Issue 78

Issue 78

Mangakino Stream

So beautiful!

Lapping the Lakes

Part one of a three part series on paddling the Rotorua lakes Proudly supported by:

Sea of Cortez

Mexican wonderland

Night Fishing

It takes time to get used to it.

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

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Contents

PRINTING: MHP Print

EDITOR: Peter Townend Ph: 0274 529 255 Email: pete@canoeandkayak.co.nz PUBLISHER: New Zealand Kayak Magazine is published four times per year

by Canoe & Kayak Ltd. www.kayaknz.co.nz

SUBSCRIPTIONS: (see page 46) New Zealand – 4 Issues = $25 Overseas – 4 Issues = $40 Pricing: At the time of printing the prices in this magazine were accurate.

However they may change at any time.

Sea Kayaking Sea of Cortez - Mexico Lapping the Lakes – Rotorua and Rotoiti Strangers in Paradise Mangakino Stream, Lake Maraetai

6 16 36 22

Fishing Night Fishing

28

White Water Recovering on the Waiatoto

Voss Extreme Sports Week

12 47

First Aid Kayaking Trip First Aid

44

Health Springing Back Into Your Kayak

45

Bush Craft How to Keep Warm

34

Technical Trip Card - Sullivans Bay to Motuora Island Trip Card - Lake Whakamaru

41 42

News On the Move

39

Puzzles Sudoku Quick Crossword Puzzle Solutions

32 32 46

Kayaks Kayak listings

43

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

CONTRIBUTORS: We welcome contributors’ articles and photos.

Photos: Front & contents page: Sea of Cortez Photos supplied by: Larraine Williams

ALL CONTRIBUTIONS TO: James Fitness Email: james@canoeandkayak.co.nz New Zealand Kayak Magazine

Refer to www.canoeandkayak. co.nz/guide New Zealand Kayak Magazine ‘Contributors Guidelines’ for more details.

Issue 78 Spring 2015

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Editorial Birth, Deaths and Marriages The birth of our little bit of paradise was a number of million years ago and it is probably true to say we have not looked after it too well since we have arrived.

The death of it will come in small easy to miss and easy to disregard steps, a species here, a lake there, a river there, until it is gone. Through the need of survival we have pillaged this small land. For hundreds of years we have had little concern for this and believed that the resources were limitless.

A marriage brings more than just the sum total of the partners efforts, it supports a family and each generation builds on the foundations of their parents producing a better life for the generations to come.

Over the last few weeks I have asked a number of people, “What is the most important issue facing us and our descendants?” The answer, more often than not, has been “The environment”. President Obama has also said that the Environment is our biggest concern.

I have noticed, the spread of slimy growth on our rivers and the continued disregard for protecting our waterways with rivers turning muddy brown during the rain. I hear the increased concerns from many over fisheries and the loss of habitat for our freshwater native species and our forest dwelling insects and birds.

However, in my backyard, I have also seen an improvement in fish stocks and bird life in the Marine Reserve and the Okura Bush Walkway.

So I know that taking action on over fishing and pest control have a massive effect on the biodiversity and population of native inhabitants.

That being said, there are still cattle grazing on mangroves and in the local streams with the owners having no regard for the impacts these bovine, money making, stream decimating, goliaths are having.

These thoughts were bought into sharp focus

by Professor Mike Joy of Massey University Palmerston North when he addressed the issue of the health of our water ways at a recent AGM. A summation of the main points that I took away from the presentation: 1/ Measuring the health of New Zealand water ways has been hijacked by the spin doctors .

Instead of the simple measure of Drinkable and Swimmable waters, we have A-B-C. All our rivers www.kayaknz.co.nz

Issue 78 now have an ‘A’ rating even the most polluted.

The problem has been “fixed” by changing the paperwork, changing the criteria and the real problems continue to get worse.

2/ AVERAGE Oxygen levels are one measure, but these have no bearing on the health of a river. It is the LOWEST levels that are critical as our fish and other aquatic animals die when the oxygen levels get too low. So, just as the office space I am working in this morning, could have an excellent daily 24 hour average oxygen level, one we could all be proud of, it would only take ten crucial minutes where the oxygen level dropped and was below what I need to live and my life would end.

3/ Dairy herds produce the equivalent sewage of 90 million people, and most of this ends up untreated in our waterways. Planting out stream banks and preventing stock from those areas has some effect, but the real problem is the urine increasing the nitrogen levels in the ground-water. It may take 30 to 60 years to end up in the streams.

4/ Excess nitrogen in the water encourages plant growth and although this produces a good oxygen supply during the day, overnight that precious oxygen is removed by the plants, turning the rivers into death traps.

5/ Decades ago we had an ‘at risk’ level for our native fish at 20% now it is at 80%!

6/ Some of the algae (Cynobacteria) that this nitrogen rich water encourages are so toxic that dogs licking them in a stream die with an hour – when will that be a child? - and no effort is being made by government to measure the spread of this.

I know the value of dairy farming to New Zealand but it is very clear to me that I perhaps do not understand the costs. Years ago the soon to be Prime Minster John Key spoke on how well positioned we were in New Zealand to take advantage of markets like China, which was predicted to have 20 million people move into the earning potential of the average USA worker, and therefore want top quality food.

Well, while John Key’s crystal ball has been smack on target, I think there was a cloud or maybe a ‘slimy green mat’ hanging over the cost side of this equation.

To me the strength of a family, community or business is its ability to survive hard times and

adapt in changing times. If this litmus test is put on NZ I believe we are moving into an era of killing the golden goose. The health of the environment is so strongly linked to our NZ brand both in Agriculture and Tourism, that anything that damages that reduces our ability to survive and hence our ability to adapt and thrive.

So what is the answer?

Leadership! The Prime Minster showed great Leadership with the Cycle Ways and this has by all accounts been one of the boons for rural districts. The general population, tourism and many farmers taking a hand in moving it forward with access, providing accommodation, food, transport etc. It has bought communities together, created jobs, all with minimal impact on the environment. Can we not see the same leadership placed on the environment?

So what could a new plan look like?

The Government, Council, land owners, farmers, community groups, Education and Tourism all working together to bring about fast focused change to improve the ecosystem for our native flora and fauna. We know what to do!

Protect streams with fences and plants, plant out waste land with trees, kill pests, and add value to farms through focusing on high value returns not bulk. Identify the areas most in need through common-sense science and supply resources to those that need it through funding from public, private and the volunteer networks. The 100% New Zealand brand will become platinum if the world sees us taking solid steps to protect what is unique to us and appreciated by them. Clean water, clear skies, prolific vegetation and wildlife and a happy prosperous population.

Let’s push for the next ten years and beyond that the Marriage between all of us and the environment becomes strong and healthy where future generations can flourish.

Peter Townend Issue 78 Spring 2015

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Sea of Cortez - Mexico

by Larraine Williams

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

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The Loreto Marine Park is in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico, and contains some beautiful islands that offer wonderful conditions for kayaking and camping. From the end of April and into May a group of 10 Yakkity Yakkers, with guide Ginni Callaghan of Sea Kayak Baja Mexico, spent 10 days paddling around two of those islands, Carmen and Danzante.

We all met up in Loreto on 25 April and some hit the ground shopping. There were plenty of little shops selling everything including handmade rugs, pottery, and lots of silver jewellery. Loreto is an interesting town, population about 16,000. Its main source of income is tourism with many coming for the big game fishing and hunting bighorn sheep. The locals were all very friendly and helpful and seemed to take pride in their town. We often saw street sweepers out with a broom to sweep the streets clean every morning. There was almost no littering.

I don’t know why the footpaths haven’t had any maintenance, ever.

One of my favourite moments was when Russ and I were about to cross a very quiet intersection. A policeman appeared from his post under a shade tree, blew his whistle, stopped the only vehicle in sight, waved us across, then allowed the car to continue. He was there all day and very rarely was there any more than a few vehicles moving. He spent a lot of time under his tree.

There was a huge number of eating places serving a wide variety of Mexican food and we ate out for every meal. It was a bit of a challenge when the entire menu was in Spanish/Mexican and no one spoke

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much English, but with much sign language everyone was able to make themselves understood. Most of us started picking up a number of Spanish words within a short time. There were a number of wandering minstrels who did a circuit of the eating places from breakfast to dinner, playing a tune for a tip.

Late afternoon we met up with our guide Ginni to get fitted out with kayaks and gear. The next morning a taxi van turned up to take us off to start our big adventure. Our own gear had to fit into one hatch of our kayak as the other hatches were for the group gear, food and we had to carry all of our water. We each started out with at least 26 litres of water which made the kayaks very heavy.

DECK MOUNT ROD HOLDERS DECK BAGS

At our first camp a large curious sea lion came cruising by eyeing us up, and a pod of dolphins showed off for us. We also had our first sighting of the amazing flying mobula rays. They are similar to manta rays which are part of the same family. The mobula leap into the air flapping their wings and giving a spectacular display, and belly-flopping back with a loud slap.

Apparently they can reach up to 3 metres when they jump. There is some great video footage on YouTube that is worth seeking out.

We covered about 20 km per day until we were almost around Carmen Island. This was at a very slow speed as we were entranced by the clarity of the water, the variety of life, and the harshness of the landscape.

Pelicans and vultures where the most common birds along the way. We took very long lunches, most of us trying to squish into whatever scant shade we could find.

One of the charming parts of the trip was Ginni playing her flute every morning to wake us up as the sun rose. The food was amazing, and never the same meal twice. I was impressed – I run out of meal ideas by day three of any trip.

We had fresh fruit and vege, and sometimes fish, right to the last day, and apparently all that was left at the end of the trip was two onions and some garlic – apparently we were a hungry lot.

On three occasions we even had a freshly baked cake, still hot from being cooked in the Dutch oven. Well done to Vic who was in charge of the baking. I particularly enjoyed the peach sponge with cream.

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We drove down to Rattlesnake Beach where all of the gear was unloaded from the trucks and we started the first puzzle of trying to fit everything in.

We finally got underway and paddled over to Carmen Island with a leg stretch on Danzante Island.

For the first few days the weather was stunning with the wind at 0 gusting 3 knots. The sky didn’t have even a hint of cloud and the water was glassy, clear, and the colour ranged from emerald to teal. Fish could easily be seen swimming in clouds below us. The snorkelling at our first camp site was particularly good. Ginni demonstrated a method of fishing that none of us had seen before. While snorkelling, she would seek out her chosen prey and dangle her hook enticingly in front of it. It didn’t take long for her to catch dinner.

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We saw a number of scorpions hiding under rocks, and a few of the group saw rattlesnakes, but although they caused the most concern before the trip, neither turned out to be a problem.

We were fascinated to see bats, which are classified as a marine mammal as they gain all of their nutritional needs from the sea – they eat fish and crustaceans, including lobster. Not the sized lobster that we would choose, but the juvenile form. The bat has large feet with sharp claws to catch its prey. It has even adapted to drink sea water.

There were a few wildlife encounters that we could have done without.

Part way through the trip we had the opportunity to refill our depleting water containers from a natural fresh water spring on Carmen Island. The water was warm and we all luxuriated in pouring the fresh water over our heads, and other bits.

It was very refreshing but that feeling only lasted until we got back on the water and got all salty again. This water couldn’t be drunk as it was, but was used for cooking, preserving our precious drinking water. www.kayaknz.co.nz

Issue 78 Spring 2015

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We got buzzed by a tarantula hawk which is the largest wasp in the world at about two inches (50 mm) long.

It looked like something from a sci-fi movie, both magnificent and terrifying – especially when it was trying to get tangled in our hair. It had a blue/ black body with blood red wings, and according to Wikipedia, it has the second most painful sting of any insect, leaving its unfortunate victim unable to do anything but scream.

It hunts down tarantulas with the aim of laying an egg in them. The larvae then eats the tarantula from the inside out.

Ginni fishing for dinner.

Sandy had a scary/funny encounter with a sea lion. She was walking along the beach and spotted a dead sea lion on the beach. It looked all dried up like the dead dolphin we had seen previously. As she got closer, just to be safe, she clapped her hands loudly. She doesn’t know who got the biggest fright. The sea lion leapt up and dashed into the sea, while Sandy leapt up and dashed back along the beach, both with hearts pounding.

The worst wildlife encounter was when Miki got hit by a sting ray in the shallows. Thankfully the barb came out and just left a very painful hole in her foot, otherwise it would have to be surgically removed (the barb, not her foot) and considering there is no Coastguard or other rescue service in the area, that could have created a serious problem. We followed the recommended treatment which is to immerse the injury in water as hot as the patient can bear without complicating things by creating a scald injury.

After about two hours of this, the pain had reduced to bearable levels and Miki was able to lay back and be waited on. We kept a close eye on it but thankfully no infection developed.

Russell in his element.

Our time was rushing past, and for the last couple of days we circumnavigated the much smaller Danzante Island. It was magnificent with towering cliffs, amazing geology and plant life.

Ginni is passionate about her backyard and has a wealth of knowledge about its plants & creatures. We were also lucky to have Mark along. He is an ecologist and was able to elaborate on a number of things. Apparently the fascinating cliffs with layers of fossilized shells were only about 10 million years old so there was no point in looking for dinosaur fossils.

We had temperatures of about 30 degrees during the day, and about 20 degrees at night which was quite comfortable most of the time. Some of the group slept outside under the stars, but the thoughts of bitey things trying to join me in my sleeping bag, kept me in my tent, but without the fly on so we could still see the stars and the gorgeous moon which was full while we were there.

On the last few days we paddled much shorter distances and Ginni took advantage of the extra time by doing some skills training with any of the group who wanted to participate. By the end, we were thrilled to hear that Nick, Vic, Miki and Andrea had all passed their BCU 3 Star. Well done! Russ, Martin and myself had got ours on a previous trip with Ginni.

I can fully recommend Ginni’s trips to anyone who might be interested. She is a very experienced paddler, a wonderful guide, and looked after us all very well.

The season is from October to April, and trips are available for all levels of paddler.

Take a look at her website: www.seakayakbajamexico.com/

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

P A G E 11

Recovering on the Waiatoto

by Nathan Fa’avae

The Godzone Adventure Race has been held four times to date. The first was in April 2012 and since then they have been in early March. The first event happened to land on my 40th birthday so I started to wonder if Godzone would become my birthday present for the years to follow. But a change in date to March meant the event then landed on my team mate Sophie Hart’s birthday instead, so for the next few years she spent her birthday racing Godzone. The 2014 event though was just before her birth date and she told me she wanted to do something fun down in the Wanaka region after Godzone to celebrate.

“What about paddling the Waiatoto?”

It didn’t take long to get a group of ten paddlers and rafters committed to doing the trip, most of whom were racing Godzone.

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This years Godzone was a tough course made tougher by some bad weather that battered the teams for days. It’d be fair to say that everyone was smashed after the race, one way or another.

The weather was still creating some havoc in the mountains so our Waiatoto Trip was in jeopardy.

Regular visits to internet weather sites, calls to the helicopter pilot and sore necks from staring at the mountains and clouds towards Mount Aspiring, the catchment for the upper Waiatoto, we decided there was a weather window to do our trip, and we were happy the recent rains weren’t flooding the river beyond a safe level. The flight in originated in Makarora with a magnificent lift up the Wilkin Valley into the Waiatoto.

The Waiatoto is probably the least paddled West Coast river, only a handful of trips have been down it, mainly because it’s remote being 20 km south of Haast. The whitewater is typically Grade three with a sprinkling of Grade four, so it doesn’t appeal to the bulk of the West Coast paddlers searching for the higher grades. The Waiatoto is listed by many as the one of the best, or even the best introduction to heli-kayaking on the West Coast. That said, the river did get hit by some major floods in 2012

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and some of the big rapids were rearranged, heavily silted and littered with tree debris. Some reports we read said that the river was technically more difficult, but a few others commented it hadn’t changed significantly - there was only way to find out for sure.

When my friend Bob who was taking the raft and gear down the river for us said to me as I pulled out of an eddy, “you may want to scout the next rapid, it was Grade five last time I was here”, any thoughts of an easy recovery trip post an expedition adventure race were rapidly diluted.

Six kayakers and five rafts made up the [birthday] party from Bonar Flats to the ocean, which can be done in a long summers day but a large appeal of the trip is the wilderness and worthy of taking your time. We wanted a relaxing trip so we took three days, time to enjoy surroundings, fireside chilling and have a birthday party.

Still fatigued from the race, sitting around the fire brewing hot drinks and creating dishes to eat was a popular activity.

Once on the river we did sometimes question our intelligence choosing to do such a trip on the back of a race; the water was cold, weather was

Issue 78 Spring 2015

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Nathan & Stu chill out in an eddy below Waiatoto rapid.

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patchy and the white water was more challenging than we had hoped for. The first day was solid Grade four, I wasn’t paddling well, I had a bad cold, felt tired and weak, and I wasn’t the only one in that boat. But the environment frequently reminded us why we were there, the towering mountains, lush forest and pristine waters. We had great company in the team and an abundance of tasty supplies, we couldn’t really complain.

Nearing the end of the trip we had one more rapid to contend with, the Sharks Tooth, the signature rapid you could say. I jumped out and had a quick scan, looked easy enough so I casually floated down, getting a bit of a drilling. It was a lot bigger in the rapid than what it looked from the top, I was flushed around in a large hydraulic for a stint, I missed a few rolls and then was slammed into the Sharks Tooth rock itself, taking the impact on my shoulder and side of my head, resulting in a swim, like I said, I was paddling poorly. Fuming, I marched directly back to the top and ran it again, it wasn’t that hard. Second attempt was spot on, take that Mr Shark.

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In fairness to the river, the paddlers were constantly challenged, some in a fun manner, some in a more fearful manner and there was a few moments of raft envy I suspect, the rafters having a jolly old time bouncing along, passing around bags of lollies. But we made it through each rapid and each day to emerge better off as a result, an achievement and milestone accomplished for many, their first heli-paddling trip. I’ve paddled a lot of the West Coast heli-trips and I would rate the Waiatoto as one of the best, especially at a lower water summer flow, it was quite pushy when we went down it after a week of rain. Still, it enabled us to tick off yet another kayaking adventure in Godzone. Each time I do such a trip becomes a catalyst for planning the next one, and that process is nicely underway.

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

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Lapping the Lakes – Rotorua and Rotoiti

By Ruth E. Henderson

You could say we got off to a shaky start as the inspiration for lapping all ten of the paddle-able Rotorua Lakes came from 85 year old Shakey aka John Flemming. And sure enough on the eve of our adventure he turned up to meet the crew, and to bid us well. I first heard Shakey speak of his annual two week pilgrimage, circumnavigating the lakes and portaging in between at KASK’ s 2003 forum held at Rotorua. Ever since I’d been keen to follow in his wake.

As “time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted” once I’d chosen ‘The Lakes’ as my next challenge, I trekked down to Rotorua a couple of times to see Shakey, to pick his brains,

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take advantage of his experience, marking pit-stops and freedom campspots on maps, (he has done ‘The Lakes’ eight times), and then came home to spend the next few months toying with Memory Map, looking at distances and coming up with ideas of how I could do his trip ‘my way’.

Shakey was undoubtedly disappointed I didn’t take up his cudgel of 300 kms paddling and 70 kms of portaging a heavily laden boat in a two week period…but, different strokes for different folks… The man is a phenomenon - he paddled 1000 kms to celebrate his 80th!

I didn’t think I had the stamina or toughness to go solo, or the feet to do the portages. So, I came up with a variation of the plan, got a team of four together; big enough to help each other and small enough to be relatively inconspicuous for ‘stealth’ camping.

Although we are all ‘retired’ none of us could commit to a solid two weeks, so first time round anyway we decided to tackle the adventure in three parts and to do two of the biggest lakes, Rotorua and Rotoiti first, zero portage required, as we could use the inter-connecting Ohau Channel.

Rotorua Bathhouse and silica rock.

Photo by: Peter Beadle www.kayaknz.co.nz

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Meeting at Willowhaven Holiday Park, Ngongotaha on the western shore of Lake Rotorua, the wind was wild, the lake choppy. Cyclone Pam was due to abate; with faith in www.windfinder.com we slept soundly and woke to a gorgeous sunrise, the glistening water dotted with birds… On Lake Rotorua’s shore we packed our boats…It was quickly apparent that within our group we had a minimalist, realist, optimist and a maximalist... struggling to make it all fit. Shakey turned up, a fellow camper obliged by taking a group photo; hugs and handshakes, and by 9.20 am we were on our way. The plan was to head north towards Hamurana then to go across the top of the lake to exit at Ohau Channel into Lake Rotoiti.

It wasn’t long before we met the other inhabitants of the lake. The birds!

There were ducks, duck lookalikes, shelducks, and dabbling ducks…the most fascinating were the NZ scaup or black teal. At only 40 cm in length, they are NZ’s smallest duck. Easily recognised by their bright yellow eyes and grey rounded beak, they are very sociable and congregate in flocks near wharves and boat ramps. As we paddled by disturbing them, they took off en masse flying low; feet splashing inches above the water, rapid wing beats, revealing a distinctive white underside.

The ‘rule’ of sticking about 20 – 50 m from the shore was soon broken as we encountered submerged rocks, tree stumps and branches and shallow water making us punt more than paddle. We went from suburbia; paddling past people’s gardens, with mature shade trees in their autumn colours, manicured lawns leading down to a jetty and often a moored boat; to native bush, tawa, ponga, rewarewa, rimu. Rata in flower was a surprise.

At Hamurana Springs, another surprise was to see a Fulton Hogan truck pumping the pure, crystal-clear spring water into their tanks to use on the roads! Unfortunately as we started to explore upstream, the staff of the resort didn’t like our intrusion and quite forcefully told us to vamose.

Never mind, at Mission Bay, we spied our friend Shakey, who directed us onwards to a grassy spot just before the Ohau Channel. Magician like, he then produced a huge pot of chicken and sweetcorn soup which he’d heated up on a cooker in the back of his van. What a guy!

We’d heard the Ohau Channel could be daunting, especially in reverse.

On Google Earth I’d looked for portages as an alternative. Peter and I had eyeballed it the day before and looked at some of these options, and it

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didn’t look too bad, going with the flow… At the low lake level and flow it was easy-peasy. Just because they could, the ‘boys’ went back thru the gap for another run before settling down for a gentle three km meander.

As we drifted along we only disturbed a few black swans flouncing their skirts. Half the time they didn’t see us, they were too busy bums in the air feeding on the aquatic weed, or beaks under wings sitting on their nests amongst the reeds and rushes. Soon we were at the concrete breakwater and into Lake Rotoiti and a bit of wind. We stuck to the northern shore, and cruised up towards Okere Falls. Sticking to the ‘rules’ we popped into each and every inlet, finding some enchanting homes, sadly most were vacant. I was intrigued by one, owned presumably by someone with a ‘Toyota dad’ mentality – there was a slide that ran down a sloping lawn, and ended in a jetty jump!

In the main lake, it was back to white caps, with rain threatening so we hurried on to our campsite, near Motumauri Island; a bit of flattish land, and a loo, and nobody else about. Perfect.

27.1 km, 11.8 kph max speed, 5.3 kph average speed, moving time 5 hrs 11 mins.

Next morning it was overcast and crisp. We were ready to launch before 9.00 am and I phoned my check-in man Shakey, to confirm our day’s plan of heading to Hopuhopu for lunch, before tackling the lake’s south-eastern edge. The further from the main road, the more idyllic the baches became.

We spoke to one man and his dog, the only permanent residents… they love it off season. I can relate to that! Hugging the shore, we kept finding potential campsites; at Te Arero Bay there was even a toilet in the bush. It was pleasing to see many farmers fencing off the foreshore and planting trees and flaxes at the water’s edge for pollution control. Whangaikorea scenic reserve looked to be a good picnic spot, but our sights were set on Hopuhopu at the end of the lake. The next five or so kms were beautiful – moss encrusted rocks, rock walls with trees roots snaking down cracks to the water, sunlight filtering thru.

Very pretty, but my bum bones were aching, and I was ready for lunch…

Looking ahead, what should we spot, but a white van... This time Shakey had turned up with his mate Bob, who had baked us a batch of melting moments! Not to be outdone Shakey produced a chilly bag of individual

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desserts - jelly and peaches, with spoons! What a support crew, what characters!

The afternoon breezes arrived, and it was time to push off, into it, towards Gisbourne Point. The pace was slow, lawnmower contractors and one chap working on his boat the only signs of life. We passed the road turn off where Shakey used to leave Rotoiti, portage to Okataina and continue on to do the southernmost lakes, before returning to Rotoiti. I was glad that was not on my agenda, I admit tiredness was setting in. The empty baches grassy verges were inviting…

We gradually left the road and its noise behind, and started to look out for ‘Picnic Point’. Signage back at Hopuhopu indicated it was next to water-ski lanes, which made sense. But, an on-shore scramble did not produce a toilet or ground suitable to camp on. Instead there were 2 m high bracken fern and blackberries and disturbed soil, presumably from pigs rooting. We debated whether to plod on, and if finding nothing, crossing the lake, back to our previous night’s camp, or going back about a kilometre to where we’d spotted what looked to be the perfect place. The latter got the vote.

Apologies to the caretakers… being buggared must be a legit reason to suddenly be illiterate? As we were erecting tents a 4WD vehicle turned up, which increased my heartbeat a bit…but they had their own agenda, and didn’t even approach us. We were all in bed by 8.15pm!

34.7 km, 5.4 kph average speed, moving time 6 hrs 12 mins We slept well, there were no policemen, no possums and we left only flattened grass behind. As we rounded the Paehinahina Peninsula we found our previous nights intended campsite, nowhere near any ski lane poles. However the DOC sign called it an “Amenity Area” and guarded against illiteracy, with pesky symbols, including a circular one with a red line thru a tent.

This was to be a short day and we were in cruisy mode. Within an hour we were at the Manupirua Springs, gladly put $10 each in the honesty box and had a luxurious soak in the hot pools. Some Chinese tourists turned up on a chartered catamaran. Most were either modest or didn’t have togs, and only soaked their feet. With much mirth, the braver ones, entertained us all trying out paddle boarding.

Next on the plan was to try and locate a hot stream and a ‘private’ or free natural pool. Locals had told us to look for a huge fig tree. It was just past Tumoana Point. A marker if coming in the opposite direction would be a huge walnut tree. We didn’t linger. We lunched under trees at Wairau Bay, one of the spots that the Wooden Boat Association has built and maintains picnic tables and a loo.

At a leisurely pace we entered Okawa Bay; brown Canadian geese in V formation flew by honking and trumpeting to each other, while ducks bobbed alongside Australian coots, distinctive with white frontal shields and pointed beaks. Peter picked up a large floating beach ball and tossed it onto a lawn with children’s swing and slide. Then it was time to get serious; ahead was the formidable long concrete breakwater wall we had to follow to get into the Ohau Channel. Inside, Peter’s GPS registered a two knot current, quite doable, and not likely to rise to the 7.5 knots the locals and sign warned us could occur at the outlet. It took an hour to do three kms.

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As planned, as we approached the gap, Peter swapped his Greenland paddle for his spare European one and then both he and Richard powered thru the slot back to Lake Rotorua; Shelley and I got out at the hotel boat ramp, slid our wheels off our decks and under our boats, and amphibian like emerged onto the grass. A very short portage! We had intended going out of our way, back to Mission Bay to camp, but a friendly chap watching our antics, told us to camp on the lake shore past the logged trees and before the first marae. So we did! Two kms south of the channel, we settled on a spot, weeded it, and then basked in the evening sun, enjoying the light show as it set over Mokoia Island and Ngongotaha Mountain.

21.9 kms, 4.9 kph average speed, moving time 4 hrs 29mins Next morning it was bitterly cold as we headed south into the wind towards Rotorua Township. We kept an eye out for future campsites; grass near a couple of maraes looked promising , but reckoned we’d got the best one the night before…although we’d had to dig our own dunny, it was secluded and away from the road, the airport and the accompanying noise.

Hannah’s Bay proved a perfect spot for flasks of coffee and to polish off the last of the home baking (thank you Leslye). With public BBQ’s it could be a good meal stop another time.

Approaching Sulphur Point was akin to Miranda with its shell banks and masses of birds. The water colour was amazing, pure Rotorua, as was the smell – a turbid trail, a milky pathway, with blue on either side, led us on to the iconic Tudor style Rotorua Bathhouse building. Close to the golf course, we lunched at Motutara Point, competing with greedy geese, ducks, midges... We didn’t want to stay long, but as we pulled away, a voice called us back. It was Shakey! I was relieved as he’d not answered his phone for 24 hours. But he was in fine fettle, having had an ‘emergency’ to attend to at Taupo.

We carried on, past a huge man-made reed raft, built to accommodate nesting birds, to the township. It was a jolt to see cafes, float planes, tourists… and at Ohinemutu, from a different to usual perspective, the famous Tamatekapua meeting house of the Arawa people and standing opposite, the Anglican Church of St. Faith.

Before long we were back to gazing at the impressive gardens and homes on the water’s edge and amongst the birds. The dabchicks with their white eyes and pointy black beaks bobbed their heads, and emerged from the rushes along the banks to dive for food, disappearing and reappearing 50 m away, Once again the NZ scaup made us laugh as they took off in a whirr of wings and paddling of feet, 100’s at a time. All too soon we were back at Willowhaven Holiday Park and our cars. Once loaded up, we either had a final chilly swim or a hot shower, or both. And yes, we had Shakey there, hugs and handshakes, at the end.

23.1 km, average speed 4.9 kph, moving time 4 hrs 43 mins Total distance 106.8 kms

Shelley amongst the Rotoiti greenery Photo by: Ruth E. Henderson

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 21

– A hidden gem where you don’t expect it

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Mangakino Stream, Lake Maraetai

By Marianne Goudswaard

Often I hear the comment from paddlers – that place they went “was so beautiful” and in the back of your mind you think, I’m sure its just average, but I have to check it out.

I was told that the Mangakino stream off Lake Maraetai was beautiful and have been planning to take a paddle there for quite some time. It didn’t hurt that it is also a great trout spot.

Alas each time I have put up a trip plan, it has been cancelled either for weather, or once for lack of takers.

This time I decided it had to happen. Once again I had to change the date for bad weather, but postponed it to the following weekend so we could make sure it happened.

(Apologies to those who missedTwo out because of the date Grade certification change) and brush up courses run

through out the year.

I discovered a couple of things with this paddle; it is that Contact your nearest beautiful up the Mangakino Stream, and it is very cold in Mangakino on an AprilCanoe morning. & Kayak Centre

for details.

It’s a long road. Half the battle w wCoast w . ktoaCoast y a k2015 n z v1.indd . c o . n1z

At the start of the paddle I was a bit saddened to see that logging had made the far side of the lake completely bald – is getting there. and hoped it would get prettier further along.

I s s u e 7 8 S p r i n g 2 0 12/12/2014 5 P2:49:22 A G Ep.m.

23

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

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Six of us paddled down the lake and up the stream, passing under the foot bridge for the Waikato River Trails and the road bridge. The high cliffs and captivating scenery had a sculptural look. It was a stunning backdrop for a sunny day-paddle. From the amount of cameras out, you could tell the beauty was appreciated by the paddlers.

I had very little time to fish, but landed one small one, and we spotted a lot, so I know that I need to head back there just to fish. Who’s coming?

We had lunch on the lake edge on the way back, avoiding blackberries, only to find a picnic table 100m further along as we paddled after lunch! Why didn’t we note that on the way out?

A coffee at the café/bus at the carpark was a great way to end the day for a couple of us.

I hope you enjoy the photos by Geoff Moore, and see you on the water.

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 25

Join Join the the Yakity Yakity Yak Yak Kayak Kayak Club Club n no

WHY JOIN? • Meet New Friends • Lots of Great Trips • Discover the Great Outdoors • Safety Minded • Opportunities to Improve Your Skills • and much more...

Enrol at yakityyak.co.nz /join email info@yakityyak.co.nz

ow, and let the adventures begin.

Yakity Yak trip on the Mangakino Stream.

Photo by: Marianne Goudswaard

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Night Fishing

By Jason Walker

For most kayak fishing is thought of as a method reserved only for the daytime, and for beginner kayak anglers it should be a rule while they become familiar with their kayak. However, once experience has been gained you too may be lured by the challenges and rewards that can come from night fishing. For some kayak anglers the evening and night has become a preferred time to go kayak fishing.

Your fishing kayak is the absolute perfect platform for taking advantage of the opportunities that evening and night presents. In the daytime the kayak platform allows you to become the stealth angler without any fishscaring motor noise but as the sun drops and the darkness takes over your stealth factor increases, in addition to the stealth factor you now no longer cast a shadow into the depths as well.

A kayak is more mobile than a shore based fishing expedition, giving you access to that “just a bit further” fish holding area.

Now I’ll be upfront, honestly fishing in the dark isn’t for everyone, it can be a real mind-job at times, especially if the water is really calm and quiet.

At first you WILL imagine a lot of bogey men, every splash you hear will fill your mind full of huge man eating sharks cruising around looking for a feed and when that driftwood log bumps into the side of your kayak you’ll be grabbing your paddle and heading to shore at record speed! Time on the water in the dark will slowly make the fears less and less each time and you’ll soon find your night fishing groove.

Safety Getting out on the kayak in the day is dangerous enough; heading out at night introduces additional of risks, so following all the kayak safety measures is essential.

PFD By far the most important safety measure is to ALWAYS wear your PFD whenever and wherever you are using your kayak – of course this rule PAGE 28

Issue 78 Spring 2015

applies not only for night fishing you should be wearing your PFD during the day too. Remember that you are wearing the PFD for emergencies and not convenience – please wear one at all times.

Buddy Up Not limited to night fishing sessions, fishing with another kayak angler is helpful; not only can two anglers cover more water, but you can also watch out for each other and assist if you get into any trouble, plus they can be handy when you realise you left those spare jig heads at home.

Skill Limit At night it is important not to step outside your personal skill set; don’t attempt to fish more challenging water than you usually do, and don’t attempt to make trips to areas you wouldn’t normally fish in during daylight.

If you are fishing with others please do not bow to peer pressure, if you feel you are out of your depth be sure to make yourself heard and tell the others you are uncomfortable following their lead, do not be afraid to tell them they are heading beyond your comfort level.

Communications In the event of an emergency on the water, it is critical to have reliable means of communication, preferably two. Kayak anglers should at least carry a mobile phone in a waterproof bag or case. The better choice is a submersible VHF radio. Handheld VHF radios are very affordable and easy to use – you should do the Coastguard VHF Operators course and get yourself a registered VHF Call Sign too. When buying a VHF radio www.kayaknz.co.nz

look for a model that has at least three to five watts of broadcast power. If you are unfamiliar with handheld VHF radios, be sure to spend some time with the instruction manual before heading out on the water. If you are in a distress situation you will have enough to worry about without trying to figure out how the squelch control works.

You will also need some sort of light simply so you can see what you are doing on your kayak, rigging baits, landing fish, tying knots for example.

There are many good quality headlamps available, look for one with either a red light or one that has a low setting so you do not blind yourself with the light.

A VHF radio is also invaluable for communicating with your fishing buddies, it is easy to get separated at night and a radio will help you reconnect, plus you can use the radio to share with them where the fish are!

I also recommend using reflective materials to increase visibility.

Consider a PFD with reflective patches or piping. You may also want to add reflective tape to the ends of your paddle and along the sides of your kayak, you will find this tape for sale at most good kayak stores and safety supplies shops. Remember, if you can’t be seen, you can’t be safe.

The Plan Don’t forget it is also important to share the details of your fishing plan with someone back on land before your departure. The plan should include when and where you plan to launch your kayak, the area where you are intending to fish, and of course your expected return to land and back at home time. Verbally communicating this information to someone is okay, but writing it down is infinitely more reliable. All of your plan information can be passed on to the emergency services should you not return as planned and will hugely assist the services in any search should it be required.

Lights and Illumination Carrying a light on your kayak at night is not only a legal requirement in some areas it is also a must for use in high traffic areas to ensure other water users can see you. I recommend having both a permanent pole mounted light showing an all round white light and also having a handheld flashlight handy that can be shone in the direction of any approaching watercraft. Powerboats are mercifully less common after dark, but you may still encounter motorised craft at night; don’t ever assume you are alone.

Profish Tackle Pod™

• Integrated Sounder, Transducer and Battery pod.

• Large internal tackle storage facility.

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Electronics There’s no reason to stop using your electronics such as your fishfinder on your kayak at night, they work just as well at night as they do in the day.

They will also help you locate those drop offs and structure changes that you know so well in the day but cannot find by sight in the darkness.

All fishfinders have some sort of backlight so they can be used in the dark, the higher end units will offer you the ability to adjust the brightness of this back light allowing you to drop it down so you can still see the details without becoming night blind. Some units also have colour sets that allow you to switch to a night colour with a black background rather than the regular white background which will make things even better.

A GPS and or chart plotter will not only give you the ability to find your way to your favourite fishing spot, but it could also be your best tool for finding your way back to shore if you become disoriented in the dark. It is very easy to lose your launch spot when fishing away from major towns where shore based lights are few and far between.

Profish “Load & Go” Pods Our Removable Pod system will see you having more time on the water.

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 29

What to Take Now you’re ready for some night kayak fishing.

When you’re packing gear for your trip, I recommend adhering to the saying “Less is more.” Two or three rods and a small amount of tackle is plenty.

Tackle choices should be kept familiar because untangling a line or retying lures isn’t always easy in the dark. If you normally use a spin set for your softbaiting then taking out a baitcaster reel setup at night is going to be asking for trouble! Think about taking out two or three rods rigged with different lures or baits, this will allow you to switch sets without having to tie on different lures and baits in the dark.

Choosing the Spot

Try to keep the deck of your kayak clean and uncluttered. This will improve your angling efficiency by increasing your fishing time by minimising time spent managing your gear.

When picking a spot for your night fish, stick to areas that you are familiar with – places you have fished during daylight hours, at least for your first few trips. An area that you know like the back of your hand during

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the day can be very different at night, especially areas where there are few lights or on an evening no or little moonlight. Using lights on shore as landmarks marking your starting point is helpful to keep your orientation toward your fishing structure as well as getting you safely home but be aware any lights on the land are not guaranteed to stay on throughout the night.

There are many areas of the coastline that are reasonably well lit from city lights and street lights that make ideal spots for first time night fishing sessions.

A night time kayak fishing session doesn’t have to be a longdistance adventure, as fish often move right in to the shoreline at night so try in close before heading further out – you may just save yourself a long paddle.

Remember also that big fish are a lot less shy at night and will come right into the shallows looking for a feed - find some mangroves or shallow foul and see what you can catch. You will be surprised how shallow snapper will go to chase a feed such as crabs in the mangroves; it’s not uncommon to find snapper in water so shallow the dorsal fin on their back can be seen clear out of the water.

During summer the higher water temperatures and bright sunshine drive fish deeper in the water column and into deeper cover during the day. At night areas seemingly barren during the day come alive as predators come out to hunt in the darkness.

One last tip for night fishing: the best fishing usually occurs at least an hour after it gets dark. The evening bite often tapers off as it gets dark, but you will find at some point, those fish get going again. So don’t get discouraged if you get out in the light to scope things out and don’t keep catching right after darkness falls. Give it an hour and try again and you

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should find the fish come back on the bite again and you will catch some fish. Bites will tend to be fewer, but bigger.

Enjoy the solitude of your night time kayak fishing trip. I think you’ll be surprised how attuned your hearing will become to the sounds of the night.

The silence is calming, and there’s nothing like hearing it interrupted by a fish rolling or hitting your bait and the subsequent sound of line peeling from your reel.

Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 31

Puzzles

Quick Crossword Test your knowledge of kayaking and kayaking safety.

1 2

3

Down

5

4

6 7 9 11

12

8

10

13

14 15

16

17

18 19 20

21 22 23

1. Governmental body tasked with caring for our parks and marine reserves.

2. Most avoid these, but some some revel in the

challenge. (5,4) 4. Norwegian for ‘Voss Extreme Sports Week’.

5. A locale of unexpected delight.

6. The beginning of a trip. (3,2) 7. Best not to be seen without one.

8. The meeting point of two rivers.

10. Traditional wooden paddle.

12. Keep your lunch and frequently used bits and bobs

in this. (3,5) 13. Part of the brain that controls responses to manage a specific

range of temperatures.

15. A brand of inflatable kayaks.

19. Hook used to retreive a fish.

21. An essential part of your safety gear.

22. When you expect to get there.

23. No need to paddle with one of these.

Across 3. Used when extracting a kayak from an entrapment. (6,4) 9. Method of fishing where the lure is constantly moving.

11. This is the vertical blade in the rear of the kayak, used to steer

the boat.

14. A method of losing/ transferring heat.

16. Makes the portage easier.

17. The pintle fitting on the rudder slides, lowers or clips into this.

18. Provide support and keep the kayak stable.

20. Body of water between the islands. (2,6) 23. An alternative to fresh bait. (4,4)

Sudoku 4 6

9

7 4 5 1

6

2 3 4

7 3

6 7

PAGE 32

8

8 1

2 8

1

2 7

8

5 4 2

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 46

6 Issue 78 Spring 2015

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WERO A white water playground

By Peter Townend

There is white water to paddle in Auckland and man is it going to get even better!

As a younger man I spent many a day enjoying paddling on the Rangitopuni River in Riverhead, and competed in a number of slaloms there, and on tidal flows at Orewa. Hundreds of days have been spent playing, practising and teaching skills on this amazing tidal rapid. A trip down the Hunua River, just down from the falls was always interesting too.

The “Motorway Rapid” at Pahurehure near Papakura and Waiau Pa, where we stayed many weekends enjoying the tidal race, and a spit roasted sheep along with a beer or two. Heading south out of Auckland and, yes, the options get better and better. K’ Gorge and Wairoa, then into the Kaituna and Tawawera and on the list goes. Heading north and there are still a number of places that friends have used, but the beaches and surf are just too amazing, so I have not river paddled much there.

Now there is the new river coming to Manukau City called Wero. This man-made, 35 million dollar river, based on the side of the southern motorway, will add to the mix of river options. With a million plus residents and probably the same number of tourists each year, there is no doubt there are enough people to entice into river paddling and rafting. Wero is due to open next year and the challenge to the paddling fraternity will be to utilise it and encourage friends and families to see it as a venue to raise awareness of the great time we all can have on our country’s rivers and the need to be safe by being skilful and knowledgeable in and around them.

It is my understanding that there will be Rodeos and Slaloms organised to give us all an excuse to rock up and have a blast. Individuals with the ability to paddle rivers will be able to book on-line, giving loads of opportunities to paddle and practice on the Grade Two River. If you are good enough on the Grade Three to Four river and if you love the challenge there is even a four metre waterfall to get the blood pumping. Those that want to learn will be able to book a course through their favourite operator and they will be able to learn on these rapids.

I have never paddled on a man-made river so I can only go with the advice of many friends who have. They all say it is a great experience and well worth giving it a go.

adventure equipment

Tommahawk Dry Cag

Junga Semi-dry Cag

Adventure Touring Cag

So, keep your ears and eyes peeled, get behind it and let’s make Auckland known for being a white water destination; let’s see that ‘flow’ on to more people learning skills and enjoying safely the multitude of stunning natural rivers we have just on our doorstep.

Xipe Touring PFD

Keep an eye on the next issues of the magazine as the great flood will be coming soon to a river in Manukau.

Artists impression

Igneous Touring Boot

Strobe Ladies Cag

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 33

How To Keep Warm

Bush Craft

By Andy Blake

Thermoregulation is the process that our body uses to regulate its optimum temperature of around 36.5-37.5 degrees.

The Hypothalamus in the brain controls different responses to manage this quite specific range of temperatures.

As warm blooded creatures, we can become incredibly unwell if our temperature either increases or decreases by only a few degrees. We use a large proportion of the food we eat to maintain this temperature, and only a small amount is converted into body mass. Have you ever noticed how lethargic cold blooded animals - like skinks appear - just hanging out on the warm rock in the sun. Compare that to mice which never seem to stand still. As warm blooded outdoor pursuits people, maintaining this temperature is crucial.

Also keep an eye on your household pets , they always seem to know where the warmest spot in your house is - whether it is in the hot water cupboard on the thick towels or in the sunny spot beside the window?

Unlike humans, who can put on a jacket or turn on the heater whenever the temperature plummets - animals use their innate knowledge of their world around them to problem solve. When I have been in the bush for a number of days, I begin to tune in to my surroundings and begin to start to use my senses more acutely - I start to notice more things around me and my hearing and vision appears to improve. It is probably not the senses improving, just my ability to interpret all of this information without being distracted by other things that are going on in my head.

Animals have come up with many different ways to combat the cold.

Some can migrate to other more favourable areas, or hibernate and miss the cold season altogether, some will build up their fat reserves for the cooler temperatures by eating high energy food and some will increase the bulk of their fur or feathers to cope with the changing seasons.. We

PAGE 34

Issue 78 Spring 2015

protect yourself from the elements For the full range go to

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can learn a great deal from these animals when we are faced with cold conditions.

Before we explore how to get and keep ourselves warm, let’s firstly look at the ways in which heat leaves the body, it does so in four main ways: 1. Conduction - Is the transfer of heat from a warmer body to a colder object that is directly in contact, so don’t sit on anything wet or cold. If you are immersed in cold water, your body can lose heat about 25 times faster than in the same temperature of air – remember observing your cat insulating itself on your brand new fluffy jersey! .

2. Convection - We have a bubble of warm air surrounding us - place your hands close to your face, can you feel this heat?

Convective cooling is where air or water moving past our skin carries away this precious warmth. This is the reason why there is greater heat loss from swimming in very cold water compared to keeping still. The large blood vessels under our armpits and in our groin area allow our body temperature to cool rapidly when in cold water. Don’t stand out in the wind, especially if wet, sit down, put on a wind and waterproof outer shell. I have observed rabbits in a Central Otago winter, crouching in low depressions to escape from the wind.

What are they wearing to stay warm?

1.

The all important hat.

2.

Palm semi-dry paddle jacket. (Andy’s is a full dry top)

3.

Sharkskin climate control top under the jacket.

4.

Sharkskin fleece lined trousers

5.

Booties with fleece lined socks

3. Evaporation -This is the process in which a liquid is converted into a gas. When we breathe out, both heat and moisture leave the body. When we breathe in very cold air, we also cool ourselves down. When we over exert ourselves, the body produces moisture in our sweat glands on our skin in the form of perspiration. When this moisture evaporates, it robs the body of both heat and water and so has a natural cooling affect.

4. Radiation - If the body is warmer than the surrounding air; heat will leave the body in waves. We have a vast amount of 36 degree blood circulating in our body and especially in our neck and head area, so cover all exposed skin.

Consider our body being many hot water bottles all connected and affecting each other, if one bottle is allowed to cool down - then it will have an impact on all the other bottles. Notice how putting on a hat and scarf on a freezing winters morning changes how warm you feel. Remember the old saying - if you have cold feet - put a hat on!

Capsizing whilst kayaking is common, many white water kayakers seem to spend more than their fair share of time underwater. Wearing the appropriate clothing goes a long way to keeping you safe and prolonging your enjoyment. For those of us who are able to roll - this underwater event doesn’t need to become an OBE or an “out of boat experience” I definitely prefer a two second “oops” moment than the alternative! Learn how to roll your kayak - give your local Canoe & Kayak store a call to get enrolled on the next rolling course, it’s great fun and very empowering. There are many different kayak rolling techniques, some are trickier than others to learn and some are more for the low volume Greenland style kayaks. Start by learning a good solid Screw roll (both sides) and then once mastered - go and learn others, there are literally dozens to try.

Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers N.Z. Inc. (KASK) Annual subscription is $35.00.

Kask PO Box 23, Runanga 7841, West Coast

www.kask.co.nz

www.kayaknz.co.nz

KASK is a network of sea kayakers throughout New Zealand

KASK publishes a bi-monthly newsletter containing trip reports, events, book reviews, technique/ equipment reviews and a ‘bugger’ file. KASK holds national sea kayaking forums.

Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 35

Strangers in Paradise – Abel Tasman Easter 2015

We were nine people, eight kayaks, six tents and a hammock. Sea kayakers. A group of strangers brought together by a common love of the water and exploring places under our own steam.

We’d met for the first time at the Wellington ferry terminal for the 6.30 pm sailing on Friday night. It was now five days later and the conversation flowed between firm friends. We’d just arrived back in Nelson after four days paddling along the coast of Abel Tasman National Park. After checking into the local campground, freshening up, and commandeered the washing line for wet gear, we’d headed off for dinner together at Smugglers.

It was an appropriate place for a bunch of seafarers, the ceiling draped in fishing nets and pirate paraphernalia, with menu items like “walk the plank lambshank” and “swashbuckler steak”. We were tired but feeling inspired and it was time to reflect on the days that had been. Andy, our leader, asked us all what had been our highlights of the trip. It was good to remember all the things that had happened. Each of us remembered something slightly different but there were common themes.

One theme was the beauty of the coastline and the varied wildlife we encountered. The park is famous for its golden sandy beaches and the fur seals around Tonga Island which were playful and fun to be with.

But there was so much more. Exploring up the peaceful rivers was a highlight with jumping schools of fish, kingfishers and fluttering fantails and even groups of playful seal pups.

In other places we saw cave weta, weka, shags, South Island pied oystercatchers, gannets diving for fish and eagle rays hanging PAGE 36

Issue 78 Spring 2015

by Helen Kettles

out in the shallows. The water visibility was fantastic. In terms of wildlife, the mice we encountered at the Anchorage campsite weren’t so welcome especially by Jennifer who had one nibble her ear in the night! We learnt that the large mouse population this year was in response to a bonza mass seeding year for beech trees. As well as being a nuisance at camp the mice, and stoats which boom because of the seeds, can cause havoc for native birds. Luckily there is an awesome restoration project there called Project Janszoon (the local App was great for finding out about what was going on) and although the year was a tough one the results of their work was evident. Paddling beside Adele Island the air was alive with birdsong and on our walk to the top we saw dozens of bellbirds and robins up close and personal. The views were also great. It was good to get out from time to time and stretch our legs and it added great variety to the trip. We walked to a few headlands for views and one afternoon we also walked over the hill to Awaroa Lodge for a coffee! Some lovely accommodation there (for a price) and they even have their own large organic vege garden. Our short walk to Cleopatra’s Pool was also really lovely but very busy. This was one of the few times we encountered lots of people. Some Google investigations revealed that the park has about 150,000 visitors annually, including 75,000 day visitors, 24,000 overnight trampers and 29,000 kayakers! It does seem to be well managed though to give people a good experience. The campsite at Anchorage apparently had 100 people the night we were there but as the tents were scattered about in the trees it didn’t feel packed. Apple Tree Bay where we camped alongside the beach was magical and we had it to ourselves.

It was great to watch the sunrise from the comfort of our sleeping bags. Overall www.kayaknz.co.nz

the campsites were all great with picnic tables and fires, which some of us cooked on and we sat around at night. The larger campsites had good kitchen areas and as one of New Zealand’s nine “Great Walks” even had flush toilets! The park is really well set up to provide opportunities for a range of users including families with young children. People can walk in and paddle out or get a water taxi in and out of different bays. The water taxis strap dozens of kayaks across their backs and deliver them to the beaches for return trippers. Pretty amazing to see this. We decided that the taxis must limit their trips to certain times of the day as mostly the waterways were peaceful and boat free. We hardly saw any boats or other kayaks while out on the water maybe helped by early morning starts. We had Adele Island all to ourselves as well as many of our lunch stops in those golden sandy bays where we swam and played frisbee. Idyllic really.

Four of us were first timers to the park, but some had been two or three times before and Andy had been here 14 times. It’s definitely a place to make return trips to. We enjoyed hearing overseas visitors rave about our country, chatting to the helpful DOC rangers Steve and Phil and the kayak guides at the campsites. That’s another theme of the trip – we met great people.

The variety of the weather and water conditions was a common theme.

We had days when it was calm, the sea like glass, and we had fun exploring the nooks and crannies around the rocky shoreline and Split Apple Rock.

Even the hour of rain we had was lovely to paddle in as the water was so calm and it was warm. We played kayak frisbee and practiced our rescues and rolling. We enjoyed paddling in some choppy conditions and got to practice a rescue for real when one of us got caught out and tipped over.

We had to portage the kayaks once when we discovered the tide had gone out a bit far while we relaxed having lunch up the river near Cleopatra’s Pool! The tides were always to be worked around especially for launching at Marahau where the low tide mark is a very long way out.

The last important theme was the food. Well, it was a bit of a gourmet trip after all. The first night Andy had set aside as “restaurant night”, the aim being everyone cooked for someone else. Little did we know that for Andy this meant a three course meal complete with real crockery, glasses, bubbly

28 Essendon Place, RD 4 Rotorua - www.daytwo.co.nz  Phone +64 (0) 7 345 7647 or 021 898 942

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 37

(sparkling grape juice) and table setting. We learnt he was a professional chef. There was also the Master Chef risotto cook-off which provided a great taste sensation for the diners. Also a new gourmet experience called “shake, spray and scoff” with the help of an aerosol mousse can. As it was Easter, Andy had also organised the Great Easter Egg Hunt on the Sunday. We’d all brought eggs along and they were hidden in a marked out area of sand. No one was allowed to look....it was all very serious. A bit of a frenzy ensued as we dug voraciously to find them. We never did find all of them so maybe the wekas got them later? On day one we’d had a great breakfast at Lambretta’s retro scooter café in Nelson and on the last day another good one at the Pelorus Bridge café. At the end of the trip on the way back to Picton we’d further fuelled our love of food with various roadside stops: the apple stall where there were about 20 different varieties to taste test and Dale and Anika stocked up for cider making, beer tasting at the Hop Federation Brewery, then sweeter things at the Thomas Bros Real Fruit Icecream Stall and the Makana Chocolate Factory.

one degree of separation for you. It was a wonder most of us hadn’t met before. Thank you Yakity Yak Club for bringing us together and Andy for all the thought that went into the planning, the fun morning briefings and your laidback leadership. We are all looking forward to our next adventure together.

We had a lot of fun. Although I started off by saying we were all strangers.

Two had known each other from the 90’s through the Hutt Valley Tramping Club and just about everyone else had a mutual friend. That’s the kiwi

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

www.kayaknz.co.nz 20/01/2014 11:29:57 a.m.

On The Move As we’re always keen to improve our stores, both Canoe & Kayak Bay of Plenty and Canoe & Kayak Taranaki have moved.

Both at great new locations, with the biggest range and all the best advice from real kayakers.

Check out their new stores: Canoe & Kayak Bay of Plenty – 49 Totara Street, Mount Maunganui Canoe & Kayak Taranaki - 468 St Aubyn Street, New Plymouth

Both still with heaps of roof racks and accessories and both now with an indoor fitting bay for quick, easy fitting.

Canoe & Kayak – it’s who we are and what we do.

Canoe & Kayak Taranaki

468 St Aubyn Street, Moturoa, New Plymouth Taranaki

Canoe & Kayak Bay of Plenty

New Phone Number

06 751 2340

taranaki@canoeandkayak.co.nz

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www.c-tug.com Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 39

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Ask other kayakers and checkout what the professionals use.

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Why? Because Beckson is a trusted brand, been around a long time and they pump alot of water (rated at 30 litres a min). Plus they last for ages.

Unrestricted opening allows for great pumping volume

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PAGE 40

Issue 78 Spring 2015

BECKAD-Dec14

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Trip Card # 025 Motuora Island from Sullivans Bay

Home Bay - Motuora Island

Motuora Island from Sullivans Bay Route card No. 025 Skill level: Intermediate Distance: Varies Start point: Finish Point: Emergency contact: Comms coverage:

Chart: NZ5227 Tidal Port: Auckland

Sullivans Bay, Mahurangi West Sullivans Bay, Mahurangi West VHF channel 82 & 16 Cellphone coverage and VHF is good.

Introduction: Motuora is a beautiful island, replanted and stocked with native species.

Working bees for planting, weeding etc. are held regularly. Take walking shoes as there are many tracks and excellent views.

Description: At the NE corner of the island DOC are encouraging gannets to start a colony. Part of this programme is a speaker system set up on top of the cliff broadcasting gannet calls which can be puzzling if not expected. On the eastern side is Still Bay which is a lovely place for a break. It has golden sand, and pohutakawa trees. Nice rock gardening on the eastern side.

This is a kiwi breeding area, and kiwi are often seen at night, even in the campground.

A side trip to Moturekareka and/or Motuketekete is worthwhile if time permits.

Pest free Island – ensure that kayaks and gear are checked for pests – rodents, Argentine ants, Rainbow skinks, seeds. http://motuora. org.nz/

Getting there: head north on the motorway, 5km past the tunnel there is a sign to Mahurangi West, turn right and travel for a few km. The road then bends to the left and there is a road which branches off to the right. Take the road to the right and follow it to the beach. This is Sullivan’s Bay aka Otarawao Bay on Google Earth.

Hazards: • Ocean swells • Wearing helmets when rock gardening in any swell is recommended.

• Other vessels - this area is quite busy in summer months.

Camping

Bird and wildlife watching

Toilets

Fishing

Showers

Diving and snorkelling

Parking - Sullivans

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: August 2015

Trip Card # 026 Lake Whakamaru

Lake Whakamaru

Lake Whakamaru Route card No. 026 Skill level: Intermediate Distance: Varies Start point: Finish Point: Emergency contact: Comms coverage:

Map: BF35 Tidal Port: N/A

Whakamaru Dam picnic area Whakamaru Dam picnic area Cell phone or PLB VHF person to person. Cellphone coverage in gorges is unreliable – you may need to climb a hill. This is common in this area, so don’t rely on other cellphones in the area working. Use landlines where possible.

Introduction: This is a lovely paddle along the Waikato River upstream of the Whakamaru Dam and ski club.

Lake Whakamaru was formed in 1956 when it was dammed for hydro-electricity generation.

It is probably the shallowest of all the hydroelectric lakes on the Waikato River system.

Description: From Lake Whakamaru, paddle upstream to Hukurangi Island and the Christian camp (9km) and return. Alternatively launch at Tram Rd after doing a car shuttle, stop at Island for lunch and exit before the Whakamaru picnic area.

Hazards: • Access/park – Tram Rd is off Ongaroto Rd. May be too much current for beginners to safely launch.

• Other vessels such as water skiiers.

Accomodation: • This reserve is located between Mangakino and Whakamaru on the edge of Lake Maraetai.

The camping area is in the paddock near the toilet block. No power is available. This reserve does get used for events so check www. eventscapital.co.nz to make sure it is available for camping. There is no charge for camping here, and campers may stay a maximum of 2 nights.

• Bookabach has a number of houses to rent locally.

Camping

Bird and wildlife watching

Toilets

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: August 2015

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Great Advice / Great Brands / Great Service

First Aid

Kayaking Trip First Aid: Not Just Paddling Injuries Treatment of Isolated Eye Injuries

By Susan Lott

The most common incident involving eyes on your paddling trip may be a small particle of sand or debris under the lid, causing discomfort, redness and watering. This may make it hard to see and to concentrate, or even to open that eye.

Particles that don’t immediately flush out with tearing may scratch the cornea, as they rub with movement of the eyelid.

A wee scratch puts you at risk of infection.

Most important is not to rub your eye, rather keep flushing it with saline or water, or have a first-aider gently fold back the lid and carefully remove a non-embedded particle with a cotton swab soaked with saline, but only if this is easily managed. Protect the eye after any particle is removed and continue lubricating, preferably with saline drops. And don’t forget pain relief, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, after checking of course for any medication allergies. Eyes have lots of nerve endings so any injury may hurt a lot. The injured eye will probably be sensitive to light. If the particle is not removed, lightly cover the eye with a moistened non-adhesive dressing and consider covering the other eye if this is practical, as both eyes move in unison which may aggravate the condition.

A more serious incident may be a penetrating object like a splinter from a twig or plant spike (be careful where you crouch and remember sunnies when hiking through bush). The culprit may even be a fish hook if you are standing in the wrong place when your buddy casts a line for dinner. In general, a penetrating object should not be pulled from the eye, this could make it worse. Lay the patient down. We need to stabilise the offending object as best as possible with wet dressings around it and cover both the object and the eye with something like a disposable cup taped in place.

And again, cover the other eye with a pad to help prevent movement of the injured eye, and give good pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication as swelling is likely. Lots of reassurance and constant communication will be needed as the patient won’t be able to see and may be very anxious.

Get them to medical help as soon as possible.

A torn eyelid will also be serious and the same procedure for flushing and dressing should be followed, to prevent further damage, with earliest medical help.

What about sunblock or insect repellents getting in your eyes?

Especially when you start sweating. Or did you rub your eyes after using hand sanitiser? Such chemicals may cause a burning sensation, redness, tearing, swelling and pain, but will usually not result in long term damage.

Flush the eyes continuously with water for as long as it takes, preferably laying down with eyes open, or you can put your face into a bucket of water with eyes open, in between breaths. Again, use pain relief as required, and anti-inflammatory medication.

Most important treatment for eye injury?

FLUSH, prevent further injury, prevent infection, and give pain relief.

Then see a doctor as soon as possible for anything potentially serious, or if discomfort persists.

Does it hurt straight away?

Pain and irritation from abrasion may be delayed several hours and then start hurting, so you may not remember getting something in your eye.

What about contact lenses?

Lenses can themselves cause abrasions so if you get symptoms take them out if this can be easily done.

How should we apply eye dressings?

Have the patient close both eyes, fold a dressing and place on the closed eye, then put an unfolded dressing on top and tape in X fashion.

Make sure the patient can’t open their eyelid. BOTH eyes need to be dressed if possible.

How long will healing take?

Corneal scratches should resolve in 12 hours. More serious injuries will depend on severity and medical evaluation.

Tip if dressing: Take a photo first so the doctor can see the original injury.

Prevention: Don’t put sunblock on your forehead, wear sunnies while paddling and in camp/ hiking, keep insect sprays away from the face, stand upwind of smoke, NEVER RUB YOUR EYE. References: Bledsoe, B. E., Porter, R. S., & Cherry, R. A. (2011). Essentials of paramedic care, update (2nd ed.).

Tintinalli, J. E., & Stapczynski, J. S. (2011). Tintinalli's emergency medicine: A comprehensive study guide.

A more serious chemical burn may be from acid (eg vinegar or bleach) or alkaline substances (hopefully you won’t be using these on your trip).

These must be flushed for at least 30 minutes, cover both eyes with moist dressings and get medical evaluation as soon as possible.

PAGE 44

Issue 78 Spring 2015

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Springing Back Into Your Kayak By committing to a kayak trip you will create wonderful motivation that springs you into some kayak training. You do it in an "inspired moment” then because it is months away it gets double digits on your "to do" list.

You might think this kayak trip is a physical commitment though I believe it is actually a mind commitment. Your body follows the direction of your mind, for instance you have the thought and desire to go to the movies, you google the movie site for times and drive to the theatre. Thought -> action -> deed. Most things follow this pattern. So to successfully prepare for your kayak trip you need to become a "conscious committer" and prepare your mind for the upcoming exercise and training required after a long winter as mind games will be played out in your habits and excuses. You know that excuses, boredom and diversions will creep in so prepare for them!

Here are some tips: Don’t let your excuses become a habit.

Get curious about your excuses and observe them. Curiosity evaporates roadblock excuses and infuses inspiration and problem solving. List your excuses while in an inspired mood. In this state you are more realistic and honest with yourself, so when these excuses creep into your mind, you can say "AH HA" I hear this but I choose differently. Example: Classic example: I don’t have time today Solution: My kayak training gets put in the top three priorities of the day - it gets the pen not pencil approach in your diary.

Don’t wait too long to train so it becomes overwhelming...

Take small steps each week to accomplish your exercise and training goals. By taking small steps you achieve small successes which ignite inspiration that fuel your motivation.

Pick good prep exercises:

- You will need to strengthen and stretch your arm and back muscles with emphasis on stretching your hamstrings to prevent back injury.

Exercises for arms such as lat pull downs, push ups or an all-encompassing one such as downward facing dog that does it all in one move.

- Focus on three dimensional exercises as your kayak is three dimensional. For instance doing your exercises on a Swiss ball vs two dimensional weight machines is a great way to prepare your body for similar movements and challenges you will face while on the water.

Why is this important? If you jump into your kayak this spring without preparing your body, it is likely you will injure yourself! Unfortunately I see this happen to many of my kayaking patients each spring and there is nothing worse than starting your summer with a fresh injury! .

Buddy Up There is nothing like a good buddy to keep you motivated and committed to exercise and training. You will keep each other on track. Plus it can get a bit lonely out there on the water. Link up with a good kayak friend or one of my favorited things to do is to do is invite a “kayak virgin” to join me. I have created many a kayak addict by inviting someone new out on the water to have a “go”. It is oh so sweet to share the magic of a sunrise or sunset kayak with someone who has never experienced it before. Happy paddling!

I invite you visit my website where you’ll get free hot health tips and downloads : www.drtheresadobson.com Yours in Loving Health, Dr Theresa Dobson Active Care Ltd Posture and Neck Pain www.activecare.co.nz

Pick exercises that you can do now to prepare your body for the physical demands you will encounter while on the water. Winter makes it cold and challenging to get into the water so prepare in the gym or yoga class till it warms up.

www.kayaknz.co.nz

www.drtheresadobson.com P 09 415 9399

Issue 78 Spring 2015

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

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Voss Extreme Sports Week

By Josh Neilson

Norwegian extreme sports week involving base jumping, skydiving, paragliding, rafting, kayaking, climbing, and mountainbiking After many years of travel to the best kayaking destinations in the world’ one starts to develop a solid group of friends who ideally end up in the same place at least once a year.

For myself, and a large bunch of kayakers, this destination is Norway, more specifically Voss Extreme Sports Week or Ekstremsportveko.

Other than kayaking, my job sounds simple but is more of an extreme endurance week than anything else. My task is to kayak, film and produce a short film every day of the event that gets shown on the large movie screens in the festival tent each night for everyone to see what happened during the day.

Now this always gets off to an easy start with so much good kayaking close by, but the tendency to gravitate to the party soon catches up.

Day one saw us heading to the big waterfalls of the Teigdale and Jordalselvi with great results and amazing shots. Day two: Anton Immler came up with a plan to fly his speed wing (small paraglider) off a snowy mountain side, cross a lake and then swoop down metres from three kayakers paddling a big cascading drop called ‘Lake to Lake’ and landing in the water below. This made for some spectacular footage and some good cheers from the crowd at the viewing. With some time left during that day we headed just downstream and locked in some sweet shots of a 70+ foot waterfall called The Eksingdalen drop to use for Tuesday’s video.

Finally a much needed rest and time to go kayaking for a news story on my accident the year before. It was nice to get out on the river again and paddle some chill drops with friends. The crowd that evening erupted on seeing numerous kayakers dropping down a seemingly impossible waterfall followed by some carnage from a huge slide the boys shot that day.

Wednesday was another chill day as I received an email from Nicole Dube from Canada asking if she could make a video about the awesome girls kayaking at Veko. This was another success and everyone was amping on the kayak videos. It was a blessing in disguise as Tuesday night saw every kayaker, BASE jumper, Skier, paraglider etc. dancing late into the night to one of Norway best DJs at the ‘Bula Beenie Boogie’. Wednesday was not a fruitful day for kayaking by anyone within 100 km of the festival.

After a good rest that day we headed for the Brandseth for the first of the kayaking competitions.

The event on Thursday was a downriver sprint where the top 20 kayakers combine two runs to decide the winners. The field was tight and the river was dropping so it was anyone’s race.

Toni George from NZ took 3rd place in the women’s final, Mike Dawson and Jamie Sutton took first and third respectively in the men’s. Mike was only in town for two days as a short break from his Slalom World Cup campaign and was stoked to take the win.

Josh Neilson takes on Matzes Drop Photo by: Dean Treml www.kayaknz.co.nz

Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 47

With the levels in Voss expecting to peak over night the organisers decided to run the teams race right after the time trial that day with kiwis Jamie Sutton, Sam Sutton and Mike Dawson taking the first place. Cue another dance party late into the night‌ Friday was a slow start followed by a memorial paddle on the Raundalselvi for our good friends Juanito De Ugarte and Louise Jull, where a hundred kayakers from all over the world gathered to paddle and share stories around the camp fire.

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Issue 78 Spring 2015

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Saturday was finally here and only one film remained. Saturday’s event was the boater cross on the Lower Stranda and the competition was fierce. Not only do you have to battle it out with three other kayakers but you have to negotiate strategically placed gates and strong currents racing past a river bank full of spectators hungry for carnage. Once again it was anyone’s game but not in Toni George’s eyes. She dominated the women’s final. Sadly all kiwis were eliminated early in the men’s which was taken out by the UK’s David Bain.

With a deadline of 6 pm fast approaching, I logged footage from my film team as we drove back to the house to finish the film. With a few minutes to spare the hard drive was dropped off at the film HQ in town and I was free from the stress of the week. It was now time for one last hurrah.

I am so grateful to get to go to Norway each year for this event and film with the top kayakers in the world doing what they love most. Each year we come up with something new, find new runs to explore and catch up on old times. Whilst I didn’t get to kayak much this year with all going well after the rods are removed from my back I’ll be back out with everyone on the water next year for another Extreme Sports Week.

For more information and access to all the ‘Today’s Videos’ head to www. ekstremsportveko.com and if you want to experience amazing kayaking from Grade Two to Grade Five depending on your level of skill then Voss is the place to go. It has something for everyone despite what you may see in the films.

van Garcia - Brandseth Photo by Josh Neilson

www.kayaknz.co.nz

Issue 78 Spring 2015

PAGE 49

Tyselvi - Photo Ari Walker

Anton PAGE 5 0 Immler I s s- uBugdelva e 78 Spring 2015 Photo Josh Neilson

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WAIKATO 07 850 1002

NORTH SHORE 09 479 1002

AUCKLAND 09 815 2072

What we do ;;Sit-on-Top Kayaks ;;Sea Kayaks ;;Recreational Kayaks ;;White Water ;;Multisport ;;SUPs ;;Canoes ;;Inflatables ;;Kayak hire

;;Kayaking accessories ;;Tours ;;Kayak instruction ;;School groups ;;Corporate events ;;Team building ;;Multisport training ;;Coaching ;;Roof Racks

Canoe & Kayak Auckland 502 Sandringham Rd, Sandringham, Auckland 1025 09 815 2073 auckland@canoeandkayak.co.nz

Canoe & Kayak Bay of Plenty 49 Totara St, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, 3116 07 574 7415 bop@canoeandkayak.co.nz

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

canoeandkayak.co.nz