First Week Gone So quickly

Today will mark my first week in NZ. Today we are going to go paddling with a group of S&W’s friends over on the south side of the Bank’s peninsula. I borrow a boat that belongs to one of S&W’s friends and I follow them out to a place called Tumble down bay. It’s a lovely drive up and over this large hill, down a gravel road, through a sheep farm and finally down to this little bay. The place that we have to park the cars is at least a quarter mile from the beach. But everyone has a little kayak cart that we strap on to the boats then load them with our gear and start dragging them cross country. We have several obstacles to clear including large gully and a set of steps that take you over a fence. The beach is a long smooth black sand beach. The water is at least 75 yards away from the water. The bay is really more of a pocket in the shoreline. The sides are lined with crags and cliffs.

The weather is not bad. The sun is shining and the wind is mild although it will pick up as the day goes on. I guess it’s the nice weather that preceded a storm. The forecast is for another storm coming up from the south to hit later tonight. When we get to the beach a bunch of kayakers are already there and they are all set up for eating. They have sun shelters and food all layed out. Apparently there is a little email network of boaters that regularly meet.

I decide that I need to get in the water so I suit up and head to the water with my boat. Did I happen to mention that it’s a long way away! There is a small break coming up the bay and some people on boogie boards and one guy on a surf board are trying to catch some surf. I take the borrowed boat and make a couple of quick runs. The boogie boarders are impressed but the surfer is not and after a few passes he leaves the water. That leaves me and the Boogie boarders, that don’t seem all that interested in catching waves so much as just bobbing about in the water. I wouldn’t mind so much but they seem to want to do this right in the middle of the nicest part of the wave.

After a few runs I see Sandy launching out with his boat. His is a wooden boat that he designed and built himself and it is very sleek, very light and very low volume. We take turns on the waves and he does quite well. I paddled his boat later in the day and had a hell of a time keeping up right.

After 20 minutes or so the rest of the group starts to launch out and we form up and start heading out toward some rock gardens near the west. The wind has picked up and the water is big. The waves crash over the rocks as we move along the edge of the water. The main group is not accustomed to the rocks and big water but I can’t wait on them so I make a dash through cliffs at the end of the bay and a large stone pinnacle that juts up 6o ft out of the water. The water back here is coming from all direction but there is plenty of room and so there is very little danger. After picking my way though the rocks and swells I turn out of a large slot to the open ocean. The swell is big 8 – 10 ft but once clear of the rocks it’s easily managed. I turn back to rejoin the group in the middle of the mouth of the bay. They have decided to turn back as the swell and wind are both picking up. As I don’t wish to be rude I turn and join my hosts.

We follow the rough shore line back to the beach and I take the opportunity to investigate a few small caves. When I come out one of the paddlers is in the water practicing his paddle float rescue. I watch quietly and get treated to a golden arch at which point I start in with a little coaching (after a prompt from Sandy). The group seem to enjoy it and we all head back to the beach.

The wind has really picked up now and I’m glad that I didn’t take off by myself earlier. As I mentioned earlier I took this opportunity to paddle Sandy’s boat. I am standing next to Waveney as I’m getting ready when all of a sudden I see my paddle come flying through the air right at us followed by Sandy’s boat. Did I mention that it was very light. The boat and paddle are heading straight at Waveney and as she snatches the paddle out of the air I tackle, literally, the boat just before it crashes into Waveney. There I am laying spread eagle on top of the boat, after making a diving tackle in mid air. I’d heard of boats being tossed by the wind in Baja but this was my first experience with one. With the near miss we decide that its time to head back to the cars. Everybody starts packing stuff into the boats and loading on to there little boat caddies. We start the long trek back to the cars. This time I am not having such a bad time of it, which means that my boat only tipped over a couple of times.

When I get back to where the cars are parked I ask out loud if anyone has a boat for sale. What the heck, you never know! Guess what on guy says that the boat on his car is or sale. It is a long sleek Necky Arluk III or at least a copy of an Arluk III. The boat is made of fiberglass and the price is amazingly cheap. I immediately ask what’s wrong with the boat and the guy replies that it was the first boat out of the mould and that the owner / builder was looking to sell it. So we walk it back to the beach, that’s right way back over the beach. I’m not going to buy a boat that I haven’t paddled when the water is right there, relatively speaking. I take it out and it seems to be perfect. Plenty of storage, sleek and reasonability priced. Not really a rock gardening boat but I wanted something to do extend touring and this is the boat for that.

So I said I would take it. But there is one catch I don’t have pads to carry another boat. So the guy get direction from Sandy as to the whereabouts of the house and the guy say that he will meet us there and we can exchange money and the boat. Well as it happens we take too long to get back and when I pull up there is the boat in Sandy’s back yard. The guy just left it there. What trust! The thing with hanging with Sandy, You are just golden!

That night I get invited to go out for another paddle with Waveney and two of her friend Jilley and Marie in Lyttleton harbor. As Waveney wants to be on the water by 9am Sandy and I load the boats on to my Van and get all the stuff prepped. YEAH a Boat At Last!!!!! Next Lyttleton harbor and the great white’s maiden voyage.