The rest of the week kayaking was not as adrenaline pumping as the first day (with one exception) but it was incredible. We had crystal clear water, pristine beaches, close encounters with wildlife, and very few people until the last day. We got up early everyday to take advantage of the calmer conditions on the water, but then we spent the afternoon alternating between swimming and napping, so no complaints from me. Our short paddle days meant we always got the best campsites, sometimes arriving before the previous night's occupants had even left! And our extra time with the kayaks meant we were never rushed. We could explore as little or as much as we wanted, watching out for the tides of course.
One such exploration was into a tidal inlet where we were told stingrays hung out. I think we looked for about an hour (B and I both fell asleep drifting in our boat I think), but didn't see any. Eventually, we gave up and went to set up camp. I decided to have a go with the snorkel gear and saw a few fish, but mostly just cool rocks. Everyone else had given up on snorkeling because apparently rocks are not as exciting to everyone else, but they were all still close so that they could observe my next stunt. There was a particularly interesting looking rock that I wanted to have a closer look at, so I swam over top of it, probably about a meter above it. Then, right when I was directly over top of it, the rock started moving! The rock was actually a giant stingray. Here's what went through my head:
The other excitement came on day 4 of the paddle. This was the only day where our strategy to hit the water early was a mistake. We awoke to blowy conditions, but decided to go for it thinking it would only get worse. Turns out, we were mistaken as the afternoon was beautiful. The wind and swell was not nearly as bad as the first day, but a little unexpected this far into the park. We attempted to explore up a river, but the mouth of the river looked a little dodge when we got there. Our fearless friends went for it though, got turned side on, but then pulled off a brilliant save of their boat. Had that been B and i, we would have been swimming the river collecting our stuff!
All in all, it was an amazing birthday. Thanks to our friends for making it such a great trip. Now, too many words. Here are some photos!
Still to come: Nelson, Farewell Spit, Wharariki Beach, Nelson Lakes...
One such exploration was into a tidal inlet where we were told stingrays hung out. I think we looked for about an hour (B and I both fell asleep drifting in our boat I think), but didn't see any. Eventually, we gave up and went to set up camp. I decided to have a go with the snorkel gear and saw a few fish, but mostly just cool rocks. Everyone else had given up on snorkeling because apparently rocks are not as exciting to everyone else, but they were all still close so that they could observe my next stunt. There was a particularly interesting looking rock that I wanted to have a closer look at, so I swam over top of it, probably about a meter above it. Then, right when I was directly over top of it, the rock started moving! The rock was actually a giant stingray. Here's what went through my head:
- OMG I need to tell everyone!
- OMG I am directly over a stingray, isn't this what Steve Irwin shouldn't have done
- OMG I cannot breathe without the snorkel (because this is when I popped my head up to tell everyone and put my head back under without my snorkel in).
The other excitement came on day 4 of the paddle. This was the only day where our strategy to hit the water early was a mistake. We awoke to blowy conditions, but decided to go for it thinking it would only get worse. Turns out, we were mistaken as the afternoon was beautiful. The wind and swell was not nearly as bad as the first day, but a little unexpected this far into the park. We attempted to explore up a river, but the mouth of the river looked a little dodge when we got there. Our fearless friends went for it though, got turned side on, but then pulled off a brilliant save of their boat. Had that been B and i, we would have been swimming the river collecting our stuff!
Still to come: Nelson, Farewell Spit, Wharariki Beach, Nelson Lakes...
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