Day 102 Able Tasman (Sea Kayak Marine Reserve)

Able Tasman was the Dutch explorer who was the first Eurpoean to discover New Zealand and give it its name. Of course the native Maori people had arrived here centuries earlier and as Mr Tasman saw Maori appear on the beach with cone shells sounding off he arranged for his own trumpeters to give a blast back as a sign of peace. Well if ever a case of two cultures colliding this was it. When the Maori sound their shells if the visitor sounds back its taken as a sign of war.

The next morning a number of Maori warrier kayaks cut off Mr Tasmans communications dinghy and killed four of his men. Mr Tasman a bit flustered shot off and never did set foot on New Zealand. It would take Captain Cook to arrive many years later and befriend the Maori to set foot on its soil.

So how appropriate that I should have my first sea kayak experience on the anniversary of able Tasmans appearance. What a trip a tractor arrives at the campsite (yards from the beach) with the speedboat water taxi in tow and you jump in. Then the ractor drives out into the sea over sandbars till the waters deep enough to eposit you, the water taxi and a bundle of sea kayaks into the sea. From their the taxi takes you up the coast to the marine reserve where you kayak and then meet up with the taxi further down the coast to take you home.

Stevie our guide and thankfully the other person in my double kayak told us all about the "little blue penguin", new zealand fur seals, paradice ducks, shags (yes plenty innuendos) to be seen.
We boiled our coffee on mosquito beach (appropriately named but they are all in bed during the day) and then at our final beach myself and Stevie tried to roll the double kayak. Quite difficult but hats off to Steve he even managed it by himself and the four months training he had received in Murchison on everyiyng from kayaks to rafts was there to be seen.

Finally before the water taxi arraived I snorkelled and dived for green mussels which we cooked on the stove. Once they split open in the boiling water Stevie showed us how to remove their beard and the eating part was easy. Delicious and they had chance to settle before our thirty mile an hour speedboat dash home. Great fun. Great day.

I almost forgot to mention the poart where we put the three kayaks together and set out a sail which sped us along the coast at an alarming rate. My first time sailing and I liked it. I was to be going rock climbing tomorrow but I cut my fingertip a bit when collecting the mussels (i did really) so with that I went to my kip with the thoughts what and where now? .........