New Zealand Kayak Issue 81

Issue 81 In the Hunt for Adventure In the magical rivers run on the eastern side of the Southern Alps

Contrary Queen Charlotte’s black shags and white horses.

Year Round Kayak Fishing There is some great fishing in the winter months, see what you need to consider.

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Issue 81 Autumn 2016

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Contents Sea Kayaking 6.

Contrary Queen Charlotte 28.

Solo Auckland - Whitianga Fishing 22.

Year Round Kayak Fishing Canoe polo 38.

Canoe Polo White Water 14.

In the Hunt for Adventure 47.

10 years, 80 flights Obituary 37.

Ron Augustin Technical 34.

Cold Water Survival - Part Three 44.

Trip Card - Mana Island 45.

Trip Card - Bottle Top Bay to Drury Puzzles 33.

Sudoku 33.

Quick Crossword 41.

Puzzle Solutions Product 42.

Press Release - Sharkskin 43.

Rhino-Rack StealthBar 46.

Kayak listings

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Issue 81 Autumn 2016

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Plans lodged to urbanise coastal land from Stillwater to Long Bay Regional Park.

Editorial Help us Stop MORE Coastal Housing

Coastal urbanisation is happening all over New Zealand. There are small groups fighting to prevent a few land owners doing what the vast majority don’t want.

When asked about the developer’s plans, most say something like “no way, that is stupid. Why would the council allow someone to build on that?” The reality is; the game is stacked against the community in such a way that under current legislation the result is that every piece of privately owned land on any pristine piece of coast will eventually be rezoned for development.

The Okura case shows how landowners continue to apply for a rezoning year after year, funded by massive land appreciation in a one-sided fight. Small community groups are eventually crippled by the costs in both volunteer time and funds for legal and specialist evidence. This gets harder and harder to find each time, as the same land is fought over time and time, again. Therefore, under the current system, the developer is more likely to succeed, as they have bigger pockets.

This process has to stop! Our coast and the farmland or bush behind gives us a feeling of escape from our busy lives and I feel this underpins who we are and what we want to be as kiwis. Tourists flock to these shores, more for the backdrop than the sea views. One water or sand view looks very much like another. What makes the scene stunning is the uninterrupted, mountain, bush or farm vistas in the background. The government recognises the importance of this and uses it in both international marketing, such as the 100% Pure New Zealand marketing campaign, and when we depict ourselves in advertising, as in the recent backdrop to the flag referendum advertisements.

A number of years ago, a coastal developer said to me “I want to build something my kids can be proud of.” I believe, in 50 or 100 years’ time, the majority of residents, when given the information on how these last remaining areas where carved up, will be shocked at the lack of foresight shown. The developers, politicians, councillors and council staff that had a hand in its urbanisation will be remembered as part of the dark force that raped and pillaged the last of our EDITOR: Peter Townend, pete@canoeandkayak.co.nz PUBLISHER: New Zealand Kayak Magazine is published wonderful coastal areas.

Fired up again, grumpy and frustrated but still fighting on. Please join the movement of common sense.

Peter Townend Editor

www.kayaknz.co.nz

four times per year by Canoe & Kayak Ltd. PRINTING: MHP Print Pricing: At the time of printing the prices in this magazine were accurate.

However they may change at any time.

Copyright: The opinions expressed by contributors and the information stated in advertisements/articles are not necessarily agreed to by the editors or publisher of New Zealand Kayak Magazine.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: Go to: www.kayaknz.co.nz/subscriptions CONTRIBUTORS: We welcome contributors’ articles and photos. Refer to www.canoeandkayak.co.nz/guide for more details. ALL CONTRIBUTIONS TO: James Fitness, james@canoeandkayak.co.nz New Zealand Kayak Magazine Photos: Front page: Bay of Many Coves Contents page: Kelp calmness Photos by: Ruth E. Henderson

This will have a massive impact on wildlife, the Marine Reserve, the Okura Bush walkway and residents overlooking the area. Our organisations have been protecting this area from development for decades and need your support to continue.

Organisations who oppose the Development: Okura Environmental Group (OEG) comprising of: Long Bay-Okura Great Park Society, Keep Okura Green Incorporated, Dacre Cottage Management Committee, Friends of Okura Bush, East Coast Bays Coastal Protection Society and Okura Residents & Ratepayers Association.

These organisations have been fighting for the protection of the coast from the Wade River through to Long Bay for decades. These include numerous Environment Court proceedings and Council hearings. During these years well over half a million dollars has been raised from the community and spent on lawyers and specialists to support our vision to leave some rural, natural and forested land in the area for future generations to enjoy. We have won many battles and still have ten acre blocks on the southern hills of the Okura Estuary through action in the Environment Court. Long Bay Regional Park has been expanded and protected in many areas from development through our efforts.

We are active guardians of the land: We've worked hard in practical conservation. Efforts include planting thousands of trees, eradicating thousands of pests and protecting endangered birds, maintaining and improving the historic Dacre Cottage and grounds, protecting and improving the Okura Bush Walkway and the Long Bay Okura Marine Reserve.

Help us Save our Coast We are passionate about this area! We deserve to be heard! It's our environment! Go to www.longbaypark.org.nz to donate or directly into the Long Bay-Okura Great Park Society Bank account 12 3053 0467134 00. Please include depositors name and contact details.

We have raised over $90,000 and need another $30,000 to finish this battle.

www.givealittle.co.nz/org/ savelongbayokuracoastline Issue 81 Autumn 2016

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Contrary Queen Charlotte

Bay of Many Coves – Shaun Maclaren and Glenda Ray Photo by Ruth E. Henderson

By Ruth E. Henderson

As dawn broke, on Sunday morning I was woken by a member of the Parawai Tramping Club hollering “I’ve just won the photo competition, don’t anyone else bother entering.” My interest piqued, camera in hand I quickly unzipped my tent... to gaze at the wonderfully calm still, mellow yellow waters of Ratimera Bay, in the Queen Charlotte Sound.

Although still basically dark, half the camp was already packing up.

We were a heterogeneous collection of people, mostly from the North Island with a ferry to catch back across the Cook Strait, back to work on Monday. Nineteen kayakers had congregated for an informal gathering of KASK (Kiwi Assn of Sea Kayakers) intruding on a family trying to have a quiet weekend away; when what looked like an invasion of eight double kayaks, produced sixteen trampers from the Paraparaumu/Waikanae area. We all had a good night...but now it was bit like the old tramping song “10 Green Bottles hanging on a wall”. We were down to five able to holiday longer: Glenda Ray and Shaun Maclaren from Auckland, Mags Ramsey from Maraetai, myself from Kawau Island and Dave Cook these days living in Picton.

The previous day the four of us from the north had had our first experience of Charlotte’s capriciousness. We’d left the cars at Waikawa Bay Marina with the forecast of 11 – 17 knots rising. David Evans, another former North Islander now living in Picton had warned us: “Charlotte can be a right beast to forecast accurately. Take a bit of Cook Strait (Metservice), mix it up with Ngakuta Bay (Windfinder), a touch of Metvuw, and www. yr.no (Norwegian forecast site used by many local boaties) and last but not least the steep hills effects on wind. What you often finish up with is a range of 10 knots variable up to 40 knot gusts! The best advice I can give is to get on the water early and reassess at around 11am when the

wind often starts to crank up.” So we were on the water at 8.00 with the aim to get off before the eleven o’clock wind kicked in...The 11 knots was more like 15, then 25, then 15 from ANY direction and that night we had 40 knots whistling thru the trees.

But this day was ‘one out of the box’. Gorgeous. The five of us headed into the Bay of Many Coves. It was much like Kawau with jetties, baches, one sporting a flying fox for transporting gear up the hill, fish-cleaning tables, and flag poles, one flying the red ensign. As this was the time of the NZ flag referendum, I wondered what would replace flags like the red or white ensign...

We just had to stop for a morning coffee (and for some, a slice of orange cake) at the café, before we continued our leisurely explore. Seals entertained; sunbathing on rocks or jetties, or rolling lazily and luxuriously around us. In rock caves we spied on shags in their domesticity. Back at Ratimera, mares’ tails skittering in the sky, we had the campsite to ourselves and had just enough phone signal to send and receive text messages. Ian at Kawau and David at Picton gave us a range of weather forecasts to choose from between Picton, Brothers Islands, Cape Jackson and Cook Strait. We could chose to believe “light winds rising to 10-15k SE or 16-18 SSW or 45 dropping to 25 S”. Something was brewing...

Mags slipped away at dawn, Dave and I left 45 mins later and with a tail wind caught up with her two hours later at Blumine Island. The others headed back to Waikawa, their car and the rest of their South Island holiday.

Three green bottles hanging on the wall…

At 11am on the dot the wind accelerated...if it was 45k in the Strait, it was 35k and madness where we were. We tied our kayaks to trees and watched the white horses gallop and prance down the Sound. Glenda KASK National Sea Kayaking Forum 2017 will be held on a treasure island hidden in the Hauraki Gulf. The forum will be unique, memorable and have an emphasis on paddling skill development “to take your paddling to another level”.

We have a fantastic new forum team to organize the event and make it happen.

Registration opens on 15 May 2016. More details on http://news.kask.org.nz/forum2017/

P AKASK G E Forum 8 16-04.indd I s s 1u e 8 1 A u t u m n 2 0 1 6

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Deceptively calm – Ratimera sunset Photo by Ruth E. Henderson

Moody Queen Charlotte Photo by Ruth E. Henderson

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texted to say they’d had 30 mins in the car park to sort out gear before “the howler” hit them...and “visibility so lousy, can only just see the ferry from (the Picton waterfront café) Cortado”.

Mags and I set off on foot to explore Blumine and its WWII history.

Despite the wind, the bird life was busy: Bellbirds, grey warblers and tui sang, tom tits and silvereyes twittered and chirped, wood pigeons cooed, and the thieving weka screeched and boomed. I was looking forward to enjoying what David’s wife, Jacqui Tyrell had described as “the best ever dawn chorus”.

The gun emplacements were impressive with their sheer size and I could imagine the man-power needed to create all that concrete without the benefit of running water, electricity or helicopter drops. We discovered they had perfect acoustics, so sang a round of Frere Jacques. Views out to Long Island and Motuara, also predator-free would have been tantalising, but for the wind... The historic campsite obviously still got some use by DOC workers, whereas the old barracks were not much more than floor plans with walls of nikau in rich red berry and silver ferns. Mags carried on ‘off-track’ to find both the island’s summits, whist I went back to camp, my book and the challenges of boiling the billy.

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That night I failed to hear the NZ’s rarest kiwi, the rowi and in the morning the birds failed to wake me, so it was a scramble to get on the water at the agreed time of 8.00am. I had to forgo my breakfast. Not good. Around the top of the island Dave spotted up a cliff a strange gathering of single shags, backs to the sea. There were no nests, nor piles of guano, perhaps it was a temporary perch for bachelors?

We were heading for Arapawa Island’s, Wharehunga Bay and its walking tracks clearly shown on my AA map...But, I hadn’t registered that it was not on the laminated Topo maps I’d borrowed from Robbie Banks...and once on the water, with salty sunglasses...I unwittingly had my eye on the wrong bay beginning with “W”. We can attest that Waikakaramea Bay does not have a DOC campsite! We stopped anyway...I needed my ‘breakfast’ (think “Snickers bar” advert) and dry warm clothes, as I’d gotten wet gathering mussels. Dave had a ‘power nap’ as he waited patiently for me to become human again.

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Going back was an extremely briefly held option; we forged on heading past the ugliness of felled forest on one shore and poisoned brown wildling pines on the other, into Tory Channel and Ngaruru Bay. Once again we were treated to seals basking in patches of sun in the lee of the wind, and briefly saw some of the smallest marine dolphins in the world, Hector’s, identified by their round dorsal fins. An “Eko- tour” boat hassled them...

Ranger Mags added this to her list of things to report to DOC! Swards of kelp provided us with flat calm places to rest from the wake and waves thrown up from ferries and the ever present wind. After six hours paddling and only about 20 kms I was sick of it and glad to make camp where at least it did dry our clothes and keep the sand-flies away, but unfortunately, not the omnipresent wasps. That night, one moment I could hear a leaf drop on my tent and the next, the roar as a gust ripped through the tree tops. Quite disconcerting...

The next day’s ‘average’ forecast was for 15 – 20 knots SSE and the following day for up to 30 knots. ..the inclination was to skedaddle but we delayed departure to a leisurely 9.00 am so we could take advantage of the incoming tide to take us back into Queen Charlotte Sound. We wanted to cross to the other side of the Tory Channel to get some protection from the Southerly, but waited to avoid playing dodgems with ferries. It was helpful having Dave’s local knowledge and VHF Channel 19 where we could listen to the ferries 10 minute warnings of when they were entering or leaving the Tory Channel.

Typically the wind attacked us from every which way, blasting out of PAGE 10

Issue 81 Autumn 2016

Ultra lifejackets offer versatility and comfort at a price that will have you paddling safely like this in no time Avaliable at Canoe & Kayak Stores Nationwide www.kayaknz.co.nz

Lake Rotoehu Photo by Ruth E. Henderson

Silhouette Mags Ramsey – Queen Charlotte Photo by Ruth E. Henderson

Shags living quarters Photo by Ruth E. Henderson

bays, their valleys creating wind tunnels, and then it would turn to give us a friendly assist. After about 20 kms and only 4 hours this time, we were at the mouth of Whatamango Bay – close to Waikawa Bay and very close to home for Dave who decided to call it quits; Mags and I battled into the headwind and the bay. Being very tidal, to reach the reedy shore we had to walk our boats up a stream, and then wheel them into the massive DOC camp ground. As it had road access, and was close to the Picton ferry terminal, we had many campervans for company. Luckily there were some treed patches for wind protection and privacy for Mags to hang her hammock.

Portaging in reverse to the shallow waters we passed an old boat trailer encrusted with mussels, then floated into the dancing sunshine. We very quickly entered the busy port of Picton, where it was a sparkling day...with

no wind to speak of. I hankered after a ‘nice’ lunch and a steak for dinner... and Mags wanted one more go at the ‘op shops’ and street clothing racks.

At the ‘boat only rubbish’ bins by the yacht club we managed to get rid of the pile of plastic sheeting Mags had picked up on our journeying, before setting out again. Destination Ngakuta Bay, in the Grove Arm, remains just that; yet to be reached.

After an hour of fighting into the afternoon NNW head wind, I was really struggling...many bodily bits were complaining...I could see white caps outside the harbour hooning down the Sound... I called it quits, and yelled to Mags that I had to go back. Maybe I was getting older and wiser, maybe I was getting soft? Whatever. Our retreat took only half an hour.

The ‘one green bottle’ left ‘hanging on the wall’...walked back to Waikawa to fetch the car.

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Issue 81 Autumn 2016

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Lake Rotoma Photo by Ruth E. Henderson

In the Hunt for Adventure

by Nathan Fa’avae

Pouring over maps … a curious mind activating dormant adventures. I think maps must surely be the most in-depth and detailed method of recording information in print. If you consider what a map offers and put it into a book, it’d be like a fat encyclopedia - yet it can fold up and fit into a pocket.

What lies within a map is an in-exhaustive, boundless array of information and detail, and most of all, a luring journey and

The upper Hunter is a DOC estate with public access. But the lower reaches are privately farmed and access is restricted, so we started by contacting the farmer, via friends, and informing him of our hopeful plans, to paddle from as high up the Hunter as possible to Lake Hawea, then sail down Lake Hawea to the township.

When he heard we’d have five children on the trip aged between 8-13 he thought it was a marvellous idea and welcomed our little expedition,

discovery, for modern day outdoor explorers.

Magical rivers run on the eastern side of the Southern Alps and are the tributaries into many of the great lakes. Each of the lakes has one or more significant rivers feeding it a constant supply of water, a mixture of rain, spring and snow melt. These rivers tend to have alpine beginnings, renowned for their remoteness and wilderness flavour, which is mainly due to the fact that access is either by foot, or helicopter.

Over the past few years my wife, children and I have been ticking off these rivers and enjoying amazing experiences along the way: great outdoor simple living, spending up to a week descending with gravity and currents to the lakes, taking in the powerful sights and breath taking beauty of Kā Tiritiri o te Moana (Southern Alps).

This summer’s goal was the Hunter River, the major water source for Lake Hawea.

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perhaps happy to hear that people are taking their kids into the rugged mountains far away from wifi.

Originally we planned to helicopter into the forks, where the west and east branches of the Hunter intercept to create a sizeable flow. However, as we studied the map to measure out the logistics of the trip, a west to east crossing winked cheekily at us from the curvature of the contours.

On the Haast side of the Alps, the Wills River offers a few days of exacting but equally enjoyable hiking, leading to Wilson Saddle, which drops whoever is keen into the beginnings of the Hunter.

We figured with kids, and mindful of stubborn snow on the passes after the heaviest season in 25 years, that three days with our party of nine would be a sensible and pleasant amount of time to reach the Forbes Hut, where we had arranged for a helicopter to reunite us with our beloved kayaks & rafts.

The trip started at the Gates of Haast, with a tricky five kilometres of sidling above a steep gorge, then it opens out wonderfully to alpine flats and the route, steadily climbing, progresses right through the heart of the Southern Alps. Magnificent is a word that barely does this part of the country justice, it would be fair to say that despite the lack of wind, we were blown away. The heat and glorious weather made us take advantage of the many lush swimming holes provided, free of charge.

Wilson Pass at 1600 metres deserves respect, it’s very much wilderness tramping. We arrived at Forbes Hut at the end of day three, the kids all keen to kick back on the bunks, which provided the adults a chance to inspect the precarious gorge shown on the map that we’d also inspected on google earth. Not being able to source any information about the gorge in terms of kayaking, the satellite imagery showed significant whitewater; what we

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hoped would be Grade Three maximum. As we peeked into the gorge from land, oh dear, that’s Grade Four at least, for a few kilometres. Plan B. Local helicopter pilot and legend of the Wanaka skies, Jerry Rowley, was flying in all our kayaking gear the next morning; we needed a favour, to get our load lifted to the bottom of the gorge, essentially saving us a day of portaging gear around the ominous stretch of water.

We woke the next morning to the anticipated sound of an approaching chopper, it was pleasing to see our boats and resupply on its way. After a coffee and a biscuit by the fire, Jerry kindly dropped our gear downstream.

Hours later we had the four inflatable boats ready and packed. Ahead of us about 30 km of Grade two river to meet Lake Hawea. Once on the lake it was then 40 km down the lake to Hawea, hopefully sailing with a ripping tail wind.

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With clear skies and following breezes, we enjoyed two very pleasant days travelling downstream, enjoying small rapids and crossing deep clear pools. With abundant riverside campsites it was another gem of a place to be. Sitting fireside, tent set up and boats secured, bellies fed, under starry night skies, we could lounge and enjoy being in nature, the simple life, the life that beckoned us to do the trip in the first place, and more trips in the future.

Arriving at the lake we had to manoeuvre through old forests that protruded from the lake floor. In 1958 the lake was raised artificially by 20 metres to store more water for increased hydroelectric power generation.

It flooded the forests at the delta and many of those trees are still standing, but only sticking out by 1-2 metres above the water. It provided a slalom course as we paddled and sailed the canoes through the dead trees to clear water. Now mid-afternoon, we managed some gentle sailing and overnighted 30 km from Hawea Township, the finish. The following day it

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looked like we were in for a big day paddling, with a tranquil lake that was reflecting the mountains and ducks that quietly drifted by our breakfast spot. For a short period, it seemed we may in fact have a head wind, uh oh. Don’t speak too soon, once on the water the tail wind, the nor wester, started to build, and it built like a beaver making a dam. Within the space of an hour we were racing down sizeable swells and struggling to hold the sails. For safety reasons, we decided to drop one sail and raft the canoes together, with one sail, two canoes and nine people, we were still moving!

Sir Peter Blake would have been impressed.

adventure equipment

Arriving on the shores of Lake Hawea beach to a powerful surf landing, we jumped ship like rats as soon as we were close enough, scampering clear in case a wave dumped our flotilla upon us, but it didn’t. So after a celebration and high fives on the beach, we staggered, satisfied, after 7 days in the wild, to the shop for ice creams, to reflect … and look over the maps.

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Issue 81 Autumn 2016

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Year Round Kayak Fishing

By Jason Walker

We’ve had a few mixed weather patterns this summer, but overall it’s been a good summer with some long dry spells especially in the North Island. We have been a little spoilt and with winter rolling around some may be tempted to shelve the kayak until spring and the temperature rises a few degrees more.

By doing so you could miss out on the good winter fish and stunningly calm winter conditions on the water. Just because you are fishing from a kayak and getting wet in the process, it doesn’t mean you should call it quits in winter. We will look at the various approaches and products that can help keep you on the water longer in these cooler periods.

— 

With the drop in temperature many of the juvenile fish of species like snapper leave the inner harbours for deeper water, but there are many of the larger specimens that stay behind and there are fish worth targeting.

Yes, you may see a drop in your catch rate but all going to plan you should also see an increase in the size of the fish you land, so taking home a feed will still be within your grasp.

Staying Warm The biggest factor that puts people off kayak fishing in the winter is the thought of being cold. It is exactly that, just a thought that they will be cold. What you have to keep in mind is kayak fishing is quite physical. You don't just jump on a boat, head over the horizon and just sit there on the gunnel waiting for the fish to jump on your ledger rig, having just scared them away with your dirty great motor! Yes, it’s true, if you are just sitting there, cold will set in very quickly! What you need to remember is when kayak fishing you have to paddle to your fishing spot which means you have raised your heart rate, got the muscles and blood pumping and you have created body heat, so you feel warm. At some point though you do PAGE 22

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want to stop paddling and do some fishing, so you need to try and retain that generated heat. To facilitate this there is a large range of products on the market targeted at kayakers but they can be split into three categories: thermals; waterproofs; and technical wear.

Thermals Thermals are great for helping you retain heat and feeling warm. The weave of the fabric traps the warm air around your body while at the same time, it wicks away any moisture from the skin so you don’t end up in a hot sweaty mess. You can also wear multiple layers if it is really cold which increases their effectiveness. There are two distinct types of materials used to manufacture thermals; man-made polypropylene (often marketed as poly-prop) and natural fibres (Merino wool being the most popular). They both have their pros and cons, natural is normally warmer than poly-prop, but if you get poly-prop wet then it will dry a lot quicker than the natural materials. This is very useful if you are on a multi-day fishing trip where you can dry your thermals for the next day. Cost wise thermals are a relatively less expensive option.

Waterproofs With your under layers in place, you now need to look at the top layer, which will have a huge effect on keeping you warm and retaining that heat.

People immediately assume waterproofs are for keeping the water out and keeping you dry. If they are doing their job correctly, of course, they will do. But they stop the wind. If the wind hits your bare body or your thermal under layer, it will very quickly strip out any heat you have generated from your paddling (wind chill). So the top layer is not so much about keeping you warm but stopping the elements from robbing you of any heat.

You will want to make sure you have covered both your upper and lower body and to facilitate this you will find both paddle jackets and pants are available to ensure you are covered head to toe. There are several options from different manufacturers out there depending on your budget but even a cheap one will keep out the wind if nothing else.

Technical Wear This is a term that has been given to clothing that has been made for a specific purpose and from what are relatively new materials on the market.

They are not technically a single fabric but made up of several layers that are sandwiched together to form a single piece. They consist of a warm

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inner layer, a wind and/or waterproof layer, and an outer layer that is quite often neoprene. There are different manufacturers of these and some are better than others, but the usual rule of thumb “the more you pay, the better they are” seems to run true with these. One of the best (and what I personally use) is Sharkskin. It sports a totally wind proof middle membrane that stops the wind chill but I still wear a paddle jacket over the top as a secondary water/wind layer.

Paddle jacket with waterproof leggings.

Technical wear including leggings and socks.

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NO Compression A common misconception is that compression wear as used by athletes etc, will also keep you warm. Compression wear constricts against your skin which in turn causes blood flow to come to the surface of your skin and the surrounding muscles (which is the reason why athletes wear it) which in turn will make you feel warm but it's only psychological – the warmth is drawn from your core but overall your body is actually losing heat!

Where to keep warm?

What part of your body should you keep warm? Well, everywhere is the correct answer, and the goal, but the act of paddling and fishing does keep your upper body, in particular your arms moving and active so you may not need quite so much insulation on these areas. What you do need to pay particular attention to are the parts of you that aren't active, that don’t have the warm blood pumping around them, such as your legs and your feet.

You can achieve leg warmth with long-john type thermal leggings or a pair of technical-wear leggings that are worn under a pair of good paddle pants. Myself, during the real cold days, I wear the Sharkskin long-johns under my paddle pants. On the not so cold days, I will wear a pair of polyprop long-johns under the same paddle pants. Both configurations between them keep me both warm and dry.

Technical wear socks worn inside the boots The Buff neck gaiter

Cold feet were my nemesis for my first couple of seasons kayak fishing in the winter. I just couldn't keep them warm. The main issue and start of the problem is that when you launch your kayak your feet get wet, so you are on your back foot right from the start. I was only wearing standard dive booties but then got told about wearing a good pair of wool socks under my boots; that worked wonders even though they were wet. Then I discovered the Sharkskin socks and they work even better, but if you don’t want the outlay at least try the wool socks.

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PAGE 24

Issue 81 Autumn 2016

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Your face is another area that once the rest of your body is fully covered it will start to feel the cold and the wind chill. A neck gaiter is fine or better still (and what I use) is a Buff. These will stop some of the wind and give you an insulating layer. The other advantage of the Buff is that it offers UV protection too so protects you from sun burn - yes you can still get sun burnt by the winter sun.

Don't forget your head! Your head is a huge outlet for heat, even more so for those of us who are a little "thin" up top. You can lose a third of your heat through your head. In the winter throw on a beanie, you can get them in good fluorescent colours these days so you will still be visible from a safety point of view. If you don't want to wear a beanie and want to stick with your cap etc there are also skull cap options in both thermal or technical wear that you can wear under your normal head wear.

The cold comes back So you are out there floating around on the ocean, wrapped up to the eye balls in layer upon layer of clothing and after sitting there fishing for an hour you are starting to feel cold, so what can you do now? It's simple - start moving, put the fishing rod(s) away and pick up your paddle, just go for a quick paddle. It doesn't need to be miles just enough to raise your heart rate and get that warm blood pumping around your body again, even if the fishing is good on your spot just paddle away and back in a loop, you'll soon warm up again.

If the quick paddle doesn't work and you just can't get warm then be a man and face facts you are going to have to pull the pin and paddle back to shore, the last thing you need is to get hypothermia while out there on a kayak. Hypothermia causes normal muscular and mental abilities to become impaired. If your condition continues to deteriorate, it can even lead to death. Some of the first signs of hypothermia are: goose bumps,

www.kayaknz.co.nz

feeling cold in your extremities (hand, nose, feet etc), your feet are numb, and/or you start shivering - not under voluntary control, and/or cannot do complex motor functions - can talk but paddling strokes are sloppy and tying knots next to impossible.

If you are displaying ANY of these signs then it's time to start paddling to the nearest shoreline before things get worse, and a call to Coastguard at this point is also a very good idea so they know where you are and what's happening just in case.

This is also a good time to remind you about the buddy system, fishing with friends means you always have someone watching your back who can assist should you need any help and you can both keep an eye on each other for any signs of hypothermia etc. Look after each other, I've been there myself. On a trip up to Matai Bay in Northland, I came off the water on a cold and wet day with the beginnings of hypothermia, serious shivering and numbness of hands and feet. My mates packed me off to my car where I started the engine and wound up the heater to warm up while they took care of my gear on the beach - thanks guys!

Winter Fish So with all that said please don't put the kayak away for the winter. Get out there and do it. Winter fishing can bring you some very good catches, the fish tend to head out deep or head to the shallows. The deeper fish may be out of reach but those hanging around in the shallows will be your targets. It's a time to go paddling along the shorelines discovering the rocky outcrops and gutters where the fish will be hunkered down and for you to try and tempt them out. Don’t forget, those guys in their big noisy motor boats can’t get in close to the shoreline like you can in your kayak!

Issue 81 Autumn 2016

PAGE 25

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Solo Auckland-Whitianga

By Rob Brown

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Issue 81 Autumn 2016

www.kayaknz.co.nz

There are days when the Coromandel Peninsula is so clear on the horizon that you feel can reach out and touch it. I had been watching the weather for a number of days with a big high over the Tasman Sea. Metvuw, Swellmap and Windfinder were regularly checked to give me accurate weather predictions. After a bit of last minute shopping, the boat was packed with ten days’ worth of food. I had my trusty power monkey to keep my phone charged and a spare battery for my VHF. Departing from Narrow Neck Beach on an outgoing tide, I passed Rangitoto, Browns and Motuihe Islands. My destination for the night was Whakanewha Bay (Rocky Bay) as this is part of the Auckland Regional Parks Te Ara Moana Trail. The camp is only metres from the beach so it’s ideal for sea kayakers. I headed out into the Hauraki Gulf and paddled down to the south-eastern point of Waiheke Island for lunch and enjoyed a feast of salami and cheese. The outgoing tide gave me a good push down Waiheke Channel. Waiheke has limited camping options but there are a number of B&Bs available.

Distance covered, 31 km.

Before I left Auckland I had obtained permission to freedom camp on Ponui Island for one night. As I discovered later in the trip, if you ask permission of the landowners there is normally no problem, you may even be asked for dinner. Departing Auckland heading south your camping options are limited with only Home Bay on Motutapu Island or Motuihe Island.

On Ponui, I found a great spot to camp close to the shore. This was in order to leave Ponui early next morning for the 32 km crossing of the Firth of Thames.

There are limited landing opportunities on the coast from Long Bay to Port Jackson even though the road runs along the coast. Two are, Papa Aroha and Amodeo Bay. Just north of Colville Bay I stopped for lunch. Colville has a camp site, but I decided to carry on to Fantail Bay. The road follows the coast nearly all the way up here and the paddling is good. The coast has many rocky outcrops and bouldery beaches. Huge old pohutukawa trees gave a magical and special touch to this very special place. Mt Moehau, at 892m, the highest point on the Coromandel Peninsula, was capped in low cloud and rain was not far away. For Maori, the mountain is sacred and the summit waahi tapu, the resting place of Tama-Te Kapua, captain of the waka Te Arawa.

Fantail Bay can be easily found as there is a rocky area to land with a rough stony boat ramp facing south. After fitting wheels it’s a good hard drag for 30 metres or more up the loose stony beach before crossing the road, to set up camp away from the numerous campervans and house buses that always seem to be there.

Distance covered, 35 km.

The weather forecast was for 10-15 kn SE with a 1.0-1.5 metre swell on the east coast. I was on the water later than normal as I needed to be between Cape Colville and the southern end of Great Barrier for slack water. Tidal streams set westward on in coming tides and eastward on falling tides. At spring tides the current can reach a speed of up to three knots.

Distance covered, 15 km.

On the water by 0630, my objective for the day was the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, north of Coromandel Harbour: A three hour crossing without land protection. I was joined by a number of dolphins and little blue penguins. A number of fishing boats greeted me and were shocked when I said where I had come from and where I was headed. As always I was asked if I fish. That night I freedom camping on Whanganui Island. There are a number of camping spots around Coromandel.

Distance covered, 32 km.

Photos by Rob Brown

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This part of the coast falls away with little more than rugged shore with wild goats here and there. From Port Jackson to Cape Colville the tide was turning. There are reefs at Cape Colville and east of Fletchers Bay but as it was one hour before high tide I had plenty of time, so it caused no concern. I went through the nearby reef and past Square Top Island and the Pinnacles. More freedom camping at Shag Bay, just as you enter Stony Bay. Distance covered, 22 km.

The whole top part of Coromandel is lovely, with steep cliffs and few landing options. I stopped at Potiki Bay for lunch, and now with a sea breeze coming in at 10 – 12 knots at times, I didn’t stop at Waikawau Bay DOC camp but kept going. Kennedy Bay has a long history going back to the 1837 when the Royal Navy ship HMS Buffalo landed to harvest kauri trees to make masts and spars. In 1839 John Kennedy bought 242 acres of land at Harataunga from Ngati Tamatera in exchange for a large collection of

trade goods. With the help of a skilled Maori whaler named Ropata John, he built a twelve-ton schooner named 'The Three Bees'.

Distance covered, 36.5 km.

I departed Kennedy Bay with an outgoing tide and a headwind that lasted all day. With a quick stop at New Chums and then down past Whangapoua, stopping at Kuaotunu Beach for a pizza and a beer at Lukes Kitchen.

After Opito there are a number of great caves around the southern point but I was not exploring that day. I freedom camped at Sandy Bay which I had all to myself and found laying the solar shower out in the sun is the best way to make the sun go away.

Distance covered, 42.5 km.

As the weather for the next two to three days was not looking the best, a low in the Tasman Sea and the swell getting up to around the 2.0 - 2.1 metres, I made a detour into Whitianga and booked myself a cabin for the

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next two days. It was so nice to have some real food for a change, apart from Dehy.

Distance covered, 12.5 km.

Wednesday - there was some inclement weather, but looking at Swellmap, the swell was up, but manageable.

There are limited landing options from here down to Tauranga, with only Tairua Harbour, Slipper Island (I was not going to pay $35 per night) and Waihi Beach.

It was a nice paddle around Cooks Beach and Cathedral Cove with a big swell rolling into Hotwater Beach. The onshore wind made for an interesting paddle. Boat Harbour, my destination, was reasonably well protected.

Having another look at Swellmap and Windfinder, the swell was building. I decided to "Pulled the Pin".

When paddling Solo you need to be more aware of risk management. You are not only putting yourself into danger but your rescuers too.

Distance covered, 28 km.

Paddled Back to Whitianga and had a friend pick me.

On finishing the trip, I had a range of feelings from highs to lows. Just makes you so much more aware of your environment and to be contented with yourself.

The completed trip covered 283 km over 13 days, 10 days 57 hours and 30 minutes, averaging 6.5 km/h.

What’s next? I’d like to paddle from the Bay of Islands up to Cape Reinga, Tauranga to the East Cape or perhaps around the North Island. Watch this space...

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Issue 81 Autumn 2016

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Puzzles

Quick Crossword Test your knowledge of kayaking and kayaking safety.

1

Down

2

3 4

5 6 7

9

8

10 11

12

13

14 15

16

17

18

19

20 21

22 23

24

25

26 28

27

29

30

31

32

33

Across

3. A brief period of stillness (or slower currents) that occurs when at the transition from ebb to flood or back again.

4. A shallow area in a body of water, often formed by a sandbar or reef.

5. An incoming current created by a rising tide.

6. A map for marine navigation.

8. A wave that remains stationary, often found in “tide rips”.

10. A stroke used to provide support and keep the kayak stable.

11. The opening in the kayak deck in which the paddler sits.

13. A sharp turn executed while remaining in one place on the water.

14. To move at an angle to the wind or waves. This helps to maintain speed and minimizes the chances of the bow or stern getting pushed below the surface in rough water.

18. A paddle stroke used to move the kayak sideways.

19. To get pushed off course so that the kayak is unfavourably oriented broadside to waves, currents, or an obstacle.

22. The summit of a wave, opposite of the trough.

23. Riding a steep wave front; to be avoided by beginner kayakers.

24. The direction from which the wind blows.

25. This is what landlubbers call a rope.

26. A calm area behind an object that blocks the wind.

27. An outgoing current created by a falling tide.

29. A section of passable water between islands, reefs, shoals, and other obstructions.

30. Measurement of speed equal to 1.852 kilometres per hour.

31. Waves that overtake a kayak from astern.

32. The face of a paddle blade that pushes against the water.

33. Typically a visible boundary that separates the opposing currents on a river.

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1. Great for families with children. Adventure racing teams prefer them as they are the fastest of all sea kayaks.

2. Determining position by taking into account such factors as currents, wind speed, and your projected course and speed.

5. To move a kayak across a moving body of water by angling the bow into the current so as to minimize drifting down current.

7. Paddle blades oriented at different angles to minimize drag created by head winds.

9. Toward the rear, or stern, of a kayak.

12. A company that supplies kayaking equipment.

15. Using a reverse stroke to paddle backward or slow the forward motion of a kayak.

16. Exiting a capsized kayak when rolling is not an option.

17. A pedal-like foot rest that provides leverage for an efficient paddle stroke, improves stability in rough seas, and in many cases controls the rudder for steering.

20. The direction in which a kayak is pointing at a given moment.

21. To look for visual clues that reveal current nuances, eddies, and other factors that increase efficiency and/or decrease risks while kayaking.

23. A supportive stroke characterized by a side to side movement of the paddle using quick changes of power face angles.

28. A partition inside the kayak that creates a separate watertight compartment for gear stowage and safety buoyancy.

Sudoku 4

3 1 3

9 3

5

8 7 2

3

3 7

4 5

1 4

8

2 5

3

2

8 1 6

9 8 1

6

The objective is to fill the 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9.

Solution on page 401

4

Issue 81 Autumn 2016

PAGE 33

Cold water Survival- Part Three

By Andy Blake

So, you have made it safely ashore, but you are wet through and psychologically shaken. The 45 minutes in the water has left you chilled to the bone and physically exhausted - shame about losing your paddle. The 20 km paddle back to your car may take longer than first anticipated. Amazing how fast your circumstances can change after just one bad “inattention to detail moment” like forgetting to pack your spare paddle!

It is time to awaken your consciousness, and take control of this situation, before things get totally out of control. Hypothermia can be a very real and dangerous consequence of cold water immersion and many New Zealanders suffer from it every year. Check out online, NZ Kayak magazine issue 70 page 37 and refresh yourself with all the good info found within.

I had been in a similar situation, back when I was a beginner paddler

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about 30 years ago. Two of us were on a planned kayak survival trip 30 km from Milford Sound on the rugged West Coast. The intended plan was to capsize in the surf, and come ashore and ‘survive’ for two weeks, just using the contents of our survival kit and the clothing we were in. The capsize was the easy part, unfortunately the current took us further out to sea – hence the 45 minutes in the chilly waters trying to get all of the water out of our double sea kayak. Back then, I foolishly believed that a cut down Janola bottle would make an adequate bailer and be sufficient to remove the huge amount of water in the two cockpits – I know better now! Even using my spray deck to scoop out the water didn’t work as more water came in than what I could remove – anyway lesson learnt – I now have a Beckson pump which is now about 28 years old.

Anyway – we finally dragged ourselves up the beach and laid there thinking that ‘that’ was a very realistic start to our epic adventure. Then I noticed my shivering – the uncontrollable shivering!

I unfolded my survival blanket and James (long-time Army/kayaking buddy) and I wrapped ourselves up with the intention of warming up. It didn’t really seem to do any good as we were so wet and cold. Even after getting out of the water your core temperature can continue to drop for some time, so I knew that we had to do something else, and quickly. We scoffed some chocolate that was in our buoyancy aid pockets and ran up and down the beach collecting some of the things that had fallen out of our kayak. Next lesson, don’t store gear behind your seat and in the cockpit of your kayak unless it is tied in or in a secured bag.

This activity did work well at generating some heat – a moving muscle can generate 3-5 times as much heat than as a stationary one – that is why we shiver. It is the body’s attempt (sometimes futile) to create heat, although it does use a lot of calories. Apparently it is the calorific value which is most important in a hot cup of chocolate and not the hot temperature of the liquid.

I suppose the hot liquid would quickly cool down and yet the heat from the digestion of the hot chocolate would warm the body for longer.

In issue 78 I discussed the different ways we lose body heat. We were still in our wet clothing on a windy beach, so we walked up into the sand dune area where it was very sheltered – straight away we felt a lot warmer www.kayaknz.co.nz

Pictures: Opposite page: Andy demonstrates the basic bivy and heat reflector by the fire.

This page: He’s had better days, Andy warming himself up on Stewart Island Circa. 2004

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Issue 81 Autumn 2016

BECKAD-Dec14

PAGE 35

being out of the wind. We weren’t going to use the emergency spare clothing from our kayak, so we had to dry what we had on. We grabbed the absorbent Wettex tablets from our survival kit and proceeded to dry ourselves off starting with the head. Clothing was removed one piece at a time and we wrung it out to remove as much water as possible. You may remember the wringer washing machines of the 80s, they were great at removing a lot of moisture, not good on fingers though! Then we swung the garment like a spin dryer to remove a bit more water and then we covered the garment with dry warm sand to remove still more water – dry leaves or grass also works. The clothing, at the time was plain polypro, so it was okay at keeping us warm – not like the excellent “Sharkskin” products of today. Clothing’s ability to not retain water is crucial in allowing us to keep warm - we are mammals and not fish so dry is good! One thermal sock can go from 50 grams dry to over 200 grams wet- that’s at least 150 mls of water to try to remove.

After we had reduced the moisture content of our clothing to the bare minimum, we placed the clothing back on and instantly felt a lot warmer.

We now decided to get moving again and team up in building a quick survival blanket shelter and to get a fire going. The design of the shelter was pretty basic, just a number of long flexible poles stuck into the ground to form a concave wall, and then I wrapped the survival blanket around the outside. James got a fire going about 1.5 metres from the shelter. He then built up a rock reflector behind the fire so that the heat was directed to our LEARN HOW TO CONTROL YOUR KAYAK survival bivy. We had seen some polystyrene on the high tide mark, so FOR WHEN YOU LAND THE BIG ONE! we were able to sit on this preventing being chilled from the cold ground.

Also, small pieces of polystyrene make excellent hand warmers – try it BOOK NOW. for yourself next time you have cold hands! We sat inside the bivy and were surprised just how warm we felt. The survival blanket worked well in FOR INFO SEE: CANOEANDKAYAK.CO.NZ/COURSES reflecting the fire’s heat all around us and not just the side that was facing LEADING THE MARKET SINCE 1994 the fire. Small rocks around the fire began to heat up so we used these in our pockets and under our armpits to maximise the rewarming processnothing better than slipping a warm rock into your wet socks. Our clothes began to steam very quickly and it wasn’t long before we were getting a COURSES NOV 2015 QTR SOT FSH PORT.indd 1 10/02/2016 bit too hot. We had dealt with the conductive and convective cooling by drying ourselves, keeping wrapped up, getting out of the wind, increasing our calorific intake and insulating ourselves from the cold ground. It is very important to realise that if you have become severely chilled over an extended period of time that you spend an equally large number of hours warming yourself up properly – internal core temperature takes longer to reach its normal operating temperature. Never drink alcohol (even rum) or smoke when dangerously cold, it is counter-productive to warming you up.

There is nothing more miserable than being cold and wet and not being able to do anything about it- plan your kayaking trips well and always carry more gear than you think you will ever need and try to anticipate the unexpected.

SIT-ON-TOP COURSES

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Issue 81 Autumn 2016

12:45:10 PM

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Ron Augustin

18 December 1931- 25 February 2016 A bloody good bloke.

A few of us had the pleasure of helping to clear out Ron’s West Auckland boat shed over this summer. Ron was slowing down rather fast with an illness and Nancy had given us a call to lend a hand. It was an education into our friends amazing mind and life. Ron greeted us with the old enthusiasm and a huge smile and a cracker hand shake, but the quick repartee had fled, as the illness had robbed him of his ability for easy conversation. This did not deter Ron from being front and centre in clearing out the shed of years of prototypes.

I caught up a couple of times after that and then sadly Ron passed away. I think he was sad to go with so much more to be done, but happy that he had done so much. I think he was also pleased that he had left a strong family led by his amazing wife Nancy and that they had so many fun memories of their life together.

When I heard of Ron’s demise I had just been singing his praises to some friends about his amazing skills in design. I had been doing some maintance on a Sea Bear Packhorse that was 20 years old. The foot system needed replacing and was secured by one stainless steel lock nut holding an aluminium rail and the foot

tray. Normally stainless fittings of this age will be frozen solid. Aluminium, stainless and saltwater don’t get on.

Not with something Ron designed.

With his eye for detail, he had insulated the stainless from the aluminium with a small clear rubber tube. 20 years old; remove one nut (not frozen solid), slide the old foot plate off, the new on, replace the same nut and Ron’s your mate and the job is done.

Many of Ron’s designs were like this. One of the kayaks in the shed was a small sit-on-top he used to make in the seventies out of fibreglass, this I believe would have been one of the very first family sit-on-tops ever made.

His funeral was full of memories that made one laugh and cry, but overriding all of that were the memories of a man who had pushed the boundaries of design and adventure taking his family and friends along for the ride of our lives.

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www.c-tug.com Issue 81 Autumn 2016

PAGE 37

canoe polo NZ Secondary School Championships 2016

By Kate Fitness

It took me a while to get used to this sport, there really is nothing else like it. We embarked on the eight-hour journey, taking the Long Bay College team

Give us an “A”!

down to Palmerston North, with a trailer of boats and equipment for the weekend of 9-10 April.

When you arrive at the venue, 40 other college teams of 6-7 are arriving too. Claim your spot and defend it vigorously. Most teams had at least two matches a day and they are very physical, as you can see. Just ten minutes each way then a team de-brief from coach, pointing out the highs and the lows.

Cam, from Polo Mania, lent many their ‘next boat to nag their parents about’ for matches. A great opportunity to try out some top-of-the-range gear.

While competition was fierce on the water, off the water it appeared that all teams compared notes and tactics with other schools and generally had a great time.

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Issue 81 Autumn 2016

www.kayaknz.co.nz

We are proud of our team at LBC. They are a unique group of young people. As a team they are cohesive and will support other team members to the last word. Canoe polo teams are often like this; I’m always impressed.

At the Lido our team (years 11 & 12) took to the spa and the aqua slides between matches – a nice distraction and a great way to fill in time between games.

We stayed in an old working farmhouse about half an hour’s drive away.

The scenery is beautiful rolling hills and sunrises and sunsets. We fed 11 regularly and 17 on one night when the lovely ladies from Mount Albert Grammar School came over. Long Bay took it upon themselves to be cheer leaders for the MAGS matches in a boisterous manner. MAGS did very well, 2nd in their senior group. LBC came 6th in our group but only ‘lost’ one match on a golden goal. The maths was not in our favour. This was a superb trip. Bit of a family affair with Ben Fitness coaching, Emelie Fitness playing and James, myself and Brett McMurtrie supporting.

This is the most fun you can have on a trip with seven teenagers.

Pretty sure.

canoe polo NZ Secondary School Championships 2016 results

Senior Open

Junior Girls Horowhenua College

1

Feilding HS

2

Havelock North HS

2

Middleton Grange

3

Napier Girls HS

3

Havelock North HS

4

Hastings Girls HS

4

Te Puke HS

5

Taradale HS

5

Dunstan HS

6

Middleton Grange

6

Long Bay College

7

Awatapu College

7

St Peters College

8

Hastings Boys HS

St Peters College

9

Wairarapa College

2

St Johns College

10

Onslow College

3

Feilding HS

4

Hastings Boys HS

1

Karamu

5

Palmerston North Boys HS

2

Havelock North HS

6

Napier Boys HS

3

Palmerston North Girls HS

7

Taradale HS

4

Taradale HS

8

Wairarapa College

5

Horowhenua College

Napier Girls HS

1

Palmerston North Boys HS

2

Mt Albert GS

2

Havelock North HS

3

Te Puke HS

3

Hastings BHS

4

Horowhenua College

4

Feilding HS

5

Middleton Grange

5

St Johns College

6

Palmerston North Girls HS

6

Horowhenua College

7

Sacred Heart

8

Otago Girls HS

Junior Open 1

Senior Girls

Division 2

1

Senior Open

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CANOE & KAYAK BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES NEW AGENCIES & EXISTING TERRITORIES AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT NEW ZEALAND

Contact: Peter Townend pete@canoeandkayak.co.nz or phone 0274 529 255

LEADING THE MARKET SINCE 1994 Issue 81 Autumn 2016

PAGE 41

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PAGE 42

Damien running in the new R-Series DamienCompression running in theWear new R-Series Compression Wear

Issue 81 Autumn 2016

Damien stand-up paddleboarding in the

Damien stand-upCompression paddleboarding in the new R-Series Wear www.sharkskin.com.au www.sharkskin.com.au www.sharkskin.com.au new R-Series Compression Wear n8ObF‘‘†¢O‘Šº+}8²†¾†€�¢ n8ObF‘‘†¢O‘Šº+}8²†¾†€�¢ n8ObF‘‘†¢O‘Šº+}8²†¾†€�¢ noO€8‡ noO€8‡ noO€8‡ Instagram Instagram @sharkskin_watersports Instagram @sharkskin_watersports @sharkskin_watersports

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PAGE 43

Trip Card # 009 Mana Island

Mana Island at sunset

Mana Island Route card No. 009 Skill level: Intermediate Distance: 9 km Start point: Finish Point: Emergency contact: Comms coverage: High Water: Tidal times/ notes:

Chart: 4632

Tidal Port: Taranaki

Titahi Bay Titahi Bay VHF Channels: 16, 63 Callsign: Mana Coastguard. 027 530 3368 or PLB Good cell phone and VHF coverage Porirua Harbour-High tide 00min before HW, 16min before LW Port Taranaki Watch for strong tidal flows between Titahi Bay and Mana Island during mid tide.

Introduction: Titahi Bay to Mana Island. The steep-sided and seemingly flat-topped Mana Island is a distinctive feature of Wellington’s west coast.

Mana Island’s name is an abbreviation of Te Mana o Kupe ki Aotearoa, which acknowledges the achievements of Kupe, the legendary 12th Century Polynesian navigator, who discovered this land - Aotearoa. Once on the island it has tracks that you can take to have a good look around. From the top of the island you have an awesome view out into Cook Strait and across to the South Island. If you look to the south along the Wellington coast you will also see the Makara wind farm.

Description: Once at Titahi Bay beach you will be looking out to Mana Island and it is 4.3 km in a straight line from Titahi Bay. The landing spot, by the DOC houses, is slightly left of centre as you look at the island. If you are kayaking in an outgoing tide the flow will be from north to south and visa versa in an incoming tide. Allow

for this when you plot your course. The island is pest free so do not take any unwanted pests with you. Check all of you gear before you leave.

Landing is only allowed at the eastern side of the island by the DOC houses. Please sign the visitors book in the boatshed. Allow at least an hour to have a wander around the island.

There are no overnight stays allowed.

Hazards: • Keep an eye on the weather as it is very changable in this area. It is the Cook Strait.

•

Conditions of 15 kn or more along with tides can create rough conditions. If you can see white caps from shore it is not advisable to paddle.

Bird and wildlife watching

Fishing

Please note; Every care has been taken to ensure the information contained in this Trip Card is correct at the time of publication, but things change and you will need to confirm the information provided. You will also need to get further information to ensure a safe trip, this will include an up to date, relevant weather forecast and the ability to understand its implications for the area and talking to locals in the area to garner new information on any hazards in the area. It is also expected that an appropriate level of knowledge, skills and equipment are required to safely complete the trip. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are unsure of any information or you find the Trip Card needs updating. Cheers Peter Townend,Yakity Yak Kayak Club. Updated: April 2016

Trip Card # 011 Bottle Top Bay to Drury

Drury Creek from Hingaia Road

Bottle Top Bay to Drury Route card No. 011 Skill level: Beginner Distance: 14 km Start point: Finish Point: Emergency contact: Comms coverage: Tidal times/ notes:

Map: BB32

Tidal Port: Onehunga

Bottle Top Bay Bottle Top Bay VHF Channels: 16, 81 Auckland (09) 303 4303 Mobile:*555 or PLB Good cell phone coverage, VHF can be used but line of sight only Estuary paddle, gets very tidal when tide coming in or going out.

Best paddle time hour and half each side high tide

Introduction: This paddle involves going under two bridges and can be interesting when going under the Hingaia Bridge as flow can be fast if there at the peak of the tidal flow.

Sightseeing is a must as there are many beautifull houses backing onto the creek and surrounds.

There are two other creeks off the estuary that can also be explored if one wishes to travel further.

These creeks are Oria Creek and Whangapouri Creek. A variety of bird life can also be viewed on this paddle.

Description: Launching at Bottle Top Bay can be a muddy affair. Watch the slippery ramp.

Paddle from the boat ramp at Bottle Top Bay (Oakland Rd) upstream with the tide, following the north east coastline. You’ll be paddling around past Strathallen school and under the

Hingaia Road bridge into the estuary proper.

Then paddle up Drury Creek to a boat ramp at Great South Road, Drury.

If skills allow, you can play in the tidal stream under the Hingaia Road bridge.

Hazards: • Slippery boat ramp • Tree overhangs • Tidal flows under two bridges.

Bird and wildlife watching

Fishing

Please note; Every care has been taken to ensure the information contained in this Trip Card is correct at the time of publication, but things change and you will need to confirm the information provided. You will also need to get further information to ensure a safe trip, this will include an up to date, relevant weather forecast and the ability to understand its implications for the area and talking to locals in the area to garner new information on any hazards in the area. It is also expected that an appropriate level of knowledge, skills and equipment are required to safely complete the trip. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are unsure of any information or you find the Trip Card needs updating. Cheers Peter Townend,Yakity Yak Kayak Club. Updated: April 2016

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Great Advice / Great Brands / Great Service

10 years, 80 flights A decade of kayaking the world

By Josh Neilson

Nepal -10 day expedition 2008

I remember being on a river trip while studying Outdoor Education in Christchurch and hearing a guy say he had just finished his 20th consecutive summer kayaking all over the world! I was 20 at the time, so that was half of my life, living what I could only imagine as a dream.

This was a key moment for me, and although the number of years was irrelevant, I knew I wanted to follow this path. With the support of a bunch of key people and companies, I set off on my first northern hemisphere summer and the start of my own 10-year run.

At first I spent my NZ summers working on my neighbours’ orchard and farm to fund the trips but I soon developed a portfolio of photos from my travels and that soon turned into a full time job. While I’d love to say I could just shoot kayaking and extreme sports for a job, that is sadly not that easy, so weddings and commercial work filled in my days while I dreamed of the next mission.

A few classic spots were too hard not to return to but I always tried to add one new country per year to keep things interesting! Choosing only one favourite place is impossible, but I can break them down into a couple of categories.

Having been busy working on photography projects and a lack of kayaking trips for me over the past few months, I scoured the hard drives to find a kayaking story to tell. I soon found my first file dating back to 2006 where it all began. The inspiration the guy on the river gave me came to mind. I thought I would have a recap of my own. From past issues of the NZ Kayak Magazine, you will no doubt remember a lot of these moments because New Zealand Kayak Magazine and Canoe & Kayak have been 100% behind me the whole time!

Uganda and Zambia for their warm water and big volume crashing waves.

After a short holiday away it’s pretty easy to remember your favourite place, but it becomes difficult when you’re constantly on the road seeing amazing new sights!

Adventures – Quebec , only the brave can handle the cold and remoteness when Quebec is on! It has the largest range of amazing creeking and big water but snow and ice are a common sight here!

2006 started with a season in California, then Canadian big water and on to Uganda and Zambia. It’s fair to say; that combination is enough to hook anyone into the kayaking travel lifestyle. From kayaking expeditions in Nepal to seasons running big waterfalls in Norway, there is enough adventure out there to fill many more than 10 years. Everywhere I went and every friend I made along the way, opened up new opportunities and places to go to.

Thailand - I had to return. It is full of potential but you have to work for it. There is a lot of sneaking around park security and jungle bashing, but so worth the effort!

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Classics – To me, these provide the best quality of white water for your money. California is known for its long seasons of hot weather and spectacular granite riverbeds.

Norway has its amazing white water and 24 hours of daylight.

Nepal is just quality all round. Not many roadside runs, but if you’re up for an adventure, this is the place!

Issue 81 Autumn 2016

PAGE 47

Ben Jackson - Uganda 2012 Photo by Josh Neilson

PAGE 48

Issue 81 Autumn 2016

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Now, of course there are many great places to paddle, but this is my list of overseas favourites!

While this may sound like the dream to some, it does come at a price.

A quick tally up of flights taken over the years: I have been on over 80 international flights. That means a whole lot of time in airports and many hours crammed into small airline seats.

On every trip you meet so many new people and your group of friends grows exponentially every year. This is by far the thing about kayaking for me. I have been welcomed into so many amazing people’s homes and paddled with some of the coolest people on the planet. For that I am super grateful.

Looking to the future, I hope to continue travelling the world with my kayak and my camera, but my time of full winters away have come to an end. I am excited to explore New Zealand more and to just escape the worst of the winter from now on. In June, I will be boarding my 85th international flight with my kayak and heading to Norway for another Extreme Sports Week, then to California, as I hear the snow pack is being compared to what it was like back in 2007. Really, really good!

Be safe out there and a huge thanks to Canoe & Kayak and NZ Kayak Magazine for 10 years of support!

To anyone out there thinking of heading overseas on a kayaking trip, be it for one season or 20, I can tell you that you won’t regret it!

Be safe and enjoy our amazing rivers!

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Issue 81 Autumn 2016

PAGE 49

Josh Neilson - Thailand 2010

We can fit a rack to almost anything!

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AUCKLAND 09 815 2072

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Canoe & Kayak Waikato 545 Te Rapa Rd Hamilton, 3200 07 850 1002 waikato@canoeandkayak.co.nz

Canoe & Kayak North Shore 2/20 Constellation Dr Mairangi Bay, Auckland, 0632 09 479 1002 northshore@canoeandkayak.co.nz

Canoe & Kayak Taranaki 468 St Aubyn St, Moturoa, New Plymouth, 4310 06 751 2340 taranaki@canoeandkayak.co.nz

Canoe & Kayak Wellington Unit F 2 Centennial Highway Ngauranga, Wellington, 6035 04 477 6911 wellington@canoeandkayak.co.nz

Canoe & Kayak Manukau 605A Great South Rd Manukau, 2104 09 262 0209 manukau@canoeandkayak.co.nz

Canoe & Kayak Taupo 54 Spa Rd Taupo, 3330 07 378 1003 taupo@canoeandkayak.co.nz

Canoe & Kayak Christchurch (Agency) 03 377 6161 027 376 6161 chch@canoeandkayak.co.nz

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