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Published: February 25th 2010
We Christen thee - a Box o' Birds
She's the result of nearly 300 hours of workSunday, February 21st
This morning Ferdi installed bow and stern lines followed by the seats. He also managed to find a great font to use for the name of the canoe, so he traced it on paper, coloured it black, cut it out and stuck it on the canoe with clear packaging tape. It’s temporary, but to officially launch our boat it needs a name. We were ready for the launch, but had to wait for the tide to come in, otherwise the estuary represents a desert.
After lunch we had a bit of a nap. Last night’s antics had left us quite tired. The Guppy’s arrived to say goodbye and inspect the canoe. We sat chatting under a tree and had tea and snacks. Soon Talita disappeared to play with the boys. Dave and Deb helped Ferdi load the canoe on the roof of the van and he drove it down to the estuary. The boys were already there, playing in the water with Talita. We unloaded the canoe and got our bottle of champagne, but instead of breaking it on the bow, wasting the champagne and spreading glass everywhere, Talita popped the cork and we each had a
sip and splashed some over the name. A Box o’ Birds was born!
Julien joined us for the maiden voyage up the river. Our canoe glides beautifully over the water and even though we’re not 100% happy with the look of the seats, they are very comfortable! Dave, Deb, Julien and Kyran enjoyed the second voyage and handled the canoe like pros even though Deb had never been in one. The canoe is extremely stable and it seems unlikely that it’ll ever go over.
We felt very proud indeed. a Box o’ Birds looked gorgeous out there on the water. Toon (Belgian) and Caroline (French) came by. We’d met them the previous night at the bonfire. They’re cycling around NZ and she fell coming to Karamea. They knew we were leaving the next day and wanted to know if they could get a lift. We said yes, even though we knew how hard the next day was going to be.
While Talita spoke with them Ferdi accompanied the Guppy family to the cabin where he downloaded the pictures they had taken of the launch. We were very lucky to have had them there, because not only could
She glided beautifully on her maiden voyage
It gave us immense satisfaction to finally see our hard work floating along we share this great moment with them, they also got great shots of the launch. Then we said goodbye, promising to swing by their place on our way out of Karamea.
When everyone had left we took "Birdsy" out for a sunset cruise through the estuary and up the Karamea river. We were very chuffed, but had some mixed emotions. With the finishing of the canoe our time in Karamea had also come to an end. This place had been a birth place of sorts for us. We'd made great friends and we did not relish saying goodbye.
Back at the cabin Birdsy got a wash and we did some packing. We realized that we'd never said how far we'd be able to take Toon and Caroline, so after dinner we drove to town to hear what they were expecting. We found them in the Last Resort listening to some local artists perform. We were worried that they'd want a ride all the way to Christchurch, because with the vague plan we had was to take it slow and stop by a few lakes on the way. Luckily they just wanted to go to Westport, so that was
alright. Back home we called it a night. It had been a long and eventful day, and we were totally exhausted.
Today's highlights:
1. Birdsy's maiden voyage.
2. Sharing the moment with the Guppy's.
Monday, February 22nd
Our last day in Karamea dawned beautifully warm and sunny. We did the last of the packing, then loaded Birdsy on top of our van, making it look like the Boesman had a giant mohawk. While Talita cleaned our cabin Ferdi burned the smaller plywood off-cuts, then gave the Boesman a bit of a bath.
After lunch Toon and Caroline arrived on their bicycles. They took off the front wheels and we loaded all their gear into the van. They had quite a bit of kit, but even so there was enough space for Caroline to sit comfortably in the back.
Then it was time to say goodbye to the camp and goodbye to John and Marg. We found them sitting on the porch and gave them a card expressing our gratitude and also a gift; a wooden cat holding a tray that says "Free Bird Seed". They loved it because Marg adores cats and they feed the birds
from their porch. We hadn't expected the goodbye to be too emotional, but both of us got tears in our eyes when they gave us an envelope filled with cash "to help us along". As if they hadn't given us more than we could ever thank them for! What amazing friends they are, and what great human beings. As we drove out of the camp for the last time, waving at the Karamean couple who'd adopted us, we had a lump in our throat and tears in our eyes. They had taught us so much about kindness and patience and sharing with others.
Initially it felt little awkward feeling that emotional with two people in the van we barely know, but we couldn't really control our emotions so we just let it go. Let them think of us what they will.
Our next stop was the Guppy's. Dave wasn't there but Debs presented us with a gift they had made especially for us; a beautifully delicate little dream-catcher made of copper. It was a very emotional goodbye, getting long cuddles from the boys and even longer cuddles from Debs. By the time we got back in our van
we had tears running down our cheeks, and Talita's heart nearly broke when Julien stood there blowing kisses as we drove away.
Then it was off to Paddy's. We hadn't seen him the day before and was worried that he'd pulled a disappearing act on us because he didn't want to say goodbye. With Birdsy on the roof we couldn't go down his overgrown driveway so we parked outside. As we walked in we were relieved to see Paddy out in his field. Toon and Caroline was with us and we were worried that Paddy might not like that, but he invited us all in for a cuppa. After we had our tea and a bit of a chat he presented us with a gift of his own; 3 copper bracelets, 6 necklaces, and a set of Ebony and bone ear-rings. We were absolutely blown away. Then, before things got too emotional, Paddy escorted us back to the van, gave each of us a big cuddle, wished us well, then waved us off as we drove away. He'd made a tough goodbye much easier, but it was still hard to watching him turn and walk away. He'd been a
great friend and mentor to us, opening our eyes to art and music and the freedom of creation. Of all the people we're leaving behind, Paddy was the closest to us and we'll miss him greatly.
On the way out we saw Mike and Becky next to the road, so we stopped to have a few words and to say goodbye to them. Poor Toon and Caroline! They'd been with us since 1am and by the time we finally got going for Westport it was 3:30 in the afternoon.
The hour and a half drive to Westport went by in a flash, our minds whirling and the emotions of the day slowly settling. We felt extremely blessed by all our friends we had left behind and we wanted to share some of that blessing with Toon and Caroline. We invited them for dinner on us at the Indian restaurant and they gladly accepted. In Westport we stopped at the grocery store for supplies and because the restaurant allowed us to bring our own wine Toon bought a bottle for us to share.
Even though we were starving we still spent half an hour looking at the menu,
trying to decide which of the scrumptious dishes to select. We had a wonderful meal and really enjoyed their company. They are both in their mid-twenties and have traveled extensively, so they had no nonsense about them. It's funny how traveling does that to you. It kinda rubs off the "bull" that you used to carry around before.
We could see the van from the window and saw the first appreciative inspection of our canoe. It's a great feeling when others appreciate your handiwork.
After dinner we drove in search of a free camping spot that someone had told Toon about. We had a vague idea of where it was and drove in that direction. We were surprised by the size (pretty big) and location (right by the beach) when we finally spotted it next to the road off the point of the harbour inlet. We drove down and set up camp, sharing a few beers and listening to music.
As the sun set we walked out to the point and took some pictures. Back at camp they offered us some chai tea and we spent a few hours chatting before calling it a night. Having them
with us had helped to soften the blow of leaving Karamea by distracting us and giving us some company, and we were very glad to have met them.
Today's highlights:
1. All the blessing, good wishes, and gifts from our friends in Karamea.
2. Great Indian food.
3. Beautiful free camping spot and some good company.
Thought for the day:
Saying goodbye is a sucky thing to do. Tuesday, February 23rd
After breakfast we said goodbye to Toon and Caroline, wishing them well with the rest of their trip. We picked up Ferdi's prescription and then, putting Westport to our backs for the final time, headed down the coast to Greymouth. It was a beautiful drive and we stopped often to take pictures of the impressive coastline. We felt good, like the Hand of God was guiding us and we were doing exactly what we were supposed to.
With the added weight and volume of Birdsy on the roof we managed a top speed of about 90km/h. This didn't bother us much, because we were feeling very relaxed and often drove much slower than we could've. A lot of people craned their necks as they passed,
trying to get a better look at Birdsy. It was funny because it was getting predictable.
Just before Greymouth we turned east, heading inland on route 7. We stopped for diesel in a small town and we'd hardly stopped by the pumps when a lady was there talking about the canoe. She was very friendly and said we should take a drive up to Lady Lake because that is her favourite little lake to paddle.
A sort while later we turned south-east, heading for Lake Brunner. It's a big-ish lake with the little town of Moana sitting on the northern shore. Here we had lunch, then took Birdsy for her first lake trip. She glided over the smooth surface and when we found the Arnold River we drifted down, only paddling every so often. Before we got too far down river we turned around and paddled back to the lake and all along its western shore, then made a big circle back to the Boesman.
We set off once more, this time heading to Lady Lake, directly east of Lake Brunner. En-route we crossed Crooked River. It was a gorgeous blue and we stopped to take a
few pictures. Ferdi had hardly put one foot out the door before Talita yelled for him to get back in and close the windows. A swarm of bees had materialised out of nowhere and was swarming around the van. Forgoing the pictures we drove on. At the lake we just enjoyed the view from the shore. Lifting Birdsy up and down the roof and paddling around takes it out of our poor arms, and we were too tired to do it all over again.
There was also bees swarming around the van as soon as we stopped, but it appeared as if they liked Birdsy's smell, because they swarmed all over her. We didn't stay long before heading back. At Crooked River Ferdi stopped again, grabbed his camera and made a dash for the bridge. The bees stayed with Birdsy and he managed to get a few shots of the river.
When we hit route 73 we turned east and headed into Arthur's Pass. Paddy had suggested this route and we were not disappointed. A steep road led up the pass and we crawled up at no more than 20km/h. Once on top the road flattened out completely
and we had an easy cruise all the way to Lake Pearson, our camp for the night.
We found a beautifully secluded spot right on the edge of the lake and had a cuppa. Talita had a snooze while Ferdi sat outside enjoying the view and typing up the last few days' adventures.
Talita cooked a mighty dinner, then we settled in for the night. The wind had picked up and was blowing something fierce, so we stayed inside and watched a movie before calling it a night.
Today's highlights:
1. Beautiful views of the west coast.
2. Paddling Lake Brunner.
3. Beautiful camping spot on Lake Pearson.
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