“No, I have no idea where I’m going or what I’m doing,” I declared to CQ when I arrived in Wellington. This was after knowing that I was coming to NZ for a good six weeks and wanted to do something different. Planning isn’t always my strong suit. All I knew was that I was headed to the South Island and I needed to see nature. CQ helped me sort out an aggressive 10 day South Island plan that would include two kayaking trips, 1 day hike, a glacier walk, but driving on the wrong side of the road.
Day 1 of South Island adventures: Kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park.
I got picked up super early in the morning and we drove out to the kayaking company’s base. From there, piling in another van and straight to the water. We arrived at the dock only for me to see this going on:
About three meters of water gets displaced and brought back by the tides everyday. The width of the sandbar/beach is so much that they need these tractors to put haul the water taxis back into the water. It’s a good 10 minute ride from the dock to see. Imagine this boat with 10 people plus 4 kayaks tied to the back. And yes, it still floats.
We set off in the direction of Tonga Island which serves as a marine reserve, but also where you can find seals! It’s so strange coming up to what looks like a brown blob and realizing that it’s a live, fully in the wild seal. They let us come into their home. Baby seals are naturally curious, energetic kids who love to play.
I wasn’t so lucky that the seals chose to jump on my kayak, but my Slovenian friends Ales and Marjeta got the most bang for their buck when three seals jumped on theirs. But, I can say that this guy gave me a nibble. You know how dogs some times gnaw on you a little but without biting, well that’s what this guy did. Pretty cool.
Kayaking was fun and gives plenty of time for introspection. You really have nothing else to do while you’re paddling. The day was perfect, the company agreeable, but I couldn’t tell you what I thought about that day other than “this is amazing” and “I need to live near water always.” Assurances abound, however, that after a full day of kayaking 1) your arm will hurt so bad that you can’t even cut meat and 2) the next morning you’re still going to be swaying in your head.
