer with some unusual decisions, much more than just making a few new moulds. For any boat to work well, the balance of forces has to be just right. Four adults in the bow of the boat, or even two leaning out to watch the bow-wave, exert a considerable weight where it's least wanted. Yet adding beam, depth or straightening the bow angle to handle this weight can compromise some other desirable characteristic, like sea-kindliness or speed.
I knew Gerrand would have worried long and hard about just how to handle the subtle blend of design criteria and wanted to see how his design criteria and wanted to see how his decisions worked in practice. An empty bow can be too light, causing the boat to ride high, but, when laden, the boat may seem sluggish. The engine trim is final key, of course, and so long as the variations remain within the ability of the engine trim to correct, then the designer has succeeded. And yes, Gerrand had got it right. As crew moved around the boats, I noticed that the trim was never far from perfect. Gerrand, as the designer, was on to it immediately, and a quick wave to Marsh had our boat trimmed out.
I was glad also that the two boats were so differently finished. With a 115 Johnson, cable steering and "ex-works" accessories like the finely shaped stainless rails, one boat was standard. The other was fitted with a 150hp Yamaha, Sea Star hydraulic steering and a range of attractive extras, including a built-in fuel tank, sun canopy, navigation lights, Apelco Fish-Finder and electric bilge pump. Yet I could see how even the simpler boat would be more than enough for many people. For example, most would be happy with 45mph and an easier fuel consumption, compared with 52mph and a thirstier engine?

Back at the ramp, we eased the two boats onto their galvanised trailers and enjoyed the hospitality of Okawa Bay Lake Resort, a simple but well chosen lunch in an elegant setting, the bay windows overlooking the lake we had just vacated. Over our meal, I watched the relationship between Gerrand and Marsh, clearly based on lengthy mutual respect. Buccaneer remains one of the few boatbuilders which absolutely refuses to sell direct.
"I know I've lost some sales because of it," said Gerrand, "but it is more important to me to support the dealers, who have in turn remained loyal to us. In the long run we are all better off that way. For every sale I might have lost, there are five which the dealers and I have gained.
"Besides, building and marketing are different skills. This way, I concentrate on what I am best at, and the dealer like Barry do what they are best at, which is customer support and developing the ongoing relationships."

He must be right, because few Buccaneer owners move away, preferring to move up to another design. History shows that second-hand Buccaneer boats maintain an exceptional value, usually fetching more than they cost when new. Perhaps it is the minute attention to detail which impresses people, in every contour of the boats, every edge, every corner. Several times I saw Gerrand wiping the boats, not because he wanted to impress anyone, rather, because he has his own image of perfection, and will not compromise it even by so much as the smallest stain. By coincidence, one of Gerrand's first boats was on sale at Marsh's yard, hull number 11, launched 21 years ago.
Designs have changed since then, and the mid-70's orange gelcoat was a bit bright for my taste, but the quality of the boat was there to see. The mouldings were clean and accurate the joining strip seemed almost new, the upholstery neat, the alloy fittings in good order, and she sat on her original galvanised trailer, with no rust showing; truly ready for another 20 years.
In global terms, Buccaneer is not a big factory, with 18 staff producing one boat a day. Yet in a world which daily becomes more competitive, with imports challenging the country's best Buccaneer still manages to sell boats overseas, even to such critical markets as Hawaii. I think I know why.
The day had still a few hours to run by the time I got home. The lakes, the Waikato countryside and the towns were far behind me. But not the memories of a Kiwi day, nor the knowledge of why we choose to go boating. Nor the pleasure of new friendships. They were brighter than ever.