Kaikoura

Well it finally happened! I got to dip a paddle in the water. After spending a placid night along the road side I awoke to find a beautiful day. During the night the sound of the ocean waves were only ocationally interrupted by the odd passing lorrie and twice by a freight train who's track lay just on the the other side of the highway. After making my coffee I watched the sun rise on the ocean and felt its warmth promise a warm wonderful day.

I drove into the town of Kaikoura which is on a small peninsula on the east coast north of Christchurch. It is know for its Whale watching, seals and rugged coast line. I rolled in to town and knew that I would kick my self if I didn't get on the water today. The forcast was for a cold southerly storm in a day or two and this was the warm weather that preceedes a storm, so I wasn't going to waste it. I called the local Kayaking shop, Kaikoura Kayaking, and booked a boat for a 3 hour tour, (choirs - a 3 hr tour). I waited in a parking lot for the boat to arrive as the this kayaking company had no shop per say and just used the local outdoors shop and the information kiosk for bookings. Well a mini van pulling a trailer full of boats and a wide tanned face of the guide stepped out. I walked up and greeted him. His name was Matt Foy, greeted me back with a hardy hand shake and the standard kiwi greeting of "G'day" He was going to be taking out a couple in a double and he was going to allow me to take a single out by my self although it wasn't his policy to allow folks to paddle on there own, no matter how skilled. I could almost here him saying to him self "This bloody Yank better not get himself in trouble in my boat".

We headed around to the south side of the peninsula where we off loaded and I promised I would be back by 3:30 and paddled off. The Kaikoura peninsula is surrounded by may rock and made for some great rock gardening. The local fur seals are so used to visitor that I was able to get right next to them before there comfort level was exceeded. As I was on my own I resisted to temptation to plow thu some of the more challenging areas but still had a great time and even got a little surfing in. It was a beautiful day, warm and windless. The water that wasn't rushing around rocks was glassy. When I returned Matt had already taken the couple in the double back and was returning while I was on shore changing out of my gear and hanging it to dry. We loaded his boat and I gave him some CCK swag and he headed off.
It was such a beautiful day I figured that I would just make myself a late lunch / early dinner and get some sun. I was sitting there in my lawn chair enjoying the view and the warmth on my skin for about an hour when Matt pulls up with a van full of clients and asks if I would like to go out again and give him a hand. Of course I said sure, that my gear was too dry anyway. So I got back into my stuff and we headed out.

We had 4 doubles and me in a single. Matt was paddling in the back of one of the doubles. As it was so nice I figured it would be a nice easy paddle but that would change!!! One we had gotten about a 1/4 mile out to Shark Tooth Point Matt had the group raft up and pointed south and asked the group what they say. I didn't see anything but a whale watching boat heading in from the open sea. What Matt saw was a line of white caps in he distance. He then asked me what I thought that meant. I replied that it meant 15knt winds at least, but I still didn't feel any wind on my face. He had a good eye and knew his waters, so he told the group that we weren't going around the point but just explore the more protected rocks where we were rafted up. Not more that a few minutes passed when the wind began to pick up. Water that was glassy and smooth only moment before was not a wiped washing machine of 2ft wind waves and at least a 20knt wind blowing us into the rocks. The clients eyes got big and I could tell that it was time to call it a day and get the folk back to terra firma! Matt thought the same thing, and in a voice that was calm and controlled he informed the group that we would be paddling back in. The group didn't argue (their eye's he size of dinner plates) so we started the process of getting these folks back to the van and off the rocks. Now I've been out in these type of conditions before many times and for experienced Kayaker this would be considered play time as the wind wave were immenently surfable. But for these beginners it was life and death at the hands of a unforgiving sea. Matt already had one boat on tow and I was cursing myself for not grabbing my tow rope before we left. I worked with the two remaining doubles to keep them off the rocks. A young couple from England didn't quite make it. They ended up hooked up on a rock and I quickly calmed them and pulled them and their boat off and sent them through a slot between rocks that would allow them to use the wind instead of working against it. We sailed through and caught the rest up on the beach. After tell the clients what fun they had ( liked they believed us) we loaded up the boats and Matt and I comment to our selves what luck that I had been there to help out. I'm sure that Matt would have gotten them in. I know I could have but I would have had a serious pucker factor going on if I was alone with that group ( been there, done that!). So after dropping them off Matt invited me back to his place to crash for the night.

Matt and his buddies seem to be the local adventure guides in town. They are the local dive masters, surfer, and kayaker guides. If I were to guess I would say they were all in there late 20's all loving life and living it as only young single guys can. Matt made us a wonderful stir fry dinner and we all sat around and watch movies on TV. This also gave me a chance to catch up on my email and blogging as well as get a load of laundry done. Later that night the rain came and the wind was still very strong. I headed off to sleep in Homey which was parked out back. The night got colder and colder. By morning I had put on several layers of clothes and could see my breath in the van. By day break the storm had passed, the wind had died down and the sun was shining. My clothes dried and I was ready to head to Christchurch. Before I left Matt asked if I would like to meet up with him and help him out with a three day class in Able Tasmen. As that coincided with my plans on being in that area I said I would love to so I guess its another play date. Next Stop Christchurch!