This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
left the Railway Station at 6.00 pm on Friday. When the van pulled out onto Waterloo Quay, we were immediately greeted by a tooting motorist. I didn’t think that we had pulled out too quickly but it soon became obvious that the trailer door was open and there were two packs on the roadway. A quick U-turn, a bit of old nylon rope, and we were on our way again. Dinner was at Levin but the Chinese takeaways were not up to their usual standard. We reached the campsite in the Kuratau Reserve at about 11.30 pm
Larry Cameron
our kayak adventure. The first hour was uneventful and after beaching the kayaks there was some changing around in the doubles to even up the crews. The next hour was probably the worst part of the trip. The waves were crashing against the cliffs and rebounding out again, causing steeply pointed 1— 1% metre-high crests. There were plenty of white caps. John had forgotten his lifejacket at the last stop and didn’t get it back until we reached the lunch spot at Te Hapua Reserve. As he said, it wouldn’t have been a problem so long as he didn’t fall out. Lyndsay Flowers and Snaret almost managed to get sissies ooesfseiats:
we had not pitched them in the dog exercise area. Wayne, Jeanine and Harriette were travelling by car and arrived later after picking up Matt (down from Auckland) from Kinloch. Saturday morning was windy and after some instruction from the Adventure Kayak Company, we launched the boats in the estuary and had some familiarisation before heading off at about 10 am on their double canoe surfing on the way in. The lunch stop was a welcome break for everyone. As this was about the mid-point of the worst conditions, the consensus was to carry on. The rudder on Harry’s boat had broken but Mike came up with a novel solution so we left the reserve leaving only our footprints but taking the toilet seat lid with us.
Trip Reports
The trip past the Karangahape cliffs had conditions similar to the morning and while the wind was still strong it had eased. By now, we were more accustomed to the conditions and this part of the trip did not seem as eventful as the morning. The trick seemed to be to just keep concentrating on the water in front of you. On reaching the end of the Karangahape Cliffs at Tangingatahi Point (it has an island off it), we turned to the right and paddled for slightly over an hour until we reached Waihaha, where we camped for the night. Coming into the estuary was a bit like entering Shangri-La, with this piece of flat land and estuary surrounded by miles of cliffs either side.
On reaching the shore, I hopped out of my kayak and started to walk up the beach but after 3 hours in a kayak my legs weren’t working. I staggered backwards and fell into the water. It didn’t make any difference to how wet I was. It only felt a little colder. Lyndsay the Admiral (nee Colonel) laughed loudly only to be caught by the estuary rip and dumped from his own kayak into knee-deep water (so it is true about he who laughs last). The rain had set in and we had dinner under a tent fly. Dinner consisted of kumara and pumpkin soup with bread rolls followed by vegetable stir-fry and marinated tofu. A dessert of stewed dates and apple with flaked almond and yoghurt had been planned. By now it was about 10 pm and everyone decided to go to bed, without dessert and with wine casks unopened. Sleeping under a tent fly was not pleasant. I had always thought that the name mosquito was a bit of a wimpy name for a fighter plane but now I know differently. Next year, perhaps tents might be a better option!
Conditions on Sunday were similar with most people waiting until the last minute before putting on their wet gear. We left the campsite at about 8 am. The westerly headwind had freshened and except for the first hour, waves tended to be travelling along the cliffs rather than into them. So the waves tended to be higher but they were generally coming from one direction. Staying together but not getting in anyone’s way was the norm for most of the day.
We had an extended lunch at a sheltered little cove by Kawakawa Point. The entrance to this camping area and small harbour is quite narrow and marked with a mailbox on the starboard side as you enter (‘right’ for all you tramping landlubbers). It was a pleasant place for lunch. However, Suzie was the only taker for the 20-30 bread rolls left over from the night before.
The last section of the trip was also rough and windy. We left Kinloch at 5 pm and arrived back in Wellington at about 10.30 pm.
The conditions had been rough on both days and the kayak company had considered cancelling the trip. There seemed to be an overall sense of satisfaction and achievement at reaching our destination and the group being able to handle the conditions.
Party members were: Lyndsay Fletcher (leader and admiral), Jeanine Langvik (cabin boy no.1), Wayne Stevens (cabin boy no.2); (half-drowned water rats) Ferrida Curwood, Harry Smith, John Hoffeins, Matt Grainger, Mike Pratt, Suzie McQuoid, Harriette Carr, Keith Harrison, Snaret Shalav, Melita Sharp, Lyndsay Flowers, and Larry Cameron (scribe).