This text was read by OCR from a scanned newsletter and has not been proofread yet, so expect odd characters and mistakes.
Gale force winds, possum infested campsites, mysteriously floating kayaks, lashings of chocolate(sorry none for Timmy), dangerous marine mammals and haunting music for Bonita. The scene was set for a dramatic weekend. "GALE WARNING IN FORCE for sea area Abel’. That was the forecast on Friday afternoon, with little change predicted for 12 hours. Not another kayaking trip in howling winds! A quick call to the kayaking company in Motueka calmed the trip leader down a bit. "Dead calm and flat over here!” Ok, get the gear, hop on the ferry, hop into the van and drive to Motueka. By midnight we were asleep in the shed of the kayak hirer. 8am next morning felt early, but we struggled to our feet and bolted down a quick brekkie. We wanted to launch our kayaks at Marahau. First, we had to do the safety briefing and pack. You realize “that" pile of gear, all scattered about, has to fit in “that" hatch. Of course you took the second pair of trousers, the lantern, a spare pair of shoes and all that yummy food... not to mention the kitchen sink. Kayak trips are great ‘cause you can fit heaps into your kayak -with a bit of practice! At 11am we were finally out on the water in lovely calm seas despite the predicted gale. Abe! Tasman is beautiful, golden beaches, clear water and dense, dark green native vegetation. No wonder so many tourists make their pilgrimage to this Park every summer. But we are clever, we are here on Queens Birthday and we will have the whole park to ourselves. Well, not quite, an armada of 24 paddlers gave us a little shock! After lunch on our own in Observation Bay, we stopped worrying. It was hot, shorts and Tshirt weather! No need for the provided wet suits! We did get a taste of the wind in Anchorage Bay. The westerly funnelling down the valley roughened up the water. We battled our way through whitecaps and gusts into more protected water. Then the sea was calm again and we enjoyed slowly paddling north. The days are short at this time of year, so we decided to make camp in Mosquito Bay. On the map it reads tidal lagoon, enter 2 hours before and
Sa SSS ES SSS SS SS SSS SSS
after high tide. It was nearly low tide and double kayaks are bloody heavy, especially to lug over 80 metres of beach! We returned to the beach at 5pm after an evening paddle, the sun had set behind the hill and the twilight immersed the bay in pink and blue! Then we spotted Bonita, Lindsay's giant blow up banana; the Easies had arrived! It was time to cook dinner. As soon as cooking fragrances started to waft out, little fury critters appeared. David, being an Aussie, thought they were cute (in secret I agreed with him, being a German, but I would never dare to say that aloud or even write it in a trip report...). The little furry critters proved very friendly and seemed keen to sample our meal. At one stage we were surrounded, but we managed to hold our own. Then suddenly someone shouted “Look at the water!". The sea was glowing with each wave that broke on the shore. Bioluminescence, caused by a little single-celled algae, one of the marvels of the ocean. I was up early to catch the marine forecast. In the end, we decided to paddle north for the morning, back to camp for lunch, then pack up and head south to another campsite. We set off to Tonga Island. After spying on the seals, we headed back to the coast to Shag Harbour. What a marvellous spot! A secret bay, hidden from the world. Lush green, silence, and clear water. Words like ‘Paradise’ come to mind. David and Andre sported with seal pups, twirling around the kayaks, twisting and turning through the eddies created by the paddles. A pup tried to get up ona fallen log but fell of f on several attempts. Eventually, a little whiskered face appeared above the log, peering out... Reluctantly, we headed back, aware that the tide was turning and not wanting to be caught inside the lagoon. On the way back to Mosquito Bay Jeanine and Sue watched some kayaks going through Arch Point. Note to se/f...A spring tide is needed to paddle through the arch, though hauling one’s kayak through is apparently a good substitute! We reached Mosquito Bay and decided to leave the kayaks where they were. The tide was still going out, and it was easier to carry our gear to the boats rather than haul the boats up. At one stage, one of the kayaks eee www.wtmc.org.nz PO Box 5068, Wellington decided to break out and see the world on it's own terms. A quick dash ensured its freedom was short-lived! After a lazy lunch in the sun, Katja was keen to prove that you never regret a swim (even in winter). We packed up our boats and headed out across the bay to our next campsite, Te Pukatea Bay - a beautiful beach tucked in from the rocks in the middle of the “mad mile". It was effortless paddling across the Anchorage Reach this time. Inno time, our tents were up and the keeners from the group were off for a walk around the point, rewarded by beautiful sunset over Anchorage Bay. Another excellent dinner, with a decadent dessert - chocolate fondue. We took care not to get too carried away, knowing we wouldn't sleep. Powered by chocolate, Katja, David and Andre keenly tramped away in the dark to gaze at stars. There was a spectacular show of nights lights, exchanged between the people on the beach and up on the hill, as disco lights and morse code shone out over the bay. The morse probably ended up as "hmshydaju” since none of us could remember the morse alphabet. Then it was dark and the Southern Cross shone directly above us, it's amazing how many stars you can see once you get away from the city lights! Our necks ached, but I didn't dare look away. Each time I did, David and Andre told me that I had just missed a shooting star. I stopped believing them. In the morning, we watched the sunrise over Te Pukatea Bay, the red clouds reflected in the water. We were all sad it was the last day on the water, but we knew a front was approaching and convinced ourselves it was worthwhile leaving while it was still really nice. Sue took charge of the double kayak, and after some circular steering we were off. We detoured around Adele Island to spot a few more seals lazing in the sun, and stopped off at Fisherman Island to put a few more layers on. Then, the group proved that you can head in two different directions and still end up at the same place. We paddled across to Split Apple Rock - a huge round granite rock that has split perfectly down the middle. A few of the more intrepid (or is it curious and crazy?!) persisted with the expedition's hidden agenda of trying to fit a sea kayak through the all of the tightest spots. They disappeared into various rock caves and crevices along the cliff lines. Having had to reverse out of yet another slot, it was decided that a smafler kayak (or a rubber bendy one) could have been quite useful! The trip ended in glorious sun for the unpacking, and in some cases draining, of the kayaks. The water entered uninvited in the case of Katja (who really did want that extra weight) and invited in the case of Andre who displayed his drowning techniques trying to roll his kayak. The only problem, for the spectators, was that he had to paddle a good distance offshore to turnover, as it was so shallow. Finally, Bonita was spotted on the horizon, heralding the arrival of the Easies. We crammed back into the van and headed for Picton with an obligatory pie stop (enjoyed on a gently swaying park bench-or was it us who were gently swaying??). We met up with the landlubbers from Nelson Lakes and headed across the Strait full of greasy Interislander chips. Some tourists were heard complaining about the rough crossing but us hardly sea salts never noticed a thing! Paddlers and contributors to this trip report: Katja, Sue, David, Andre and Jeanine, AKA..Julian, Dick, Ann, George and Timmy?? te le www.wtmc.org.nz PO Box 5068, Wellington