New sea kayak mission sponsored by Hydraulics

A few months ago I got an email from a couple of ambitious young guys wanting to paddle around Great Britain in their Sea Kayaks assisted with Kites. We decided that this was what we are all about and got on board! In early 2011 Open Horizons intend to circumnavigate Britain in a tandem sea Kayak, They will be relying only on natural elements to complete the challenge. Using the tides and currents as well as specially designed power kites to harness the winds power they estimate this adventure to take 90 days.

Here are a few shots of the guys training and I must say these guys are tough! Training in blizzard conditions while we sit here down in the NZ summer enjoying the sun!

Good luck guys!!

You can follow their mission HERE

-Dark and cold, breaking through the Ice - Photo via Aaron Price

- No more ice to break through - Photo via Aaron Price

-Coming into Harbor - Photo via Aaron Price

- Camp for the night in the snow!!! - Photo via Aaron Price

- Tough guys!!! - Photo Aaron Price

Tim about to leave the North Island!!!

Tim Taylor is getting it done. He has been on a water for a few weeks now and has knocked off the lower North Island on the East Coast already! Hes not sure where he will be for Christmas just yet due to weather but Im sure hes looking forward to it! Check out www.nzkayaker.com and you can track where he is and how far he has to go! Keep up the great work Tim!

"Today's goal isn't too far...Palliser Bay, about 40 to 50km away. As Tim set off, the wind was rising, and he was to experience one of the worst paddling experiences so far. By late morning he had reached White Rock & had to pull because the wind was so strong it was almost forcing the paddle out of his hands. This was where he met Mr Grumpy.....a local farmer who wasn't too keen on him being there, & encouraged him to move on to the next bay.

So...onwards into the wind & a final stop for the day at Kirikiri Bay, almost but not quite Cape Palliser. Here, Tim met with Shane Sutherland, a fellow kayaker who transported him around to Palliser Bay & a comfortable bed for the night. The tv news is full of stories about wild winds & trees breaking, so tomorrow looks like another rest day. It's anybody's bet if Tim will be in the North or South Island for Christmas day, so mum, dad & sister Steph are not sure what they will be up to at this stage.

Only 22km for the day, but Wellington is now within a day's paddle if the weather is kind."

Tim Taylor sets off around NZ

Check this link out for the TV3 News video of Tim before he sets off around NZ!

Good Luck!!!

TV3 Video

Tim Taylor set to go

Hi everyone just another update for Kayak New Zealand.

So with just over two weeks to go, things are getting pretty crazy around here. Fortunately for me, the hard work throughout the year is starting to pay off so its more of an organized craziness rather than just a disorganised mess. But I have to say that I’m loving it.

Training is going full steam ahead and I’ve had some amazing paddles over the last few weeks.

Basically I’m trying to get my body used to longer paddles with a full kayak, all without breaking anything or myself. Its quite a big balancing act with my training; to hard and I wear out, not enough and I get fat. I’m also relying on the fact that I will get fitter once I get on my trip, so as long as I have done ¾ of the work before hand I should be right.

On the organisation front things are looking solid. Nearly all of my sponsored products have arrived and are working well, so its only a few last minute ‘tweaks’ to do and everything will be 100%. I will also include a copy of my updated trip plan with this update, so I’m encouraging you to keep in contact and try and catch up with me when I’m in your part of the country.

Media is also getting hectic. I’ve recently taken on a media advisor, Grant Dyson, to help with the publicity side of things. Already he has proven to be solid gold and we have got some good exposure on radio, in magazines, and on some news websites. It looks like people are starting to pay some serious attention to this expedition and wherever I can I am pushing all of your brands. I have also been taken on by the Bay Fisher Magazine as a monthly contributor. This is a sort of sponsorship/media deal for the trip but it may extend into the future if my writing turns out to be any good. I think this will be a great opportunity to get a heap of exposure.

The other piece of new is also to do with Grant Dyson. After checking out my story and coming on board, he also expressed an interest in co-writing a book with me on my trip. We are currently just starting to piece things together and plan it out but its going to be another exciting adventure I think.

The next thing I want to let you all in on is how to contact me during my trip. I will be carrying my cell phone, my sat phone, a VHF radio, and my SPOT tracking device.

My cell will be next to useless in most places so I wouldn’t recommend that you use it unless you know I’m in a town e.g. when I get to Gisborne.

• My sat phone I will turn on daily at a few selected times, but I will not be openly giving

out this number as it will be primarily for safety communications with my support team.

However I you will be able to arrange with them a time to call me if needed. I am only doing

this because I will be limited on battery life and I won’t always be able to charge it.

• My VHF will only be good to use for line of sight communication e.g. from a boat or when

close to shore. Please contact my support crew to find out where I intend to land e.t.c.

• The SPOT is a satellite tracking device that I have kindly been sponsored by Salcom. Follow

the link on my website to check out where I am at on any given day.

• I will be answering my emails whenever I can but don’t rely on these to be immediate.

My support crews details are...

Lyn and Paul Taylor

Lyn ph) 021 151 1597

Paul ph) 021 897 893

AH ph) 07 579 1293

Work ph) 07 578 7794

email: lyn@bayblinds.co.nz or paul@bayblinds.co.nz

If you have trouble reaching either of them please contact Blair or Charlotte Anderson at Waimarino

Adventure Park on 07 576 4233.

Well thats about all I’ve got time to get down. Make sure you keep in touch and if you require

anything from me just let me know.

Paddle hard everyone.

Tim.

Tim Taylor hunts while training

- Tim picking up some fish after training

With the wind buggering off and the sunshine coming back out to play it actually feels like summer is on its way back. Unfortunately I’ve noticed a distinct drop in my fitness because of due to the lack of training opportunities over September. Anyways, I don’t care, the sun is shining and I’m loving it at the mo. One thing that the down time in September gave me was the opportunity to pad out my seat. This is now seriously paying off as I have little to no pain in my legs while I’m training, something which has been a serious problem. My basic plan at the mo is to train every second day. This is a mix of 2-4 hour paddles generally centred around the Tauranga harbour or out to Karewa Island. I also got my first big paddle in yesterday (Monday the 4th) in which I went out and around Motiti Island. A trip of some 55 kilometres, that took me about 7 hours. This time is actually means that I went very slow, being about half an hour longer than previous trips, but my shoulders have been playing up lately so I’m not willing to push them too hard just yet. I also managed to sneak in a race a couple of weekends ago. I was the kayaker in a team doing the Grinder Multisport. For the 12km paddle I did a time of 56 minutes, which I was pretty happy about and it helped us to take out the top 3man team.

As for preparation it is pretty hectic. I’ve got around 20 charts on which I’ve plotted out my route, calculated distances, and planned all my overnights. For each of these charts, I’ve gone and photocopied the relevant pieces so that I now have a couple of hundred A4 sized maps which I will laminate to use on my kayak. I’ve also put in my first food order so I’m in the next couple of days I am expecting to be swamped with boxes of freeze dried meals. And amongst all of this I’m finalizing all of the extra bits of gear that I need. Basically it all means that I have plenty of things to keep me occupied when I’m not on the water and honestly I love it!

Paddle hard everyone. Tim.

A paddle and dinner...man my life is hard.

Lou and josh in Thailand

So it all began in Bangkok when we arrived at 9pm and by 11pm they could still not track down my paddles that were once attached to the kayak and were now missing!!! Finally they told me they would hopefully locate them in the morning and send them the following night to our accommodation!!! From here things pretty much stayed on this level of dissapointment with Tylers gear not turning up and then getting shut down on some of Thailands best waterfalls due to the fact 'its too dangerous'....

- Looking at one we are not aloud to run - Photo Lou Urwin

Im going to leave it there and not go into these stories too much as we have a plan to do a stealth mission through the jungle later in the trip to run these drops and will show you them then!!!

- Where to go next... -Photo Lou Urwin

After all the stress of not kayaking we really needed to kayak so when we found Than Tip waterfall, even though it was not epic, we were keen to get wet at least. Our Kayaking efforts were quickly overshadowed by local kids wearing jeans not only jumping off the rocks into the water but climbing massive trees till the overhung the gorge then dropping in from there...

- Tyler Fox Boofing into Than Tip Waterfall gorge - Photo Toni George

- Josh Neilson on Than Tip - A nice start to the trip - Photo Tyler Fox

After Than Tip Waterfall we headed north for more and more rivers and drops with no water in them. We planned for the rainy season but the rain was not doing its part. That was Until we made it to Si Dit Waterfall. With the threat of getting shut down on yet another waterfall we stealthly unloaded the kayaks and ran them to the waters edge and got in. Lou and Toni went and set up cameras and Tyler and I waited for the go sign. Si Dit was a very un-natural looking drop that looks like you are boofing off a concrete slab but its not. Its a Natural drop with a soft pool at the bottom. Again although there was not heaps of water flowing off it was still a great way to kill the depression of not kayaking.

- Josh on Si Dit Nam Tok - Photo Toni George

- Lou Urwin Boofing Si Dit Nam Tok - Photo Josh Neilson

Josh at the Lip on round 3 - Photo Toni George

- Tyler Fox with Go Pro attached on round 2 - Photo Toni George

- Toni Georges turn, Si Dit, our first good drop- Photo Josh Neilson

One by one we ran the drop and got some sweet angles. After that it was back on the hunt. Next post will have more. Check back soon people...

California 2010

Having such a stella team of keeners meant that we covered a lot of ground. With lots of paddling to be had in Cali we managed to squeeze in a trip to Vail and check out the Teva Mountain Games. We packed all the gear we needed into Mum and turned east for the long drive to Colorado. Little did we know that we were embarking on a trip of legend. The 'kiwi house' in downtown Vail became quickly known around town. Ryan managed to uphold the 'kayakers' reputation in town and was arrested... but that's an entirely different story.

Doing my best to stay on top of things

Toni George repping hard. Watch this space paddling world

Keeping it road side on I80. Summit Run on the Yuba

Man love in the desert... Hmmm

It was this big....

Downtown Vail. Nice!

In car entertainment kiwi style. Ipod, duct tape and rear vision mirror. Sweet bix!

Back in Cali we were back on the goods scoring more laps on the Upper Middle Consumnes. I finally put my demons to rest on the South Merced with a sweet run down there with Rachel Moore and the always sweet Jamie Garrod.

Joining the dots on the South Merced

Sam Roil choosing life on the Middle Feather

Rachel Moore... not bad for a rafter

Barney and Jordy quite... amazing

No snakes harmed in the publishing of this blog. For real

Team Athlete carbo loading

Slides anayone? Yes please South Merced

Jamie staying out of trouble. Boofing is healthy

Cali kiwi tour 2010

Still on the injured list these days but to fill in my time I have taken to a serious regime of Facebook, airport shuttles and hiking food and cameras into multi-day sierra runs. Although seriously depressing watching everyone running super stout drops while im behind the camera at least i can still get out there and enjoy some of these amazing places!! beats being in NZ in the cold thats for sure!
Here are a few shots from the Gopro camera from some driving and life on the road! Been on the video camera for the kayaking part so limited in the Photos there but expect some sick stuff in the next film!!
Enjoy
Josh

-Toni trying to fit inside her kayak- not possible

- Mum driving away from the sunset on 99 - Photo Josh Neilson

- After 5 miles hike, Graceland slide is in sight - Photo Josh Neilson

- Go Mum Go! photo Josh Neilson

- Brad smart bringing a mozzy net! These fullas are brutal - Photo Josh Neilson

- Samoa aka Jared Mitchel getting limber before day 2 of west cherry - Photo Josh Neilson

- Practicing his Waka ama - Photo Josh Neilson

- Driving the 99 and missing the turn off to 3 rivers!! whoops! Photo Josh Neilson

- B getting ready to hike down into the slide in the background! MASSIVE!!! -Photo Josh Neilson

- The Greek Adonnis getting his drive on cali style!! no Air con so its HOT!! - Photo Josh Neilson

South Silver- The injured photographers perspective

Luckily when California was built they made a few rivers with easy access for walkers so when you are injured you can still enjoy the excitement of kayaking but from behind a camera lens! South Silver Creek is a great example of this with a track from top to bottom and easy access on the granite to each of the drops! On Wednesday Toni, Dan and Yan were at the bakery in Coloma (where i spend most of my injured time) and they were heading up there for the day! I Jumped on the opportunity to escape Coloma and head in there! The flow was stull healthy but I personally think this is the optimal flow because it actually has water to paddle on not just rocks!
It true South Silver style i passed on the beta that the first rapid had to be run blind and they took it and ran it sweet!! Its a huge slide about 200m long that runs straight down the middle the whole way!
There was mixed success on all the rapids during the day apart from Toni. This was up there with some of the styliest kayaking ive seen on this river ever!
For more on Toni's Kayaking you can check out her blog at www.toni-george.blogspot.com

Toni getting air on the bottom drop of 'Left Left' - Photo Josh Neilson

- Toni part way into one of the sickest drops on the planet - 'SKYSCRAPER' - Photo Josh Neilson

- Toni on 'Off Ramp' - the second part to skyscraper rapid, manditory at this flow - Photo Josh Neilson

- Yan and Toni trying to figure out the portage - Photo Josh Neilson

- Yan on 'Plastic Surgery' - Photo Josh Neilson

Tim out testing his kayak in the swell-

So wow what a month May was. After nearly 9 months of drought, along came May and reminded us what rain was. So what have I been up to in my preparation for my expedition? Well the big news is that my website nzkayaker.com is now fully up and running. This was an amazing experience to learn how it all happens, and I’m proud to have a place to finally show off all of my sponsored gear. I also had my vehicle sign written. Apart from slowing down my driving a bit, it makes me feel like things are just that wee bit more professional.

- Some of NZ's Beautiful coasline!

In between all of the rain I managed to get a fair amount of kayaking achieved. The big trip for the month was to paddle out to Mayor Island, which has been a dream of mine for ages. So you may ask “what is so special about this island?” Firstly it is 21 nautical miles off shore from Tauranga. To you landlubbers this is a distance of 38.9km. Secondly it is a privately owned island with complete pest free status. This means landing is permitted only with prior permission from DOC and if a DOC quarantine officer is present on the island.
So roughly 40km, not a big deal under usual circumstances. But when you are this far off shore there is nowhere to hide, and no one to come to the rescue. The trip took me 5 and 1/2 hours, and I was buggered by the time I landed. I had to deal with 15kn winds and a 2m swell so it was a real battle but strangely the worse it got, the more I loved it haha. Even the kayak seemed to love the waves. So much so, that she earned her new nickname ‘Waverly’.

Waverly up on the sand!

Arriving at the island around lunch, I got my kit sorted with DOC then spent the rest of the avo just cruising in around the island. I caught fish, played with the seals, and generally just enjoyed life. After camping the night in Sou West Bay, I had to endure the same trip all the way back. This time the swells were so big that a passing boat couldn’t even come along side me for fear of capsizing. But as we all know, you just put one stroke in after another and eventually you will get somewhere. For me that somewhere was a comfy couch and with a large pizza haha.

Paddle hard everyone.
Tim.

Lou and Josh up in Quebec

-Josh Neilson on the Autoboof - Photo Tyler Fox

So Lou and I have been up in Quebec for a little over a week now and it is producing the goods! we have had a couple of days off but mostly lots of sick kayaking! We have both updated our own blogs with some sweet shots and stories so check those out for the full stories!

Lou's are on www.louiseurwin.blogspot.com

Josh's on www.whitewater-koa.blogspot.com

Enjoy!!!!!

- Josh Neilson on the autoboof - Photo Dave Crerar