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.
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