April 10th; Solo to Wellington Begins

Log

Date: April 10th

Weather: Sunny

Swell: Moderate SW SE

Wind: Variable

Distance: 12NM

Camp: North end of Ocean Beach, Just SE of cape Kidnapers

Blog

After an attempt of almost 2 hours to get off the beach at Napier yesterday, I am finally on the move today. Yesterday I aimed to get off the beach at 2pm and paddle a short way down the coast to a spot I used to camp as kid, meet some mates from high school and eat fish and chips, but the surf had another idea. Big dumpers came roaring onto the stony beach angry and hungry, there were gaps and you could get out if you really wanted it.

Dave, my cousin Ben and I carried the boat and all my gear down from Bens house on the hill, to the beach, I loaded up and got ready to go, but main the dumpers where angry, I was cautious, my heart in my throat, beating like a load drum. Every time I went to go after huge dumpers smashed the beach and waded in to the wash of the littler dumpers, there always seemed to be another big one coming and I would have to run back and drag my boat up the beach again as another huge exploding wall rushed in.

At one point I almost got the gap I was waiting for, though my boat slipped sideways in the withdrawing wave and before I knew it, the boat was sucked into the next small dumper, filled with water and rolled up the beach, as I scrambled after it. My cousin Ben came down to help and he grabbed the other end of the boat and tried pulling it up as I pulled the other end. Not going to work, I ran over to help him at his end as I knew we needed to be at the same end, that’s when the next dumper came and I Yelled at him to “Let go and get out of the way!”. As the boat got smashed up the beach, I jumped as high as I could just clearing the boat as it surged under me, Ben fell over and the tail of the boat caught his leg and cut his knee. I emptied the boat, Ben went off to get 3 stitches and I then tried again, another 30 minutes passed and it was 4.20pm. I called it quits as it was late, the swell was due to drop tomorrow and I might as well go then.

Found a chap Hans at the surf club, he let me store the boat and gear there over night, which meant no lugging gear up and down again from the hill, yay! That night my mates Jodi and Miky came and had Pizza with us.

That brings us to today. Today was awesome; I came down at 9am, got the boat out with Hans’s help, loaded the boat, waited 10 minutes, pushed out on a small wave and was on the water in the warm sun of the morning heading to Cape Kidnappers. The swell had dropped by at least half, I waved goodbye to Dave and Hans, and I paddled off alone.

The day was beautiful, but my body was a little lazy with a fully loaded boat after maybe 5 days paddling in the last 3 weeks, so it took awhile to get back into the groove, and I had lost my inflatable seat yesterday when my boat got swamped and shoved up the beach, bugger! My bum will get sore now sitting for long days in the boat; I will have to find a replacement soon.

By 2pm I was at the end cliffs of cape kidnappers and I pulled onto the beach right in front of the walking track up to the top, where the largest mainland Gannet colony in NZ is. I had plenty of time and a great day to get around the cape, so I took the opportunity to go up and see the birds and the view. I used to come here as a kid and have fond memories, though I tell yah, now the walk isn’t as big or as horrible as I remember, which is good. The Gannets were great, though there weren’t the 5000 that usually nest there (most had flown to Australia for the winter feeding grounds), there was certainly enough, and you could get nice and close to film and takes shots. Amazing fliers that they are, they sucked at landing and would drop from the sky like a feathery rock with a squawk near their nest or mate.

I hung out for a couple of hours and headed down about 4pm, I meet a couple of chaps that run the tractor rides along the beach to bring tourists out to the gannets, Rod and Collin, and they got excited about my journey and helped me launch my boat through the reef. While I was gone the tide dropped a lot more and exposed some clay rock reef, so Collin and Rod helped me roll the boat down the beach on logs and channel it through the clay rock reef, and then I punched out through some small but step waves.

The lighting on the end of the cape was stunning as I passed the triangular rock island off the end. The chalky cliffs glowed in the low light and I passed around onto the now dark side of the peninsula and headed SW to ocean beach. As I paddled along further out, the sun still shone on me and as it dipped below the cliffs and the time reached 5.30 pm, I decided to pull up on a nice sheltered little beach with sand dunes to camp.

What a great night, though things are a bit slower now there is only me to set the tent and cook the food, plus lug gear and my boat. However I am enjoying being alone, in the last 2 months it has been a rarity for me to be alone with my own company, and I normally like alone time. I am ok so far to be by myself on the rest of the trip, though we will see how long that lasts and how far past wellington I might get.

April 4–8th; Prepping To Go It Alone.

Log

Date: April 6th

Distance: 4NM

Weather: Sunny

Camp: my cousin Bens, Napier

Blog

Prepping To Go It Alone.

OK so lots to organize here in HB, been getting boats patched up, re packing my gear for continuing on Solo and trying to fit it all in my Kayak. All working out well, now just need to wait for the big swells to drop and the weather to stay good.

After we arrived and stayed my mate Casper’s a couple of nights, we got the boats transported to the factory to get worked over, thanks to my dad truck. We then moved to my cousin bens in Napier so that I could see the sea, repack my boat and get going as soon as the weather allowed. Before that however I needed to paddle the boat from the factory around the port to Marine Parade where my cousin Ben lived. This was a short paddle and an old mate Dane dropped me over to get the boat. I now sit out on the balcony of my cousins place looking over Napier city and the southern end of Hawke’s Bay towards Cape Kidnapers, where I hope to head tomorrow before some really big swells head into the bay.

I have come to realize that it will be tricky to continue past wellington in the time frame left, as another week has been lost, the trip has been fraught with weather hiccups, broken gear and injuries. Now I go solo I am apprehensive yet excited about it. I plan to take cautious risks and not push my luck too much. the over objective to get to Stewart island has been compromised unfortunately though there is still a great trip to be had and the accomplishment for getting to wellington Solo and at least finishing the length of the east coast of the North Island.

Going into this next leg solo brings exaggerated feelings of uncertainty and vulnerability, though also adventure and self reliance are heightened, I am now without companionship, though entirely free to paddle has hard or soft as I want. I embrace the challenge and look forward too, as always, the adventures to come.

Dave with his now repaired boat is sending it to Auckland to be sold and heading to the south island to enjoy the other half of the country I won’t probably get to see on this trip down. It ended up being an hugely epic trip for the guy and he has put in a good spirit and learnt a bunch I am sure, big respect to his efforts.

J

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April 3rd; Broken Boats Do Float!

 

Log

Date: April 3rd

Weather: Sunny

Swell: Small E

Wind:NE 15 knots

Distance: 26NM

Camp: Caspers place

 

BLOG

It was yesterday afternoon when Jaime returned to camp with the latest weather forecast….. he says, “I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is the predicted swell is 1 meter and the winds will be coming from the NE at 15 knots in the morning.... perfect for getting to Napier in a day. The bad news is the wind speed is going to increase through the day to 25 knots with gusts of 35 knots and over the next 2 days the conditions are only going to get more challenging as the winds start to come from the S and SW with increasing swell.” We agree this is our window of opportunity, but we’ll reassess in the morning. In the meantime we start to gather our gear and prepare for an early morning departure….. with just under 30 nm to Napier we’ll want to break camp and get on the water with minimal delay.

It’s now 5:30 a.m. and I’m lying awake listening to the pulse of the ocean as it rises and breaks upon the beach. The sound is a dull roar and there are plenty of gaps between breaks. The wind…. just a slight  movement of our tarp indicates a mild offshore breeze. These preliminary observations from the comfort of my warm sleeping bag tell me it’s looking good for our planned departure to Napier….. but still time for another half hour of glorious rest!

We rise just after 6:00 a.m. with nothing much said and go about the task of breaking camp and loading our kayaks. Our movements are crisp and there’s a feeling of determination in the air. The sea is calm and it’s hard to believe this is the same beach that was pounding with crushing surf when we arrived a few days earlier. It’s amazing how the face of the sea is constantly changing. I wonder what face is going to be shown during the course of our day..... wondering what challenges lay ahead once we leave the sanctuary of this beach.

The large breaking swells and dumping surf of Hawkes Bay haven’t been my friends. They have pushed my paddling skills past their limits and have shaken my confidence. I definitely want to make it to Napier today to avoid any more beach landings and the possibility of doing further damage to my kayak. The paddling distance to Napier is within our capabilities…… provided the weather cooperates. Either way I’ve prepared myself for a tough day of paddling. So, it is with both a sense of trepidation and determination that I find myself today…… thoughts of success and failure sharing the same stage.

I stand at the water edge looking out to sea and watch the sets of waves coming into shore. There are lull periods when the dumping waves on the shore minimize…… this is what I’m trying to time correctly. I watch and wait until the sea flattens out and then drag my kayak to the edge of the white foaming wash, jump into my kayak and with a few quick strokes I’m already out of the breaking zone. Definitely one of our easier entries, but the physiological importance of a smooth start to this day could not be ignored.

The conditions are perfect….. minimal swell with a slight NE breeze. Not wanting to leave anything to chance I focus on setting a reasonable pace and get some distance under our belts while the weather is cooperating. I’m feeling good though the ribs on my lower left side are still stiff and sore from my tumble in the surf the other day.

Steep hillsides and 200 foot cliffs, beaten back by the constant attack of the ocean rise sharply for long stretches along the coastline of Hawkes Bay. I capture this moment in time in my mind….. how privileged I am to be paddling along this beautiful coastline.

As the day progresses the winds pick up, but they continue to blow us towards Napier as forecasted. Though Jaime and I share the same goal we have spent most of the day in our own little worlds. It’s around 1:00 p.m. when we come together and Jaime points out the cliffs of Napier in the distance. Though distances can be deceptive and further than they appear, barring a dramatic change in the weather I’m now confident we will make it to Napier today. But with few close reference points to judge our progress our paddle to Napier seems painfully slow. As we get within an hour or two of Napier I see Jaime digging into his small lap-size dry bag and pull out his cell phone, and with the tremendous ease and efficiency I come to expect from Jaime he begins to organize everything for our arrival…… Casper will be picking us up and giving us a place to stay for a few days; cousin Ben will possibly store our kayaks and also give us a place to stay; Glyn…. Jaime’s father has been notified and will provide transport of the kayaks the next day to the manufacturer for repairs; Paddling Perfection has been notified of this plan; I think he also ordered a pizza….

Today was a monumental day. Despite the challenges of a broken paddle, emergency evacuation, hospitalization and a damaged kayak we completed this leg of the journey in style in the true sense of an expedition….. with grit, determination, ingenuity, and pride. I will, however, be leaving the journey here unfortunately, the trip has been amazing and I have achieved and learnt a lot, I long to continue but at the same time, I am pushing the line of safety for myself and Jaime. It is hard for me to decide this, though breaking the boat has cemented that it is the right choice for me. Jaime thankfully understands and agrees and will be repacking over the next few days to continue on solo, until then we enjoy Napier.

- Dave

 

It is disappointing for me to be leaving Dave behind, though at the same time I worry about his safety in the bigger surf, Dave isn’t enjoying this much any more and I am happy that he has made a call on his safety and ability. I now face the change of pace and the sheading off false safety perceptions that companionship can bring. Alone on the sea, all things become exaggerated, or is it that there is nothing to distract you from the reality? - Jaime

March 31st- April 2nd; 3days to fix a Broken boat

 

The last three days have been slow yet interesting; it is the first time we have really been stranded somewhere isolated in a tent with little interaction with the outside world, this being said however, we did spend one night in the town of Wairoa as we needed hardener for the fiber glass resin to fix the cracked boat.

We awoke to a lovely morning the day after our rough landing onto the beach that broke Dave’s boat, we were in no rush to get going or do anything, though eventually looked at the damage, cleaned out the gravel and sand and realized it was quite fixable damage. We washed it all down with fresh water from the nearby stream and let it dry while we ate lunch and decided the next move.

The repair kit I was carrying had leaked all its hardener out, so we needed a new kit, do we walk into town today, or tomorrow. If we go today we will have to stay the night, if we go tomorrow we will use another whole day, and the boat will need at least a day to be fixed. Some good friends of mine new a local Vet in Wairoa, and I felt confident we could seek shelter for the night with her, so we decided to get going on the fall of the tide which would allow us to pass under the cliffs that the waves normally smashed against further down the beach.

We tidied and secured camp then set off down the beach, expecting a couple of hours to the nearest road. It was an awesome walk, we passed under and climber over whole trees that had become driftwood and got beaten by the waves, the stark cliffs loomed above us, and we felt quite isolated in an almost alien world on the edge of reality. Dave picked up a really good quality soccer ball perfectly inflated, soon after I picked up a young Gannet with a broken wing that had healed and fused. The gannet wasn’t too happy about the deal, it tried to flee as I approached with my jacket, when it realized it couldn’t escape it turned to fight, I flung my jacket over the large bird and pinned it to the ground gently. The bird was in good shape and obviously had survived long enough with a broken wing for it to heal again, so I decided it should come with us and maybe a vet could find it a home at a sanctuary or something similar. A wriggling bird was soon secured in my jacket and off we trotted down the beach again.

Quite quickly we found a road access and meet a fisherman, and a retired Chap Stewart, who gave us a ride into town and the vets. The vets quickly examined Gilly the Gannet (as she was now named) and said that yes she may have a chance of survival and that there was a lady in town who was licensed to take care of them, they would take an x ray and then inform me by email of what happens. Awesome, hopefully she gets a good life! We then got into town and looked for Cleo another vet on the other side of town, we tracked her down and she was happy to help us out and give us a place to stay, so we trotted of found the repair resin we needed, did some shopping, got recognized in town as the spider bite guy from the article in the newspaper and even got a ride forma local lady Tania at the supermarket to Cleo’s house. Oh and Dave gave a very grateful kid in town the soccer ball he found, good stuff.

Arriving at the door I knocked and who answered? My Doctor from the hospital when I had the Spider bite! What, wholly molly what a small world, Cleo the vet’s roommate was the doctor Lucinda form the Wairoa hospital. We laughed about it all and chatted away, ate heaps of ice cream, watched some TV and had a great shower and an awesome night’s sleep.

In the morning Cleo cooked us breakfast then dropped us back at the beach and we had a nice walk back to our camp. We found the kayaks wet with dew and positioned the green machine in the sun to dry well before we could fix it, thus we sat around a bit and relaxed, then after lunch we got down to business, we figured out how we would clamp the repairs to hold them in place till the resin dried then we practiced applying and clamping, then we got down to business. I mixed and applied while Dave held the cracks open and then clamped, it w was an awkward job that as Dave said “ tested team work skills” as we had to9 clamber about logs, each other and uneven ground to get the job done before the resin set. Though eventually we had it all clamped up and resin soaked back into shattered fiber and ready to dry. We then enjoyed the evening going on walks or writing until it started to rain a bit and it was dinner time. We ate way too much food and chocolate and went to sleep hoping the boat repairs would hold as we weren’t going anywhere until we knew they were sound.

The next day we awoke to rain, the fly we stretched for a cooking area had sagged and collected about 20litres of fresh water which was great as we had been collecting brownish water from the stream and boiling it, this was much yummier to have rain water. We enjoyed a relaxed late breakfast and when the rain slowed a bit we went a checked the boat repairs. The look good, all holding together, so we then tested it and beat it a bit with soft piece of wood, all good, so we loaded the compartment where most of the damage was with weight then bounced it roughly on logs in a seesaw action, all good, ok we feel confident the repairs will hold. Maybe I should have taken it out for a paddle in the small surf as well, though I felt lazy and didn’t want to get salty and wet and have no sun to dry off in. it should be good I am confident and so is Dave.

The rain came and went all day, I climbed to the top of a nearby hill to get cell reception, check the weather forecast and get a message out on internet, that we have fixed the boat and plan to leave for Napier in the morning as long as the weather permits. The forecast for tomorrow is small swell, 15 Knt NE winds rising to 25 Knt in afternoon. The good thing with that wind is it is slightly off shore, so will flatten the swell, and it is blowing us straight at our destination 28 NM away, which will make the day easier and mean we get to Napier in one go and end in the Fishing port there and not on another surf beach with a lightly repaired boat. All should go well.

In Napier is the factory that makes our boats, so they will go in for a touch up and in the case of Dave’s boat a full proper repair. Tonight before dinner we had a visit by some locals on a quad bike that came down the beach and recognized us as the kayakers from the newspaper, and the stopped to talk, surprised we were still in the area, though the understood quick when we explained what happened. They left before the tide came in too much and trapped them and we settled in for dinner and chocolate and then prepared for leaving in the morning. This may be the last night Dave and I camp together in NZ after Napier I go it Alone to at least wellington. Time is running out and there is still quite a chunk of the north island to do.

 

We are all good and happy

broke a boat a bit the other day, we are fine!! and happy and safe!

fixed boat yesterday, tested today, will be back on water as soon as weather allows.

nice camp site, good food and company, all good. the adventure continues, hope to be in napier in the next day!

stay posted!

 

J and Dave