Okarito

What a great place to spend some time. We think we will be here until Saturday at least. The weather gods obviously want us to extend our trip. We are very fortunate to have landed in this spot and have a roof over our head. Swade and Paula who run "Kotuku Lodge Beach House - GonFishin", have been extremely good hosts and have catered well for our needs, even picking up more supplies for us for our extended stay. We also met Ian and Debbie James who previously ran the Kayak hire and Nature Tours. Ian and I had met previously and he was very helpful with weather charts and other options of landing sites down the coast. They also gave us veges and grapes for our dinner tonight. We really are very lucky to have met the people we have met and the places we have seen.

An Unscheduled Rest Day

Well, after flying along yesterday, today is the pits!! We did make a start in front of several clicking cameras but decided once we were out there that it was no place to be, so came back in. It has been a miserable day weatherwise with strong winds and heavy rain. But the people have been great. Richard Saunders, who runs Okarito Nature Tours, very kindly lent us his car, a very big thank you to Richard. We headed off to see the towns of Franz Josef and Fox Glacier. We also drove out to Gillespie's Beach and were very glad we were not attempting to land there today. The surf was really thundering in. Melz and I walked some of the track, a very emotional time, remembering that 23 years ago we had walked this same track with Steve. It had been quite a long walk and Steven was easily tired but he was absolutely determined to go see the seals. This is a special place for us. As we drove back to Okarito the sun came out for a wee while. A good sign but I think we may be here for a few days.

Flying along in the Wind.

Forecast for today was not good but conditions looked okay as we left Greens Beach. We thought we would try for Okarito and if things got a bit more than we could handle we would head into Wanganui River. Boy, there are a lot of Wanganui rivers in new Zealand! There was about a 4 metre NW swell and a really "brisk" NE breeze behind us. This tail wind was so good that we made Okarito by 1.30 p.m. Again, the surf landing was really interesting with Melz managing fine and me having to roll. Our thanks to Richard Saunders for carrying our kayaks on his trailer up to our accomadation. We have found a house which we are sharing with another family for a very reasonable rental. We will check conditions tomorrow, because although 40 + knot winds are forecast, the sea was pretty good today.

Further than Expected

Another very good day but it is starting to be quite chilly in the morning. We could see the snow on the hills as we paddled south of Hokitika. Called in to Ross for a lunch stop, Melz managing the landing perfectly but I had to roll twice after misjudging two rather large waves. A dry landing in the end but not very pretty. Again, we had the company of dolphins, approximately ten this time, who joined us for about an hour. We have managed to go furthur than intended today and have made camp at Greens Beach near Te Rahotaiepa River. We have also met some wonderful people who have given us flounder for tea.

Another Early Start.

Everyone up bright and early and helped us get on the water by 7a.m. The troop bid us a cheery farewell and we set off on this section to Hokitika in beautiful weather and nice flat sea conditions. As we paddled on past Runanga this cold mist hit us, the first time on the trip that our hands had been cold and it was quite eerie with the rocky cliffs up above the mist. It took about half an hour to paddle through the mist, which is known by the locals as 'the barber'. Once we kayaked through the mist the sun came out and it was beautiful for the rest of the way to Greymouth. We came in over the Grey River bar and stopped for an early lunch break. The long paddle to Hokitika was accomplished in just the best weather, in the company of Hector Dolphins. We landed at 5p.m. so another long but very satisfying day. Our thanks to Adele and Brian Dow of 252 Beachside for their help. The generousity of the people you chance to meet is amazing.

As Paul says 'A Cracker of a Day'

We paddled back down the Nile River to the sea and wonder of wonders, it was flat, hardly a wave to be seen. What a beautiful start to the day. We had left early because we really wanted to make Paul Caffyn's home our next port of call and we had quite a distance to travel. We approached Woodpecker Bay and Melz was quite sure she could see flashes as if someone was signalling but I thought it was just a welder. We came ashore at Fox River to be met by Paul, Leon Dalzell, Cordelia Chu ( who also has been attempting a circumnavigation until two dislocated shoulders got in her way) and Lynda Fergusson. And yes, they had been trying to get our attention! We pressed on and stopped later for a lunch break at Punakaiki, it is a very impressive sight to see the blow holes and the rock formations from the sea. We also had three Hector dolphins follow us for quite some time. It was a great feeling this evening when we paddled right up to Paul's front door at Rapahoe. A great day but tonight will be a great evening also. The BBQ is already in action and the red wine flowing. And great company.

No Two Days are the Same.

What a difference a day makes. Today we were ready for anything. We were off to an early start and had arrived at the Buller River by 10.30. It was great to paddle up into the river where we spent some time and also stopped for a lunch break. We found Cape Foulwind aptly named as it presented us with a bit of a challenge to paddle round. This was a most interesting day with all sorts of marine life. We had lots of Little Blue Penguins for company near the colony at Tauranga Bay and also saw Dolphins and Seals . We have found the shore break down this part of the coast to be huge. We have to keep at least a kilometre or two out from the shore to keep out of the breaking waves. And some of these waves are BIG. We have stopped at Little Beach for the night, paddling up the Nile River to a Reserve that the locals said was a good place to camp. We walked up the hill to the Charleston Pub, where we have feasted on Rib Eye steak and Fish and Chips, washed down with red wine. Tomorrow we hope to catch up with good friend and seakayaking guru Paul Caffyn.