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Published: March 12th 2007
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We spent the night at a pleasant campsite by the name of Old MacDonald’s Farm. We'd booked to do a day's Kyacking up the coast the following day; and for us all, but especially Fred, this was eagerly anticipated!
Waking the next day (Maelle and Fred still dreaming), I realised we'd all slept in (possibly owing to the large quantity of food consumed the night before), and had a mere 15 mins to pack away camp and get to the Kyack centre a few miles down the road! The Kyack people kindly came to fetch us... although we had to go back again to get the tickets which I'd managed to store with the luggage we left at reception, doh!
After some basic instruction we boarded a converted tractor with the other sightseers which took us and our kyacks down to the beach. It was a near prefect morning, the sky blue, the sea calm and turquoise. The morning's paddle was very enjoyable indeed. We passed some stunning coastline, plants birds, and this stillness and clarity of the water was just stunning. In the rush we'd neglected breakfast, and I got rather peckish towards the latter part of the
morning. We'd been advised to get as far as possible in the morning, as a strong wind can pick up in the afternoon (blowing the opposite direction in which we were headed); but we'd also been told we had plenty of time. We were headed for Bark Bay, from where our kyacks would be collected at 3.30pm.
We found a nice looking cove to pull in for lunch, perhaps slightly prematurely. None the less, it was an excellent spot for swimming and eating (although not necessarily at the same time).
When we set off again, an hour or so later, the sea was choppier, much choppier! In fact when we got out of the bay into the main sea again, myself and Maelle really felt like we were actually going no where (despite paddling hard). The afternoon was certainly much more extreme... unfortunately I didn't get any photos, so you'll have to take my word for it. To be honest, I half expected my camera to have gotten waterlogged, stashed in a little compartment of the kyack. We took on a lot of water, even with spray-decks. I remember thinking it curious that a casual spuddle in the
sea had turned into something more akin to a 'test of manhood'. Fred seemed to make more progress in a single Kyack, but we all found it hard going.
Still, eventually we made it to Bark Bay. We'd been quite concerned about getting there in time, but had reached the end only a little over time- New Zealanders are fairly easy going about that kind of stuff. Maelle had gotten rather cold -I'd felt it too, wind chill no doubt- and got into a sleeping bag on the beach, in the sun to warm up! It seemed as if, as soon as we reached the Bay, the wind dropped, and the sea calmed... I recall looking at the sea and thinking 'Lies! It was rough 10 minutes ago!'
We'd decided to walk back to Maruhau, part that day, with an overnight camp, returning to the town the next day. Our campsite was at Torrent Bay and we reached it with a few hours of light to spare. We cooked an ate on the beach, watching it grow dark. I noticed a kind of shimmering in the lapping of the shore. As the night took hold, the shimmers became
glowing sparkles. When I pointed this out to the others, Fred recognised it as a phenomenon called 'Phosflourecents' that he seen before. Apparently it's a type of Algee that gives off light when disturbed, the water was full of the stuff. Soon we were throwing handfuls of sand across the water's surface and watching the surface light up, as if we were magicians casting spells across the water! Definitely one of the most intriguing things I've ever seen.
The next day we rose early to walk the five hours or so back to Marahau. From there we would take a bus to the ferry port of Picton at mid day. The tide was low when we set off, and we were able to take a short cut across an estuary bay. We did this just in time; by the time we'd reached the other side, the tide was rising swiftly. The walk back was pleasant, the coast line is very picturesque (see photos!). Back at Marahau we collected our gear from Old Mac Donald’s', took showers (very appreciated at this point) and waited to embark on the journey to Auckland.
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clairedenton
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looks great!
Another great report Tom-wish we were there!The surroundings look absolutely fantastic and just underline our wish to visit one day.Sounds like you're making the most of the trip.Love CCJMOX