The Day of the PODs -- Sullivan Bay or Otarawhroa Bay if you prefer the Maori name

Well it’s a hectic day at Paul’s and Natasha’s house. We all caravan to the Sullivan’s beach which is north of Auckland ( about 20 km ). When we arrive the beach is in full swing. I find my POD ( number 7) and get ready for launch. The pods all launch together and then break apart to do a series of exercises to improve their kayaking skills. It seems that rudders and flat water is the norm here and any little breeze ( anything over 15knts) send most of these folks into a tizzy. We do some rescues, towing and “rudderless” paddle strokes. It is al very low key and I spend my time keeping a close eye on a 70ish women who is new to kayaking and struggling. I keep close and speak words of encouragement.
After the day is done I end up having dinner with a couple of the Lads from the beach, Matt The Brit and his son Billy, Phil the mouth and Andrew Smythers. Andrew is an instructor and guide here in NZ and has trained many of the people attending CB. He is very interested in Adaptive Paddling and we talk about my experience and what he has been doing to get Adaptive Paddling going in NZ. For those of you who don’t know what Adaptive Paddling is allow me to explain. This is the adaptation of kayaks to allow handicapped folks to go kayaking. I did a three day course in the subject a couple of years ago. Andrew tells me to call when I get back to Auckland and we can hook up for a few days paddling. Get back to Paul’s that evening to find that everyone has just returned from dinner as well. Next morning it’s back to Sullivan for the private rolling sessions.