issue 27

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W H I T E W A T E R • R I V E R K A Y A K I N G • S E A K A Y A K I N G • M U L T I S P O R T

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2 I S S U E T W E N T Y s i x • 2 0 0 4

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4 I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4

Issue 27

Front cover: Andy Curnow & Jade

The Cavalli Cave Alleys 6

Chris Dench gives a humourous account of a funand action packed Queen’s Birthday weekend.

Surfing 10

Marty Benson describes his first big wave

A good time was had by Al 11

A day in ‘hot water’ at Orakei Korako with theTaupo Yakity Yak club.

The White Nile 13

Helen Brosnam’s adventures continue. Sheoutlines the how, what and when to best get in onthe action on the longest river in the world.

50,000 km by Kayak 16

Penny Cuthbert, Curator of the Australian NationalMaritime Museum tells the remarkable tale ofOscar Speck’s journey from Germany to Australiain the 1930’s .

A bracing weekend 22

It’s wet, it’s fun, it’s addictive. Steve enthuses abouta Taupo Skills Course.

Mercury Bay, Coromandel 24

Karen Knowles directs us to a bay she thinksshould have been named ‘Bay of Plenty MORE’

Slices of Heaven 26

Mimiwhangata and Otamure get the thumbs upfrom Ruth E. Henderson as camping and kayakingdestinations.

Abel Tasman in Winter 28

Maurice O’Brien plays with the seals and muses onBlank Czechs at Abel Tasman National Park.

Knots and Haul systems for white-water

rescue 30

Matt Barker from AUT gets all technical with ropesand karabiners.

N.Z. Kayaking Instructors Award Scheme 32

Want to expand your skills? Check this out.

Charlotte - Queen of the Sounds 34

A challenging Christmas holiday is capped by aplay with 100 dolphins.

Kayaking the Lycian Way 37

John Banks pops into Turkey and paddles over asunken city.

The Flood 38

A photo essay by Sam Goodall

Book Review 40

The Frozen Coast, Sea Kayaking the AntarcticPeninsula. The story of Graham Charles, MarkJones and Marcus Walters 850 km expedition getsa rave review by Ruth E. Henderson.

News Releases 41

From KASK and NZRCA

Summer Kayaking Holiday program

for kids 42

Auckland Canoe Centre sold 43

Product Focus 44

NZ Kayak magazine buyers guide 45

I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4 5

EDITORS:Peter TownendPh: [09] 473 0036 Fax [09] 473 0794Email: [email protected]

SUBEDITOR:Ruth E. HendersonPh: 021 298 8120Email: [email protected]

DESIGN & PRODUCTION:Breakthrough CommunicationsPO Box 108050 Symonds St,AucklandPh: [09] 303 3536 • Fax [09] 303 0086Email: [email protected]: www.graphics.co.nz

PUBLISHER:Kayak NZ Magazine is published six timesper year by Canoe & Kayak Ltd.7/28 Anvil Road, Silverdale, Auckland

PRINTING: Brebner Print

DISTRIBUTION: IMD

SUBSCRIPTIONS:New Zealand – 1 year 6 Issues = $30Overseas – 1 year 6 Issues = $50

Payment to:Canoe and Kayak Ltd,7/28 Anvil Road, Silverdale,

AucklandPh [09] 421 0662 • Fax [09] 421 0663

Overseas subscribers can make payment viacredit card number on subscription form.

CONTRIBUTORS: We welcome contributor’sarticles and photos.

• Deadline for issue 28: 15 October 2004

• Deadline for issue 29: 10 December 2004

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Copyright: The opinions expressed bycontributors and the information stated inadvertisements/articles is not necessarilyagreed with by the editors or publisher ofNew Zealand Kayak Magazine.

ALL CONTRIBUTIONS TO:Ruth E. [email protected] Zealand Kayak Magazine

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Well, we have been somewhat busy over the lastcouple of month. With the summer approachinglike a raging bull we are all looking forward togetting onto the water for some warm surf, andgetting out to the favourite camping and fishingspots.

This is the 27th issue of the NZ Kayak Magazineand my new right hand person is Ruth Henderson,a keen writer in many previous issues and an evenkeener kayaker with the Yakity Yak Kayak Club.Now you say, what have you done with Brenda?Well it goes like this. Prior to being my right handperson on the magazine Brenda was a highlyrespected OT (Occupational Therapist) in themotherland. When a position came up with AUT(Auckland University of Technology) she called meto see if I could give her a reference. Dumb ehthese Sheilas. My right hand is trying to sever itselffrom my body and my left is going to pull out theknife to chop it off!! “I don’t think so!” So I said “Yes, of course” and stewed for a week till the callcame from the HR (Human Resources person atAUT) to ask about Brenda’s work with us. And off Iwent, ask any one who knows me I can talk. Thecunning HR person went straight though my outerdefenses and here I was being honest and singingBrenda’s praises. Bugger, why can’t I shut my trapand stick to the plan. In all honesty we are verysad to see Brenda go and she will be missed.However the new job is great for her and herfamily. The many OT’S that Treff and I know thoughour Briannah, are some of the best people on the

planet and we know that Brenda will enhance theexcellent staff at AUT.

So what else is keeping us busy?

We have welcomed into the Canoe & KayakGroup the Auckland Canoe Centre. DanielSommerhalder and myself are running it till wecan find a keen person to take it on as an Owner/operator under the Canoe & Kayak Brand. Thishas allowed Peter and Su Sommerhalder to retire,move to the tropics and run a kayaking tourismbusiness. At long last they will get weekends topaddle again.

This also the time of year we are looking for morestaff to help in the retail, or on the water, or inother roles. So, if you want to join the team andhave some fun this summer give me a call and Iwill put you in touch with the relevant person.

Last but not least: a reminder to all of you as youare dusting off and checking your kayaks from awinter in storage, remember that your paddlingskills will also require a dusting off. A refreshercourse, a session practicing with your kayakingmates or if you are a Yakity Yakker why not do afree repeat on the enrollment course and brushup those skills and be safer out there.

Happy paddling and see you on the water or in akayak shop.

Peter Townend

Editor

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The Cavalli ‘Cave Alleys’S E A K A Y A K I N G

by Chris Dench

Blown away by the Fitz-Roy Mountains in Southern Argentina.

Cobra paddles are high grade, lightweight andmultipurpose with the weight starting from 1000g.Blades are made from glass filled polypropelene.They are among the lightest available. Your choiceof red, white, yellow, lime and mango.Blades come in 3 sizes 160mm, 180mm and 200mmand along with paddle lengths, are available indifferent sizes to suit paddler size and activity.All paddles have a limited lifetime warranty to giveyou and your family many happy and hassle freeyears of paddling.

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I couldn’t believe the Yakkers would stay in such a derelict

caravan site, with burnt out cars lingering on the undulating

sand hills. I quickly realised the absence of boats was a sure

sign I was in the wrong place. 1km from ‘the Bronx’ I reached

the manicured lawns of the high tech campground with

magnetic card operated toilet access.

To my surprise, Greg had telepathically predicted my arrival. He lifted abarrier arm operated by the same card. After 4 hours on the road by myselfit was rather special. “Welcome to Matauri Bay and give me $20 for the photos by Guy Folster

caravan” joked Greg. (Trip organiser Dave Evans had forked out all the‘readies’ thus far.)

A night of frivolity and bollocks followed, with conversation dancing aroundPhil - the ‘no boundaries’ conversationalist, complete with noisy overindulgedutterances.

The wind was howling, the rain horizontal, but the prospect of yakking wasnever dulled. A ‘no weather’ conversation rule was strictly enforced toprevent a repeat performance of a previous trip. On that occasionoveranalysis of the weather caused Phil to bang his head repeatedly with aclosing fridge door.


Off to bed to rehearse techniques of sleeping during horrendous bouts ofsnoring from roommates. Seven of us in one room in the ‘DoC’ hut on theCavalli’s tomorrow night would surely be a test of sleeping skills.

SaturdayA good morning party popper exploded by my ear, welcomeing the new day.

Everyone was packed and on the beach around 10AM. In intermittent rain,and almost no wind, seven laden kayaks slipped out on the flat water throughglassy low surf. Spending the next couple of days on an island was, as always,tinged with more adventurous thoughts of weather closing in and beingmarooned. In reality, with the closest island a mere 2km from the mainland,this was never a probability.

The pre-paddle brief was omitted in favour of an on the water huddle todiscuss the complexities of the route, weather conditions, safety concernsand possible medical issues. Our leader Dave concluded: “We’ll go aroundthose islands and back to the main one.” Short and sweet and refreshinglyrelaxed! - matching the mood of the team.

The 1-2 metre swell lifted and dropped the pod with rhythmic regularity.The grey sky disguised the natural beauty of this stunning setting.

We started to circumnavigate Motukawaiti Island, the southernmost of thegroup. Pristine white sand was a welcome sight. Interesting rock gardens werea small taste of what was to come.

A congregation of the normally scattered kayaks indicated somethinginteresting lay ahead. I could not, for a second, have guessed what wasbobbing in these northern waters. Steph had spotted a seal basking on thesurface. At first she mistook him for a dead dolphin, but he bolted when henoticed the kayaks. When the seal recovered, he investigated the floatingintruders. His large head bobbed up and checked us out like a wary dog. Wewere to come across a pair of more nonchalant ones later in the day, lessthrown by the novelty of coming across a pod of Yakkers.

Interesting caves became so commonplace that Guy, who can’t pass by a holein a rock, was picking and choosing where he would ‘poke his nose’.

As the morning wore on we ended up in some larger seas and flirted a littlewith the swells, rolling to vertical cliffs and through rugged rocky outcrops.According to his GPS, Phil’s ‘Torres’ had already managed an incredible speedof 15kts. We were disbelieving of this statistic, but had witnessed this sprinton a large roller between the rocks.

At Wai-iti Bay the basic hut was perfect for our purposes.

Two tiers of bunks sparked a race to see who could bag a spot away from thesnorers. Everyone but Phil and I then headed off for an explorer’s trip ofMotukawanui Island, the largest of the group of more than 30 islands.This took them across the ridge track, in the footsteps of missionary SamuelMarsden to seaward tip of the island. A detour to the trig station was madebefore returning to the hut. The explorers looked quite tired on their arrival.Steph had fallen on her pride a couple of times on the steep muddy track.

Dave Evans (trip leader) and Jacqui


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Beers, wine and nibbles were tabled, and Greg’sfortune cookies told our futures. Luckily we wereable to swap these to suit! The customary nibblesblended into dinner and the obligatory card game.When Jacqui and Dave retired early every attemptwas made to keep them awake until lights outat 10PM.

Sunday A symphony of snoring and unfortunate gaseousexchange made for a sleepless night. Seven peoplesharing the same bed takes some getting used to.My personal condition was in some doubt. I thinkthe red wine may have been off!

The weather forecast was for a gale warning 35ktsSW in squally showers. It nearly put the kibosh onthe day’s paddling, but luckily no one was sensibleenough to stay indoors. The pre-paddle brief wasa disclaimer from Dave

“From here on enter at your own risk”.

The kayaks headed out gingerly expecting largeseas and strong winds. Leaving the bay we wereinto disturbed water, steep chop and swell. It wasmanageable stuff but didn’t need to deterioratemuch to become dangerous. I was feeling a littleexposed with a damaged rudder and minus apaddle float lost from the day before.

Once around the eastern, leeward side of theisland we started our smorgasbord of rock

gardening, archways and cave exploring. It reallywas second to none for sheer quantity and variety.

Many of the ‘cave alleys’ backed so far into therock cliffs that kayaks would disappear in thedarkness. Only the resounding bumps of Kevlaron rock could assure the onlookers that the kayakshadn’t disappeared altogether.

The sun was out the whole time encouraginggeneral agreement that we would have to returnin the summer months to go snorkelling.

Back at the hut, a day not wasted was celebratedon the sun-baked deck’s cushion squabs withample goodies to share around.

It was Phil’s birthday. Our self-conscious attemptat singing ‘happy birthday’ on the beach earlierwas insufficient acknowledgement. Phil went ona rampage of Backgammon, 500 and shockingchildhood stories of ill treating frogs. The finalewas a demonstration of how to ‘flambé’ an out ofcontrol flaming tea light candle using red wine asan accelerant! Boom!!!

Night Phil

Monday Another blue sky and decreasing wind strengthwas forecast. We intended to head north ofMatauri Bay to Opounui Point then head southalong the coast back to our starting point.

In the lee of the wind


A small swell tested rock gardening skills. Guy was very nearly claimed, whenhe casually looked the wrong way as the large breaker mercilessly tried tosmash him on the rocky shore. Nice bracing!

I revisited my campsite from 5 years ago. The beach had changed and I couldhardly recognise the stony slope that had been such a memorable part ofmy solo adventure from Paihia to Whangaroa.

Meandering back we found interesting caves and lovely bays. The quaintcolonial cottage at Parua Bay, isolated from civilisation, faced the Cavallis asif nothing else had the right to be there.

Dave quietly mentioned he had found the most impressive building inMatauri Bay just around the corner. I paddled a few strokes to see it. It borethe word ‘BAR’. Unfortunately it was closed, so around the point we went tothe main Matauri Bay beach.

Phil capsized his stable ‘Torres’ in the 30cm surf giving us all a good laugh toend the trip. We packed and said our brief farewells in the knowledge thatthis was not the last of the Cavallis for the group. Summer would beckon andwiden the possibilities for snorkelling, swimming and maybe some fishingin this watery playground.

Whilst other trips were abandoned due to weather concerns, seven peoplemanaged to have a fantastic weekend against the odds.

Many thanks to Dave Evans for his thorough investigation and organisation.

Motukawanui Island (354.5 hectares), known locally as Motukawa, isthe largest island in the Cavalli group, 3.5 kilometres northeast ofMatauri Bay. It reaches a maximum altitude of 177 metres and has avaried terrain with rugged cliffs on the eastern side and some curvingsheltered bays on the west. It is the only publicly owned island in thegroup.

The island is home to a range of native bird species. Common coastalspecies are present as well as the NZ dotterel, which breeds on theisland. Blue penguin and reef heron are also present. North Island brownkiwi were released in 1995 and are breeding. Tui, grey warbler,kingfisher, white-faced heron, pukeko, morepork and banded rail arepresent. Saddleback were released in the 1980s but died out, probablydue to the arrival of stoats. The island has great potential as a sanctuaryfor lizards, seabirds and threatened plants but the first challenge is theremoval of rats, which prevent regeneration of life on the island. Furseals are beginning to return to the island.

The purpose-built DoC hut will sleep up to 12 on platform-style bunks.Booking can be made through the Bay of Islands Area Office on

09 407 8474.

Following in Samuel Marsden’s footsteps

The first of many arches

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You will get the support of a nationwide company whichprovides training for you and your staff; buying power;

courses and activities for your customers; assistance whichensures that you will succeed…

The opportunity will suit a physically fit, kayak enthusiastwith good interpersonal skills, a strong desire to own a

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1 0 I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4

SurfingK A Y A K S U R F I N G

by Marty Benson

“Yeeehaaa” is all you can say when you’re surfing a wave,

also “oh bugger” when the wave closes out on ya. Man I’ve

really had some fun surfing these sit on tops with

snorkeling and fishing gear on board.

It’s a fantastic great day out kayaking, fishing, snorkeling

and surfing all in one complete package. Ya can’t ask for

much better: well a nice snapper, a couple of crays

certainly would help and of course not getting dumped by

a wave. To stop that from happening you need a bit of

practice. I’m still practicing after a couple of years. I guess

you can never have enough.

I’ll never forget the first wave I caught, man it kicked my

butt. I was coming back from a fishing trip with two of my

buddies. We stayed the night out at our favourite spot,

caught some awesome fish. Anyway the swell picked up

over night. We were totally inexperienced in the surf,

but we’re not that stupid either, so we waited for the big

sets to come through and then decided to paddle in

behind them.

Well, we sorta judged it wrong as it took a lot longer to paddle in than wethought. I looked over my shoulder at my mate and looked again as this wallof water was behind him, (2m wave). He didn’t have a clue it was coming, heyells at me, “What’s wrong?” Then I hear him say “Oh my God.” So I’mpaddling my arse off trying to get into shore before this wall of water getsme: then experience the rising feeling of this wave picking me up and it feltlike I was looking down on the water I was just on, then it went dark andwhite and I really felt like I was in a tumble dryer.

After a minute or two (it was the longest minute) my head popped out of thiswhite water. I gasped another breath, then CLONK something just hit my head.Then it grabbed me. I shat myself thinking it was “jaws” (we just caught a bigshark). Then I saw my mate’s kayak. He popped up beside me, red in theface, big round eyes. I started to laugh then I got hammered again byanother wave.

We finally touched the bottom and dragged our weary souls to the shore.The kayaks were high and dry. We looked round for our mate, Kerry.

We both looked out to sea and saw him try to turn around so he could paddleout over the wave. But he was too late. The wave picked him up and slammedhim down. The kayak went shooting into the air. As we watched the whitewater an odd leg and arm appeared, then Kerry, then an arm, a paddle, andfinally this blonde head. Yay he was ok. We were a little bit concerned butthe laughing over-powered any worries of him being hurt. This was a greatexperience for us all. Next time a long distance weather report is a must. Aftergetting the lump on my head, I’ll always wear a helmet. We were all in wetsuitsand life jackets but we had no experience in big waves, so, as they say practicemakes perfect.

I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4 1 1

A good timewas had by Al

by Ron

It was shaping up to be one of the best Taupo trips so far...

plenty of clubbies all keen for an outing... (and probably

a few of Sandra’s muffins)

Unfortunately the weather over the previous few days, Sunday in particular,led to many people opting out (softies). Even worse, we lost two of ourintrepid paddlers on the way from the shop to Orakei Korako. Huge gusts ofwind made driving along Stage Highway ‘interesting’ to say the least... it wasso forceful it managed to catch 2 kayaks and blow them from the roof of theute. 2 more down. Onwards we battled... at one stage I found myself drivingon the wrong side of the road it was blowing so hard!!

That left just Brian, Al and me putting in at Tutukau Bridge in overcastconditions. Sandra paddled from Orakei Korako to meet us and then we werefour. We paddled to the hot waterfall which was to be our lunch stop. Therain over the last few days had flooded the side stream and was bringingbrown coloured water down. This spoiled the look of the area where thebaths are, which is normally crystal clear.

However the hot water bubbling out of the top geyser was still clear andclean. Brian was soon cooking sausages! Due to problems at the start Brianhad forgotten his potatoes, butter, salt and pepper. We were not too upsetabout this as the spuds would have taken longer to cook and this was notthe day to be sitting around swapping stories.

After our snack we continued down past Orakei Korako tourist area and onto a place locally known as Paradise. This is about 1/2 hour past OrakeiKorako on river right, just as the lake opens up to about 4 times its width.Waves were rolling towards us as we turned into this sheltered lagoon area.The water was nice and warm and we were protected from the wind. Wepaddled until we found a small area where the water is so hot it would beextremely dangerous to fall out! We sat there until we were warmed through- the heat penetrating the hull of our boats, warming up our feet and legs.Hmmmmm lovely!

We paddled back into the main lake and upstream to Orakei Korako. Helpedby a tail wind we were soon back to our vehicles, dry clothes and a hot drink.It was a great 3-4 hour trip and one to be repeated when the weather isbetter. Next time the story title could be “A good time had by ALL.”



The White NileI N T E R N A T I O N A L K A Y A K I N G

by Helen Brosnan

Warm water, wildlife, beautiful

scenery and a great climate. Nothing in

the world could be more fun and

exhilarating than The White Nile. Surf

waves including Back Wave, 50/50,

Surf City, Super Hole, Hair of a Dog, Nile

Special, Melalu. Rapids to make your

knees nock - Bugugali, Brick Yard,

Blade Runner, Widow-Maker, Big

Brother, Retrospect, Dead Dutchman,

Etunda, Kalagalla and Hypoxia.

For the longest river in the world - fly

to Entebbe and taxi to Jinja. We stayed

o n t h e ri v e r b a n k a t Ni l e R i v e r

Explorers campsite at Bugugali Falls

(20mins from Jinja) the other major

rafting operators are Equator and

Adrift. They’re all situated on the

bank of the river. I would recommend

NRE as it has the best atmosphere

and is located opposite a great little

play wave.

MoneyIf you’re on a budget best to bring a tent - campingis only $2US per night. If you’re going for a shorttrip you may prefer to stay in a dorm at around$10US per night. Discounts can be negotiated forlong stays. Eating out three meals daily shouldn’tcost more than $15US per day. If you eat somelocal food you can get away with around $5US perday. Transfers may cost a few dollars per day.

Make sure you have had all your injections beforearrival. Anti-malaria pills are cheap as chips inJinja so maybe take what you need beforedeparture and buy the rest in Uganda. Travelinsurance is advisable - check to see if you’recovered for boda bodas (small motor bike under50cc) and kayaking.

Kayaking and TransportationThere are options if you want to ‘park and play’or river run. They include:

NRE / Spekes Camp to Big Brother - organize boda-boda (motor bike) transport return

NRE / Spekes to Etunda (rafting run) - join therafting company for a lift home; you can also bookdinner (really yummy) may cost $5US.

Etunda or Kalagalla - Nile Special - organize a truckto drop off and pick up. If you want to stay morethan a day - text Rob and stay at the ‘Hairy Lemon’


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(conveniently located 200m down stream of the Nile Special).

Melalu - can paddle there from Hairy Lemon or get dropped off / pick upfrom river left (or right).

When to goBecause there is a great rotten dam at the very source of the Nile the flowstays approximately the same all year (unlike the Zambesi, which is not damcontrolled and flows change with the wet / dry season). But there are higherflows during the week and lower flows at weekends. Any time of the year isgood for the water. I was there for Dec/ Jan / Feb with loads of other kayakers- making a trip to Nile Special and Melalu cheap. Going in Oct may mean thatthere are less kayakers around and you will be limited to doing the raftingrun (or paying the full price to hire a truck for a day - expensive).

What to takeLarge notes of US dollars are best. Exchange rates in Kampala are better thanin Jinja. Smaller notes don’t get such a good rate. Our credit cards didn’t workon their ATM machines - we had to do cash advances in Kampala. NRE willrun a tab and you can pay by credit card, travellers Cheques, Pounds, USDollars and local currency (Ugandan Shilling).

Whatever your kayaking ability - you’ll want a SMALL PLAYBOAT. This is nota big river runner’s paradise! The waves are big - so some of the shortestplay boats can make wave catching difficult. Also a little rocker on your boatwill make it easier for paddling the bigger rapids and looping on the features.

The weather in Uganda is variable. Unlike the Zambesi (which is hot as hell)Uganda can be four seasons in one day. Most of the time it is sunny andwarm. It can be cool at night, whilst during the day you’ll live in sandals andboard shorts. It is best to take old clothes and to steer away from any lightcolours (the orange mud cakes it). If you’re travelling around Uganda bestnot to bring Navy Blue - it attracts tsetse flies.



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Occasionally on the river trip a wind might brew up so it is worth having ashort sleeve paddle jacket as a wind breaker. Most of the time you’ll paddlewith just life jacket and spray skirt so make sure the spray skirt is tight. Thatway you don’t get too much water in! I found a rash shirt meant I didn’t getsun burnt. Footwear is a good idea for any jungle bashing (scouting).

Take a big bottle of waterproof SPF30 (with insect repellent) and you won’tfry. The weather is a mixed bag so you might not need it everyday but whenthe sun is out it’s easy to get burnt.

Its well worth having spares of stuff because there are no kayaking shops.Spare paddle, duck tape, aqua-seal, glue and tape to fix back straps - is aminimum. Don’t forget to bring straps and ropes to tie boats on trucks etc.

What’s out thereYep there are snakes, spiders and Malaria. You must sleep under a mosquitonet and cover up in long sleeves and pants from dusk to dawn. You alsoneed to slap on lots of insect repellant which contains at least 30% DEET.Bring insect repellant with you - as most of the insect repellents sold inUganda do not contain DEET.

Once Fisher brought out the snake stories my jungle bashing days were over.The islands between rapids are kinda overgrown so best to follow downbehind someone who knows the line to avoid bank scouting and comingacross a snake!

What else to do when you’re thereIt’s not difficult to get around Uganda. Everyone is friendly and helpful andmost Ugandans speak English. Murchison falls, QE11 National Park and theMountain Gorillas are popular tourist attractions. If you have a bit of time -Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar Island are within a 24hr bus ride away.Many kayakers love the white water soooo much that they don’t do anytouristy stuff!

Note there are heaps of web sites regarding the Nile, the rafting operatorsand any touristy things you want to do. NRE can be contacted in advance toarrange pick-ups from the Airport for a reasonable price (less than $50US).

I personally found the Zambesi a lot of fun - but the Nile is the river that hassomething for everyone. Some of the rapids are a lot harder than the Zambesiand a lot of the rapids are easier. There are not many monkeys around(compared to Vic Falls) but the surrounds are so much more lush and full ofwildlife (birds and bats). There are a lot more play waves on the Nile and ifyou feel like having a short paddle - it is easier logistically. There is no needfor porters either!

Not IF you can - but WHEN you can - this will be THE white water destinationyou’ll want to return to!!


RODNEYCOASTCHALLENGE

31st October2004

Race Director: Graeme Hounsell

Ph: (09) 420 5322, Fax: (09) 420 5509

Email: [email protected]

Web Site: www.rcc.org.nz

K AU K A PA K A PA

IN DECEMBER 2001 the Australian National Maritime

Museum unveiled its new core exhibition WATERMARKS

adventure sport play. One of its defining themes, Voyagers,

salutes individuals who challenge themselves on the world’s

oceans and waterways. And here we tell the remarkable

story of German adventurer-voyager-migrant Oskar Speck

and his 50,000-kilometre odyssey, paddling a kayak to

Australia in the 1930s. The voyage would take an

unprecedented seven years and four months before Speck

reached his final destination.

Speck’s story can be pieced together from newspaper articles, his letters,diaries, photographs, passports and 16-mm film footage, from rare mediainterviews that he gave and through the testimony of those who knew him.From these disparate sources emerges the picture of a complex man whosevoyage to Australia through a colonial world epitomized an age of wanderlust.Yet for Speck this voyage was more than just adventure. It was the beginningof a new life far from his homeland.

Oskar Speck was born in 1907 and grew up at a time when the world was inturmoil and transition. His childhood and adolescence in Hamburg wereshaped by the First World War and the economic and social changes resultingfrom Germany’s defeat.

As a young man Speck worked as an electrical contractor running a factorywith 21 employees. He was a keen competitive kayaker before 1932 and amember of a boating club. Canoeing and kayaking were popular summerpastimes in Europe and Weimar Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. Collapsible

Speck’s adventures ran in the Berliner Lokal-Anzeiger as ‘Adventure in the Sunda Sea - tales from a kayak voyage’. The issue of 7 September 1938 shows a drawing of Speck beingabducted, when according to the caption ‘...the natives clung to their captive like burrs...’

K A Y A K I N G H I S T O R Y

by Penny Cuthbert, Curator, Australian National Maritime Museum.Reproduced courtesy of the Australian National Maritime Museum.

50,000 km by Kayak50,000 km by Kayak


kayaks (faltboot) could be easily carried on publictransport to be reassembled for use on rivers andwaterways. Speck owned his own folding kayakSunnschien. This outdoor spirit reflected aGermanic passion for athleticism and physicalprowess - qualities reinforced in youth clubs andassociations.

In 1932, during the Depression, Speck’s businessclosed and he found himself unemployed alongwith millions of other Germans. This closureafforded him the opportunity topursue two of his interests - geologyand kayaking. Seeing no future athome Speck sought work in thecopper mines of Cyprus (OskarSpeck in interview with DuncanThompson Australasian Post,December 6 1956).

‘The times in Germany were verycatastrophic...all I wanted was to getout of Germany for a while’ Speckhas said in an interview recordedby Margot Cuthill for Australia’s SBSTV in 1987. ‘I had no idea that Iwould eventually end up inAustralia...but I took my collapsibleboat, went to Ulm and then downthe Danube to the Yugoslavian border...leavingGermany and seeing the world seemed like abetter option.’

The kayak

Sunnschien was a double kayak - for two paddlers- converted for one to make room for luggageand provisions. Its light, flexible wooden framemade it safe for shooting rapids, light forporterage and could be collapsed into a smallbundle when necessary.

It was constructed from a laminated rubber andcanvas skin over the frame and was 5.49 m inlength, capable of carrying a load of nearly 300kg. It was steered by a foot-controlled rudder andpropelled by a double-ended paddle. It wasequipped with a small gaff sail with an area of 1.49square metres.

Speck’s luggage consisted of a spare paddle, twobrass waterproof containers for his films, cameras,clothing, documents, coastal pilots, passports,charts and prismatic compass, and pistol. Freshwater was contained in five-gallon tanks shapedto the side of the kayak . When water wasunreliable coconuts provided a much neededdrink. He ate local fare where possible andsupplemented this with tinned meat, fish andcondensed milk.(Oskar Speck in interview with

Duncan Thompson AustralasianPost, December 6 1956).

The leaving

With a small amount of money,some raised by his family, the 25-year-old Speck set off on a busfrom Hamburg to Ulm on theDanube River. This modern-dayodyssey began on 13 May 1932as a river journey along thestill waters of the Danube andwould take him first to theMediterranean coast.

From the start Speck sought thechallenges of white water andrapids. Finding the Danube tootame he decided to travel to

Skopje (in what was then Macedonia) to test hisskills on the rapids of the Varda River. His five-year-old kayak was damaged in the attempt. Hemade repairs in Veles while waiting for the frozenriver to melt and continued to the Mediterraneancoast. Speck was kept in touch with politicalevents in Germany through letters from familyand friends.

‘We have had another round of elections lastSunday. I think it was the fifth this year. The resultis nil. The Nazis lost a bit and the Communistsgained a bit...everybody is keen to follow your‘around the world trip’...if you don’t manage toenter Turkey etc try Russia - they are looking fortrades people - only in case of emergency though’(Letter from Speck’s younger brother Heinrich10 November 1932.)

Speck with fellow canoers in New Guinea in 1939.


Rivers to Ocean

To cross the Mediterranean, Speck had to mastersailing and paddling during voyages betweenGreek islands. This involved greater reliance onsteering with a foot operated rudder and use ofa sail.

‘by all sane standards I was mad ... Faltboots arenot built for the sea... you may sail while theweather is kind , but you must be constantlyactive, constantly steering to bring the boat’s bowto the right position to meet every single wave’.(Oskar Speck in interview with DuncanThompson Australasian Post, December 6 1956).

While Speck described his kayak as ‘a first classticket to everywhere’ the reality of travelling insuch a small craft was that he had to paddle closeto coastline wherever possible. On shore he sleptin the kayak after removing the tanks from thebow and stern to make more room. A makeshiftcanvas canopy provided shelter from the sun. Onthe open sea there was no chance to sleep. To doso would risk capsizing or worse. Speck describedpaddling a kayak on the open sea like riding abicycle on the land ‘you must keep pedaling andsteering or you fall over...in a faltboot you mustbe constantly steering to bring the boat’s bow tothe right position to meet every single wave.’During the voyage Speck capsized a number oftimes when surfing into shore. The fact hesurvived such a perilous voyage is all the moreremarkable given that Speck could not swim. Hestrapped himself into his kayak.

The Near East

From Rhodes Speck followed the coast of Turkey,crossing from Anamur to Cyprus, a distance of 45nautical miles. (Oskar Speck in interview withMargaret Cuthill for Australia’s SBS TV in 1987) Itwas in Cyprus that Speck’s plans took animportant turn. Although an interest in minerals

and the prospect of work in the copper mines hadled him to Cyprus, he decided instead to continuehis travels.

‘I decided that Suez offered a too well beaten path- why not land on the Syrian coast and take thebus to Meskene on the upper Euphrates...’ (OskarSpeck in interview with Duncan ThompsonAustralasian Post, December 13 1956). True to hisword Speck landed at Latakia after two daysat sea.

Speck continued down the Euphrates River intothe Shatt al Arab (the confluence of the Tigris andEuphrates rivers) and then to Al Basrah. From theShatt Al Arab, Speck crossed the Persian Gulfto Iran.

‘Everywhere I went I was surrounded by crowdsof people...no-one had ever seen this type of boatbefore,’ Speck recalled in Margaret Cuthill’s 1987SBS interview.

The manufacturer of his kayak, Pionier FaltbootWerft in Bad Tolz, supplied Speck with four of thecraft over the seven-year voyage, becoming hismain sponsor. While waiting in Bandar Abbas,Iran, for his first replacement kayak Speckcontracted malaria, which would afflict himperiodically during the voyage. (Margaret CuthillSBS interview, 1987). As he coasted along the headof the Arabian Sea, Speck’s kayak and possessionswere stolen at the border of Iran and Pakistan. Hetold the police there was money in his kayak, andthe following day they directed him to it.

‘we came upon a dhow, and there across its bowlay my kayak. Not a thing in it had been touched.’(Oskar Speck in interview with DuncanThompson Australasian Post, December 13 1956).Speck bought it back for forty pounds.

India and the tropics

During his stay in British Baluchistan (Pakistan)Speck met the Governor, Sir Norman Carter, on abeach. He was invited to join the Governor whowas being entertained by the Maharajas of Kalatand Las Bellas on a shooting party. Speckcontinued to follow the Indian coast and inBombay (Mumbai) With local support Speck wasable to give public talks to help fund his journey.In Madras (Chennai) Speck was contacted by theNorth Madras Boy Scouts Association who were

Speck poses with Javanese household in the DutchEast Indies

Unidentified paddlers in Speck’s kayak,Germany, c1930.



keen to entertain him. Here he waited for a newkayak before paddling around the shores of theBay of Bengal.

Speck was encouraged by friends to try out for theBerlin Olympics in kayaking events.

‘ Kette is about to release the Olympic racing boatin single and double version. That is an indicationfor paddling races to be run in the BerlinOlympics. Why don’t you take part in that? Youshould be in a state to win a trophy in Germany.’

(Letter to Oskar Speck from friend in Altona, 15April 1935).

The following year while in Burma Speckattempted to qualify for the Berlin Olympics inthe10,000-metre kayaking event but was unableto make the required times. (Margaret Cuthill SBSinterview, 1987) He continued this travels whichtook him down the west coast of Thailand’sIsthmus of Kra and peninsular Malaya.

Reaching Singapore via the Straits of Malacca

Speck with friends at his house in Killcare Heights.


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Speck collected another kayak and paddled and sailed his way through theDutch East Indies (Indonesia). In Java he acquired a 16-mm cine-camera. Thesurviving ethnographic footage taken in 1938-39 details the cultural diversityof people Speck encountered living beyond the Java Sea through to the NewGuinea mainland and islands. It transports the viewer into a world of coastalvillage life, much of which has changed dramatically since this film was shotover sixty years ago.

While still recovering from a severe bout of malaria Speck left Bali for Lombok.The rigours of the crossing induced a relapse. Speck was cared for and thenreceived by the Kepala Kampong (village chief). After reaching Lakor Islandin the Moluccas, Speck was woken one night by 20 people armed with spears,swords and machetes. He temporarily kept them at bay by brandishing anunloaded pistol but was soon dragged from his kayak and bound hand andfoot with buffalo hide while his kayak was looted. Speck was slapped andkicked in the head, resulting in a burst ear drum. After several hours Speckmanaged to loosen his bindings and slip back to his kayak, retrieving thelargest tank which held his camera , films and clothing.

Australasian waters

In a new kayak Speck crossed from the Kai Islands in the Banda Sea to theDutch New Guinea coast, a distance of 200 km covered in 34 hours (MargaretCuthill SBS interview, 1987). His arrival in Dutch territory caused a dilemmafor the local administrator who was unsure whether to arrest Speck or granta travel permit. After a delay a permit was issued and Speck followed thecoast of Hollandia to Madang, filming communities along the way. At SamaraiIsland he stayed with the O’Donnells, an Australian family who operated thelocal coastal radio station. In a recent oral history interview Bill and John

O’Donnell, children at the time, remember listening to a shortwave radiobroadcast of Adolf Hitler with Speck and their parents. The following morningthe family watched Speck depart Samarai Island from the beach near theirhouse. Speck also stayed with missionaries at Orokolo (New Guinea) whilehe repaired his damaged rudder.

In Daru (New Guinea) Speck learned from fishermen that Australia was atwar with Germany. Local authorities allowed him to continue into the TorresStrait to Saibai and then Thursday Island where he was arrested as an enemyalien. His arrival on Thursday Island in September 1939 was photographedby Siri Mendis, a young Sri Lankan living there who remembers the eventand has spoken to the Museum about it.

The surprising arrival of Speck and camera in wartime raised questions abouthis activities in the region, why and for whom he was making a film andwhether he was acting as an agent for the Germans. Police were suspiciousof the contents of Speck’s film footage and asked Mendis to view the film inhis dark room. Mendis was also present when Speck was interrogated bypolice.

Interned in Australia

Speck spent a month on Thursday Island before being transferred by theRAN to Brisbane. From Queensland he was sent to Tatura Internment Campin the Goulburn Valley of Victoria.

On the 9 January 1943 Speck escaped from the camp. He had made a pactwith his friend and fellow internee Frederick Embritz to escape and meet inSydney outside Randwick race course. While Embritz made the rendezvousat Randwick, Speck never arrived. He was on the run for several weeks untilstopped by police in Melbourne.

Dressed in civilian clothes and in possession of a bicycle, Speck wasrecognised from a photograph by police in Kew. He initially denied he wasan internee - but under further questioning admitted to being Oskar Speck.Police described him as ‘a prisoner of ingenuity’ and handed him back to

military authorities. His punishment was 28 days insolitary confinement and a transfer to Loveday,South Australia, where he remained for the rest ofthe war.

While interned at Loveday Speck revealed hispolitical views in a letter to the Swiss Consul inMelbourne, Mr J A Pietzcker: ‘This camp is notsuited for the internment of Germans who are loyalto the Reich as they have no means at all ofexpressing their patriotism eg. Patriotic celebrationsetc. I therefore urgently request you approach theresponsible authority in order to have metransferred into a German National Socialist Camp.’

Was Speck a Nazi? This picture is at odds with theviews of those who knew him after his release frominternment. An acquaintance later described himas a loner who was avoiding returning to Germanyas the Reich wanted to exploit his achievements as

Speck the canoe enthusiast couldn’t resist documenting this finespecimen, possibly from the Kai group of islands in what’s noweastern Indonesia.

Speck’s photograph of an unidentified villagein Melanesia captures the tropical exoticism ofhis great adventure.

CONTOUR TANDEM 485CONTOUR TANDEM 485


an example of German heroism, during their Russian campaign. In 1938Speck’s adventure had been serialised in a Berlin newspaper, casting him inthe role of courageous hero. Photographs show a swastika pennantprominently displayed on the bow of his kayak.

An Australian life

Four days after his release from Loveday Internment camp, Speck was inLightning Ridge, NSW, mining opal. He settled into postwar Australia andestablished a successful opal cutting business. He built his own home on theside of a hill at Killcare Heights on the NSW Central coast and retired there inthe 1970s. For 30 years Speck’s companion Nancy Steele commuted fromSydney to Killcare each weekend to see him. She lived with him during thelast two years of his life. Speck died in 1995 after a long illness.

Although Speck’s achievements were well reported in Europe, few inAustralia outside canoeing groups knew his story. Speck’s double-endedpaddle was presented to rower Carl Toovey as a jublilee trophy for winningthe Cruising Canoe Club’s Nepean 100 mile marathon in 1951 and 1952. Thiswas the first marathon paddling event to be held in Australia. Toovey andSpeck became friends and paddled together around Pittwater andSydney Harbour.

Through a bequest from Nancy Steele’s estate, the Australian NationalMaritime Museum has become the custodian of a selection of Speck’spersonal effects. These include photographs and 16-mm film, letters anddocuments, and passports filled with exotic stamps from faraway places. Theconservation of this collection, including copying of the fragile film, has beensponsored by the Salvation Army which was a beneficiary of the NancySteele Estate.

This material is the key to piecing together his story and tapping intomemories of Speck. Existing sources have raised questions and challengedassumptions about this elusive man. One newspaper story about him washeaded ‘Seven years in a kayak made him Australian’. But Speck’s is acomplex story about life and fate, experience and identity, which cannoteasily be summed up in a sentence.

Certainly, the Oskar Speck story has attracted an extraordinary amount ofmedia and public attention since it was unveiled at the opening ofWATERMARKS adventure sport play in December 2001. Research into theSpeck saga will continue here at the Museum, as there is still much to learnabout Oskar Speck, his voyage, internment and life in Australia.

The article first appeared in the museum’s quartlerly journal Signals (No 58,

March 2002). The Australian National Maritime Museum gratefully

acknowledges interviews with Oskar Speck by Duncan Thompson in the

Australasian Post (1956) and Margot Cuthill for SBS Television, on which part

of this article is based.

Copyright Australian National Maritime Museum. This article may not be

reproduced in part or whole, in any form, without permission from the

Australian National Maritime Museum. Contact the publications manager tel

61 2 9298 3647 fax 61 2 9298 3670 email [email protected]

Revised by Penny Cuthbert 27 August 2003

Villagers in Pakistan inspect Speck’s kayak, 1934.

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A Bracing weekend -Taupo Skills Course

S E A K A Y A K S K I L L S C O U R S E S

by Steve

Wet! Very wet, upside down, underwater sitting in a sea

kayak kind of wet.

We had just started our Sea Kayaking Skills Course with Tam

from Canoe and Kayak. Luckily for us we were in the

thermally heated pool at the Taupo AC Baths.

We were rescuing ourselves in various ways including “The John Wayne”and “The Screw Entry”! The names are not what they seem. The “John Wayne”consists of scrambling back on board your kayak, straddling the back deckand inching your way forwards until gravity takes hold and your bum fallsinto the cockpit. The masterful thing is to be able to do this and get your legsback in without falling out. It took a few attempts to get the hang of that one.

The “Screw Entry” is not as much fun as the name promises. It involves thesame scramble onto the back deck but this time you’re lying on your bellyon the back deck looking at the rudder. You then attempt to put your legsinto the cockpit while trying your to look cool in front of the onlookers,(especially the kids.) When your legs are in, you flip yourself over and loand behold you are sitting in your kayak facing the right way round.Unfortunately the boat had so much water in it that my wriggling created amini tsunami which promptly tipped me and the boat over. We all masteredthese techniques by lunchtime and were ready for Lake Taupo’s wild waves.

It could not have been any flatter on the lake if my Mum had ironed it for me.Never the less our intrepid group ventured out to practise our ‘wet exits’;paddle skills and the thing I had been looking forward to, using gadgets. Wehad yet to try paddle float, with bilge pump rescue. Life becomes easier whenyou can use a paddle float correctly. The basics are, fall out, slip paddle floatover paddle blade, blow up float like a balloon, turn boat right way up, createoutrigger effect, clamber in, pump out the gallons of water now sitting in yourboat. Easy, when sitting on a calm lake in the warm sun. Probably not so easywhen you are about to be dashed against jagged coastal rocks in a force 9.Practise, practise, practise. Tam demonstrated a paddle float rescue in lessthan 30 seconds. I was suitably impressed, but I didn’t let on.

We practised low braces, high braces (nothing to do with holding up yourtrousers), forward sweep strokes, backward sweep strokes, draw stroke andthe obvious, but not always easy forward and backward effective paddling

stroke. There are dogs out there that have fewer strokes!! At the end of thefirst day Tam ran through what we did and showed us the dynamics of boatstructures, explaining which boats would suit our particular needs. All thewhile sitting on the shore of Lake Taupo looking at the beautiful mountainsover Tams shoulder. Nice.

Day two - My muscles felt like they have been taken off while I slept and putback on me in no particular order. I knew they had been given a workoutthe previous day.

We headed for the Maori carvings in Mine Bay. It was a gloomy start andquite cool, but the water was as calm as a Zen Buddhist on tranquilizers. Ipractised paddling without using my rudder to hone my paddle skills. Bythe time we rounded Whakamoenga Point the clouds were blowing acrossthe lake leaving a perfect blue sky in their wake. The Taniwha was kind tous. When we reached the carvings conditions were perfect. A Kodak moment.We all took photos to show Mum and headed to the beach for lunch. Weshared the beach with the Yakity Yak Club members from Hawkes Bay whowere up for the weekend and also doing a skills course.

We left the pristine beach as we found it and paddled back round to AcaciaBay where we practised more Self Rescues and “T” Rescues. I capsized afew times unexpectedly, with alittle helping hand from Tam.I even had a few goes at rolling.I nearly had it. I left the shores ofLake Taupo with a self satisfiedgrin, realising that I had onlyscratched the surface of my seakayaking education!! Can’t waitfor more. Roll on the next course.Thanks Tam.

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Mercury Bay, CoromandelD E S T I N A T I O N S

by Karen KnowlesCaptain James Cook spent 12 days inMercury Bay in November 1769. Afterobserving the transit of Mercury, henamed the Bay after this planetaryevent. With all due respect to Cookand the world’s astronomers: what adisappointing name. Considering Cookhad just named the Bay of Plenty, Ithink he should have been moreinventive to truly reflect Mercury Bay’sdiversity and beauty. I suppose‘The Bay of Plenty More’ would have

been unsuitable.

Encompassing a marine reserve, great beaches,estuaries, caves, islands and more caves, this areais an absolute delight for anybody, in anyweather. In particular, the northern side of thebay is a kayaker’s haven; riddled with caves,tunnels and great rock gardens. Launching fromWharekaro/Simpson Beach, point your kayaknor’ east and start exploring. Just before DoubleBay is the first of the big caves. Make sure yourhead torch is handy ‘cos this cave is huge. Caves,tunnels and great rock gardens continue along thecoast interspersed with easy landing beaches(depending on swell direction). If you areplanning a one-way trip, the next road access isMatapaua Bay Road. This road is extremely steepleading down to the beach and may not besuitable for all vehicles. Paddling around theheadland another 5 kilometres will bring you toOpito Bay with easy landing and goodroad access.

For a more sedate paddle, explore WhitiangaHarbour or Purangi Estuary. On a high tide youcan easily get lost up the Whitianga Harbour fora full day. Follow the Waiwawa River and rewardyourself with a nice cold beer at the CoroglenTavern. Just don’t forget what time the tidechanges! Purangi Estuary is located at the easternend of Cooks Beach. This is quite a small estuary,but really sheltered and a great option for newpaddlers or families.

Flaxmill Bay and Front Beach provide more shelteredpaddling and are great areas to explore. Headingeast from Flaxmill Bay brings you past ShakespeareCliffs. Keep an eye out for small waterfalls high upin the cliffs. Around the next corner is Lonely Bay.Looking like something off a postcard, it’s a greatplace for lunch and as the name suggests there’susually nobody there. Just be warned, high aboveyou is a very popular look out site.

If only Cook had traded in his cutlass for a waka. Iam sure he would have found a suitablesuperlative to name this great piece of NewZealand’s coastline.

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Slices of Heaven -Mimiwhangata and Otamure

D E S T I N A T I O N S

It takes a while to get your tongue around the name belonging

to a magical place up north, Mimiwhangata. (Mim e fong a

ta). It also takes a while for the heart to resume its normal

rhythm after negotiating the last bit of road or ‘goat track’ to

get there. But it is all very worthwhile.

Mimiwhangata Coastal Park is smack bang in the middle, between Russelland Whangarei. Allow an hour from either place, and leave your caravanbehind, as the metal road stretch from Helena Bay really is narrow andwinding.

There is accommodation available - a lodge, cottage and beach house tochoose from (bookings essential with Tarewa Park Visitor Centre 09 430 2007).Or do as the group I was with last Waitangi weekend and set up a self-sufficient tent village, a short walk over the hill at Waikahoa Bay. With wateron tap, including cold open-air showers and very efficient composting toiletsall essentials are catered for. The $7 per person/night camp fee gives you thechoice of commanding a sea view, or being closer to the amenities andnestling near the karaka, cabbage or pohutukawa trees.

Again you need to book. This gets you a combination number for the gateand allows access to the car park.

The usual ‘pack it in pack it out’ DoC policy applies.

If paddling is not the thing for some members of your party, there are plentyof farm tracks to other sandy beaches, for a spot of secluded sunbathingperhaps, at Okupe and Mimiwhangata. Alternatively there are forest walkswith views out to the Poor Knights Islands.

Although there is a marine park between Paparahi to the north and Te Ruatahito the south special rules apply for the amateur fisher. Interestinglyunweighted, single hooked lines, trolling, spearing and hand picking arepermitted, for specific fish and shellfish. (You’d better check the DoCbrochure for the list.)

For paddlers the place is paradise. Or as trip leaders Christine and Neil

Vincent packed a unicycle, juggling balls, stock whip... at Otamure

Pararanui Point, Whangaruru Harbour for a leg stretch.

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Watson put it “This slice of heaven suits sit-on-tops to sea kayaks and allpaddling skill levels. Helena Bay, Taiwawe Bay, Okupe Beach, andMotutaniwha, Rimariki, and Otawhanga Islands are within easy paddlingdistance for beginners. Whangaruru Harbour to the north and Otamure Bayto the south are full day trips for more experienced paddlers.”

The Doc brochure calls it “a place to treasure” and describes it as a“ Wonderfully varied land and seascape - low, steep ridges pointing inalmost every direction, each cut sharply into cliffed headlands, or fadinginto chains of islands, stacks and reefs.”

There is a treasure trove of birds. Kowhai attract tui in the spring, woodpigeonlove the puriri and taraire. If you are lucky you’ll hear brown kiwi and mostcertainly moreporks at night. The NZ dotterel and variable oystercatcher bothnest in the sand dunes, at the height of summer. So in order to protect theserare birds and minimise endangering eggs or chicks, keep away from anyfenced off sections.

The only annoying thing about this area is that you need two topo maps:

Bay of Islands Q 05 and Hukernui Q 06.

However, that extra map does allow you to find Otamure, another delightfulspot north of Whangarei. Turn off just north of Hikurangi, to Whananaki. Thisroad is not likely to affect your pulse. It is another DoC camping ground, butit is manned over the holiday season by a Motor Caravan couple who collectcamp fees.

It is the kind of place you can park next to your beachfront tent site. So youcan toss in your solar shower and collapsible deckchair or lounger and eventhe barbeque!

The jester in our group threw in his unicycle, juggling balls and flamethrowers, and stock whip and put on a great show. Then Mr Whippy turnedup to tempt us with pudding! Talk about civilised camping.

Paddling possibilities are numerous. Over Labour weekend, one day wepaddled for a couple of hours to Whale Bay, and then walked over the hillthrough the Otito Scenic Reserve to Matapouri. On another we headed off toMimiwhangata. Alternatively if you want to stay closer to base there are lotsof islands to explore, or a bit of surf to practise wet exits or play in.

Northland paradises... gosh, roll on the next long weekend.

Greg’s wonderful life continues

Whale Bay, another beautiful sandy beach.


Weight: 25.85 kgWidth: 914 mmLength: 3.81 mPrice: From $999(hatches & accessories not included)

Available at leading kayak stores.

The ultimate fishing/diving kayak fromCobra Kayaks. A large well is located inthe stern and holds up to three tanks.There is one centrally located seat and asmaller companion seat near the bow. Itcan also be fitted with an optional motorbracket for an electric trolling or smalloutboard engine.

Abel Tasman in Winterby Maurice O’Brien

Sun, Sea, Shags and Seals - and 3 Blank Czechs. These make

up the enduring memories of Abel Tasman National Park.

The trip started at Marahau, where we picked up 3 fibreglass Sea Bear IIrentals. I don’t know if you’ve ever paddled one of these things, but we canconfirm several things:

1. They hold an enormous amount of gear.

2. They are very easy to paddle, even for relatively novice paddlers.

3. They are very tough, and bounce off rocks very well without breaking....

A quick settling-in paddle south to Split Apple Rock sorted out a few teethingproblems. Such as, don’t forget to put the rudder down if you want tomaintain steerage, and the best way to win an impromptu race is to sneakilylift the opponents’ rudder before the start without them noticing. Not that

FISH ‘N DIVEFISH ‘N DIVE

Winter fishing! 23lb Schnapper caught offTaranaki coast near White Cliffs by Nigel Legg

we’re competitive or anything....

Then it is north to explore the coastline and little streams dotting the Park.Bearing in mind that this is early winter, it’s easy to see what attracts 35,000overnight visitors and 150,000 day trippers every year. Just magical!

One thing about the area is that wherever you go, you can find seals - andthey’re clearly used to human interaction and not at all camera shy.

It’s difficult to adequately express the excitement of playing with seals. They’llchase the paddles, jump up on the kayaks, and do acrobatics just for thesake of it.

Other highlights of Abel Tasman include all the little side streams that youwouldn’t notice from a fizz boat, and generally don’t explore when trampingdue to access difficulties. With kayaks, it’s a whole new world. Drifting inwith the rising tide was most pleasant, and it was easy to imagine what the

Split apple rock


country must have been like before human habitation. Not a man-madesound to be heard except the occasional paddle dipping to correct the course,not another man-made structure to be seen. Just piece, quiet, and nature.Good for the soul...

Of course not all nature is pleasant. Paddling out from one of the streams,one of the kayaks went under an overhanging tree, at which point whatappeared to be a cascade of water fell directly onto the lead paddler. About2 seconds later, we all realised that cold rainwater does not smell of fish andthen noticed the shag sitting nonchalantly on one of the tree branches.Judging by the volume that came down, that shag must have been holdingback for days just waiting for a kayak to pass by. He came close to sinking theother 2 kayaks - we were laughing so hard that we almost tipped out!

Overall, a great trip. We normally go on one major tramp per year, and thiswas the first time our tramps had included other modes of transport. All ourinitial concerns about lack of skill and experience proved unfounded, andcommon sense combined with a steady pace resolved most issues beforethey became problems. Inspiring stuff that encourages future sea kayaking.

So why the reference to Blank Czechs? The first night was spent at AnchorageHut, and around 8:30 pm there was a clatter and a thump outside and 3Czechoslovakian ladies arrived. It was wet, they had little wet weather gear,none of it suitable, and none of their packs was waterproof. They had walkedfrom an earlier hut at 4:30, when it was still daylight, to Anchorage in thedark - with no torches. The only illumination they had was the screen of acellphone that they used to light the way whenever it got too dark to see thetrack.

No worries, we thought, perhaps they build them tough in Czechoslovakia.

They’ll be fine once they eat something. Slight problem - they had no realfood, just a few packets of instant soup amongst the 3 of them. Which theycouldn’t cook anyway as although they had a gas burner and a 230g gas bottle(for 4 days) the two didn’t match. They did however have plenty of makeup,moisturiser, and even a hair dryer.....

Apparently, there is a growing incidence of mostly European tramperswalking the popular tracks with little or no food, hoping to cadge spare rationsfrom generous souls like us. However, these 3 were so ill-equipped, soinexperienced and so foolhardy in the risks they took over the next 4 daysthat we could only conclude they were either totally ignorant of outdoorpursuits or had a death wish - sort of Blank Czechs trying hard to becomeCancelled Czechs.

Care for a lift


Knots and haul systemsfor white-water rescues

by Matt Barker

There are many possible knot configurations for use in white-water rescuesbut having a good knot vocabulary will add functionality, speed andefficiency to your rescue and retrieval systems, good knots and hitches tohave in your tool-bag include: -

• Italian or Munter hitch to create friction in belays or a releasablelock off

• Marlinspike hitch and clove hitch to create attachment points in ahaul rope

• Overhand knot to join two ropes together or to make loops in theend of a snake sling

• ‘No knot’ to tie a rope to an anchor

• Tape or water knot to make a tape into a loop

• Figure of eight or bowline to make a loop in the end of a rope or toattach the end to an object

• Prussik knots to create a movable attachment point on a taut line

• Slipped half hitch to lock off a Munter hitch

Trying to explain how to tie these knots is best done with pictures so refer tothe accompanying photos of the knots in use and get a good knot book fromthe library to help you tie them.

There are 3 basic haul systems that you should know how to set up and use

• The Armstrong

• The Z drag or 3 to 1 pulley

• The Vector pull

These can be used on their own or in conjunctionwith each other until the desired force is created.With any haul system it is usual to use the simplestfirst and work up to more complicated, moreequipment hungry and time consuming systemsas the need dictates until the objective is attained.

The Armstrong method is the fastest and simplestmethod. It allows as many people as possiblehauling like a tug-o-war team on the line to movethe object. It is interesting to note that the anchorman at the back with the rope around his waist orshoulder can create a force up to 120% of hisweight, whereas the others pulling in-line holdingonto the rope with their hands can only create apull of up to 60% of their weight. So a four-manteam weighing 80kg each can create a force of upto 240 kg or 2.4 kilo-newtons, if they all attach their slings to the rope with aclove hitch or marlinspike hitch and pull anchorman style, they can eachcreate force equal to 120% of their weight. The four man team can potentiallycreate 3.8 kN.

If these methods have not moved the object, we need to create mechanicaladvantage with a Z drag. In it’s basic form this creates a 3 to 1 advantagemeaning that for every 1 kN of force applied to the working rope, 3 kN of

force is delivered to the object being pulled. For a basic set up you will needsome gear. In addition to the rope you will need 2 karabiners, a sling and animmovable object, such as a tree or large boulder. Greater efficiency will bemade by using pulleys on the karabiners to reduce frictional losses. Thelightweight, cheap, non-corroding plastic ones that slip onto round bar HMSshaped karabiners work well. With this system the simple four man ‘tug owar’ team could create a force of up to 7.2kN and using the ‘all belaying’system this rises to a maximum theoretical forceof 11.4kN.

Once you have created significant force withminimal equipment, it is possible to createadditional mechanical advantage by ‘piggybacking’ one 3 to 1 system on the working ropeof another creating a 9 to 1 mechanicaladvantage. However frictional losses, the factthat these systems use up lots of gear and rope,plus since you have to pull the working end avery long distance to move the object to be pulledonly a short way - make these higher mechanicaladvantage systems rarely worth the effort.

A more useful way to create additional force iswith a vector pull. For this you have to tie off a Zdrag that you have tightened as much as you can.

Then you pull in the centre of the rope at rightangles to the taut rope. This creates massiveforces initially but the more you deflect the rope

from straight the less efficient this becomes. If you pull the rope into a 120-degree or smaller angle you lose any mechanical advantage and you needto re-tension the z-drag.

Usually you only need to haul an object a small distance before it comesfree. However if you do need to haul objects over greater distances whereyou are likely to run out of travel in the pulley system, it is a good idea touse two prussiks. One to lock the load rope while adjustments are made

Munter hitchTied off Munter Hitch

plastic pulley

overhand knot

O U T D O O R S W I T H


and one to form a travelling attachment point that can be moved down therope as it is pulled in.

On a safety note, creating high forces does not come without dangers andcheaper throw lines can let go at forces of around 6-7kN so it is prudent touse a length of high strength rope where the forces are concentrated.

For example: the point of attachment with the objectbeing recovered; at the hitch used to attach thetravelling pulley to the haul line; and to attach a spraydeck or buoyancy aid to the travelling pulley to act asa parachute if metal objects start to fly.

The sling is one of those items which can be carriedthat truly fits in to the non-specialised, but highlyversatile bracket. It has a multitude of uses: fromproviding a belay or anchor point; or lowering yourboat down a small cliff; to a towing system and for firstaid. The more you use one, the more potential you willfind for its use and you will quickly wonder how youever did without one.

Slings should be made from approximately 4.5 metresof 25mm tape available from climbing and outdoorshops. If a longer length is required then your throwrope could be utilised. A sling tied with a knot is moreversatile than a sewn one. It can be used as a roundsling (and tied around trees) by connecting the twoends with a water knot, or by fashioning overhandloops in either end of the tape and connecting thesetogether with a karabiner.

This can be carried in a front pocket or around the waist. There are advocatesof both carrying positions. The major drawback of waist carrying is that itcould snag and be impossible to unclip leaving a swimmer trapped by a verystrong anchor, however it is easiest to deploy from here. If a sling is carriedaround the waist it must be worn in a very snug fitting fashion so as tominimise this risk. It is often necessary to shorten a sling to achieve a good

fit. A useful knot is a Slippery river knot better known as a slipped overhandknot. Tied in a doubled piece of tape, all three loops produced are clippedto one end of a karabiner with the long loop clipped to the other end. A doneup screw gate HMS karabiner is safer than a snap gate (as it will not becomeinadvertently clipped to something) but is harder and slower to deploy, so

personal choice will dictate which you prefer.

The sling provides a great anchor in rescues and can beused for a quick release multi-length tow system. Drapedover one shoulder in its shortened form it provides aquick boat or weak swimmer tow. If you need to havethe towed boat sitting fully behind your stern then, withthe right combination of sling length and boat length, usethe slippery river knot. The boat will be positionedcorrectly.

Some times it is preferable to push another kayak andoccupant in front and to one side of you with theoccupant either facing toward you or away. If they holdonto your bow grab loop you place the sling in itsshortened form around one shoulder and across yourback clipping it to their grab loop. You can push themeasily without interfering with your paddling too much.

The sling can also be used as a prussic to make a z-dragwith a travelling attachment used when you need to haulan object a long way. The best prussic knot for use with asling on slick wet ropes seems to be the kleimheist. Thisis easy to tie. Simply wrap a loop of your round sling

round and round the rope working towards the object to be recovered. Six

to eight turns should create enough friction. Then pass the other end through

the remaining loop and pull. Dress the knot so it looks tidy. The more turns

you put round the rope the more friction you create although its hard to form

a system that will hold under forces greater than about 6 kN.

So, get some rope, a good knot book, a few karabiners and work through

creating these systems, you never know when the practice will pay off.

marlin spike hitch

clove hitch


K A Y A K Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S

The NZKI has been formed in response to a growing need in

the Kayaking Industry to have more people with Kayaking

qualifications, to encourage more kayakers to expand their

skills and knowledge, to continue to increase the safety of

our sport.

The NZKI Award Scheme is structured around the assessment of skills andknowledge required for the type of activity to be undertaken by the Instructoror Guide. A star is awarded for each level achieved, starting off with theNZKI One Star for personal paddling skills and knowledge and moving up tothe NZKI Five Star for an Assessor.

The Award Scheme is currently operating for Sea Kayaking and will beoperational for River Kayaking in the New Year.

Contact your local Canoe & Kayak Shop for dates and become one of the firstto gain your NZKI Qualifications.

For more information go to www.canoeandkayak.co.nz

NZKI New Zealand KayakingInstructors Award Scheme

I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4 3 3 I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4 3 3

NZKITwo Star Sea Kayaking Instructor

An Instruction skill and knowledge based assessmentBased on flat sheltered water (under 10 knots)

Duration 3 hours on water and a 1 hour written examRatio: One Assessor to Two Candidates

Cost $195Teaching Skills

Confidence Routine-Forward Power Stroke-Reverse Power Stroke-ForwardSweep Stroke-Reverse Sweep Stroke-Emergency Stop-Low

Brace-Hanging Draw-Stern Rudder-Entry and Exit to a bank-T Rescue-John Wayne-Stern Deck Rescue

-Eskimo Rescue-Eskimo Roll-Paddle Float-Towing systems- Loading Roof Racks-Loading Trailers

Personal Skills and EquipmentTowing and backing trailer-Eskimo Rescues-Eskimo Rolls-Briefing-Group

Control-Equipment Check-Suitable First Aid Kit-Survival Gear-Spare Clothing-Spare food-Communications Equipment-light source e.g. torch, snaplite-water

NZKIOne Star Sea Kayaking Award

A personal skill and knowledge based assessmentBased on flat sheltered water

Duration 1.5 hours on water and a 1/2 hour written examThe successful candidate will be suitable to assist on entry-level courses or take

a lead role in a club trip in sheltered waters.Ratio: One Assessor to four Candidates

Cost $75Forward Power Stroke-Reverse Power Stroke-Forward Sweep Stroke-Reverse

Sweep Stroke-Emergency Stop-Low Brace-Hanging Draw-Stern Rudder-Entry andExit from a bank-T Rescue-John Wayne-Stern Deck Rescue-Towing Systems-

Paddle Float-Loading Roof Racks

NZKI Sea Kayaking Three StarA personal skill and knowledge based assessment

Based on exposed water. (15 knot to 25 knot wind and or1 metre to 1.5 metre surf)

Duration 2.5 hours on water and a 1 hour written examThe successful candidate will be suitable to assist on advanced level

courses or take a lead roll in a club trip in exposed waters.Ratio: One Assessor to four Candidates

Cost $95Forward Power Stroke-Reverse Power Stroke-Forward Sweep Stroke-Reverse

Sweep Stroke-Emergency Stop-Low Brace-Sculling Support Stroke-HangingDraw-Sculling Draw-Stern Rudder-Entry and Exit to a bank

RescuesT Rescue-John Wayne-Stern Deck Rescue-Eskimo Rescue

-Towing Systems-Eskimo Roll

NZKI Sea Kayaking Four StarAn Instruction skill and knowledge based assessment

Based on exposed water. (10 knot to 20 knot wind and up to 1 metre surf)Duration 3 hours on Water and a 1 hour written exam

Ratio: One Assessor to Two CandidatesCost $195

Teaching SkillsForward Power Stroke-Reverse Power Stroke-Forward Sweep Stroke-Reverse

Sweep Stroke-Emergency Stop-Low Brace-Hanging Draw-Stern Rudder-T Rescue-John Wayne-Stern Deck Rescue-Eskimo Rescue-Eskimo Roll-Paddle

Float-Towing systems

NZKI Sea Kayaking Five StarAn Assessment of skills and knowledge required to be an Assessor

Based on Sheltered and exposed water.Duration 3 hours on water and a 1 hour written exam

The successful candidate will be suitable to coach instructors up to andincluding advanced level courses and to be an Assessor of all levels of the NZKI

Sea Kayaking scheme.Ratio: One Assessor to one Candidate

Cost $250

NZKI ONE STAR SEA KAYAKING AWARD HOLDERSDaniel Sommerhalder Sam Goodall James FitnessTamasin Beattie Scott Challenor Terry Bigg

NZKI TWO STAR SEA KAYAKING AWARD HOLDERSDaniel Sommerhalder Tamasin Beattie Scott ChallenorTerry Bigg

NZKI FIVE STAR SEA KAYAKING AWARD HOLDERSRob Howarth Peter van Lith Steve KnowlesPeter Townend


Charlotte - The Queen of Sounds

S E A K A Y A K I N G

by David Evans

The idea to paddle Queen Charlotte

Sound for the Christmas - New Year

break germinated one cold winter

evening, as Jacqui and I had one of our

kayak trip brain storming sessions

(usually including several glasses of

wine!) Having made the decision to go

we posted the trip on the Canoe and

Kayak web site, thinking that other

clubbies may wish to join us for the

trek south.

Then one evening in November the phonerang....it was Brenda and a new Yakkity Yakfriendship began. Brenda and Steve wererelatively new to the club and we had not paddledtogether. So we arranged to meet at their homefor coffee and a “get to know you chat”, whilstpouring over maps of Queen Charlotte to plan our “wish list” of places topaddle and camp. The excitement was building!

Finally our departure day for the drive to Wellington arrived. We had decidedto take our own kayaks, travel separately and rendezvous at the ferryterminal. By this stage, Ian had joined our intrepid group to make the“Fearless Five”. Ian’s role was to be typically noisy, provide his uniquesarcastic humour and snore like a freight train, all of which he accomplishedduring the trip with aplomb.

We all met at the ferry terminal on Christmas Day morning and had a pleasantcrossing of Cook Strait chatting excitedly as we entered Tory Channel withits pristine water and spectacular scenery. In Queen Charlotte Sound wenoticed wind gusts coming across the Sound from the West, creating smallwhite cap wind waves. Little did we know what lay in store for us! We spentthe night in Picton with a get-together at Brenda and Steve’s motel room,drinking champagne and eating a box of the local cherries...one of manyFearless Five bonding sessions!

Boxing Day morning arrived and it was a mad rush to get the cars securityparked, sort out our gear for the trip and load the kayaks onto the roof of thewater taxi. Ian’s comments and concerns about the weather forecast fell ondeaf ears, as it was calm and pleasant in Picton. Our destination was ShipsCove, from which we intended to paddle to Cannibal Cove or Resolution Bayto make camp. As we got out into the Sound off the Bay of Many Coves, thefull force of the westerly wind gusts became apparent. Had we checked theforecast... mmmmm? Approaching Blumine Island the wind was gusting30-40 knots and our concern was mounting as the kayaks shifted aroundwhen each gust hit the boat. Time to move to Plan B...now what wasPlan B again...?

Having spoken to the water taxi skipper and discovering the wind was gusting50 knots at Cape Jackson (only a few miles further out from Ships Cove) wemade a quick decision to off load at Resolution Bay wharf. By this stage wehad witnessed the full power of the wind in a Sound - it was powering downthe steep hill sides and blasting onto the water. This created an awesomedisplay of spray 100 feet high sweeping across the Sound at 40+ knots!Unforgettable and scary! How’s your bracing skills guys?

We disembarked at Resolution Bay wharf by late morning and had tophysically lie on top of the kayaks each time a gust of wind hit us. We werepondering how to proceed across the bay to the camp site in School HouseBay, when our rescuer appeared on the scene....a 12 year old local lad with aTinny and outboard....hallelujah! After some negotiations (they learn earlydown south) we agreed to give this future entrepreneur $20 for what turnedout to be two trips ferrying our gear over to the camp site. We then startedthe short paddle...Jacqui went first. About 50 metres off the wharf, to myhorror, a massive wind gust roared up the bay straight for Jacqui!

“Look Out” we allscreamed but Jacquiwas up to thechallenge: improvisedby leaning forwardover her kayak andshifting her centre ofgravity against the windto stay upright...phew!We eventually all madeit across to the campsite in one piece andpitched our tents.School House Baycamp site is right nextto the Queen CharlotteTrack and gets verybusy late in theafternoon. We spentthe rest of the day

watching nature’s side-show of sea spray plumes racing across the bay and

dark grey clouds building in the west. Lovely stuff!

Our best opportunity to paddle would be in the morning before the wind

got up. So, the next day we explored the shoreline of Resolution Bay, to the

head of Endeavour Bay and back to camp. The wind increased and paddling

Jacqui, Dave, Brenda and Steven


was not high on the list of safe fun. After lunch we walked a short section ofthe Queen Charlotte Track. Jacqui and Brenda felt more energetic and wentup to a high point on the track which had stunning views across the Sound.The boys stayed in camp and underSteve’s supervision, erected a bulletproof tarpaulin shelter for cooking. Awork of art we thought and proudlyshowed off to the girls when theyreturned from their walk.

That night we endured the strongestand noisiest winds I have everencountered in a tent. The tentssurvived the night. However thetarpaulin bullet proof shelter turnedout to be anything but! After a swiftrepair job, we breakfasted andpaddled to Ships Cove, where CaptainCook raised the Union Jack for the firsttime in 1770. We then set off for Cannibal Cove, the last campsite in the Sound.It was the site of a Maori feast, details of which need no explanation! CannibalCove was the prettiest site we saw for camping. It is sheltered, there’s a freshwater stream next to the camp and a spectacular view of Cook Strait.Reluctantly we left this pristine spot and paddled back to our camp, throughwind gusts blasting out of Resolution Bay.

After three nights at School House Bay we moved camp to Ruakaka Bay. Thewinds had abated sufficiently for it to be quite a pleasant paddle acrossEndeavour Inlet and into the Bay of Many Coves. Leaving Resolution Bay, Ispotted a huge pod of dolphins. Excited at the prospect of playing with thepod of at least 100 dolphins, we paddled frantically to get amongst them. Wehad 20 minutes of pure joy, as they swam past and under our kayaks. Ahighlight of the trip! In the Bay of Many Coves we spent a couple of hoursexploring and admiring the lovely homes at the waters edge. The local CoastGuard boat came alongside and complimented us on our brightly coloured

hats and flags....something the local hire companies do not provide! Werounded Bull Head and West Head and paddled into Ruakaka Bay and on toRatimera Bay, a well sheltered, pleasant campsite.

The next day Steve decided we neededsome “bush bash” exploring. Weclambered up a bush covered bluff with theintention of coming down onto anotherbay. There was no bay, lots of laughs, a fewscratches and a huge thirst. Back to camp,some refreshments and an afternoonpaddling around some of the bays. Stevefinished off by practising some self rescues.

Our final day, on the Sound, turned out tobe the perfect balmy calm summer’s day Ihad imagined for the whole trip.Reluctantly we packed up and headed offfor Picton under blue skies and gentlebreezes wafting up the Sound. We explored

the coastline as we went and stopped in a tiny little bay on Allports Islandfor lunch. The Lynx Ferry left Picton as we sat on our beach and about fiveminutes later several huge wake surges hit the beach. Apparently even the20 knot speed limit doesn’t prevent wash damage to the coastline in this partof the Sound.

Carefully checking for any other ferry traffic we crossed the Sound andcruised into Picton under clear blue sky and virtually no breeze to speak of.

And so a memorable trip came to an end for a group of Yakkers from thenorth. Friendships had been cemented and the smiles told the story of afantastic holiday in a kayaking wonderland. Never mind theweather...Charlotte is still the Queen of the Sounds!

The Fearless Five: David Evans, Jacqui Tyrrell, Steven Law, Brenda Jones, IanGulbransen

710 Great South Road, ManukauPH: 09 262 0209

E-mail: [email protected] www.canoeandkayak.co.nz

MANUKAU

As seenfrom theSouthern

Motorway

Photos by Steven Law / David Evans


The island of Kekova (Geyikova Adasi) lies less than a

kilometre off the mainland of Southern Turkey. It is not big

in size but is almost unique in that a paddle around Kekova

means a paddle over antiquity dating back 2500 years. But

more about that later.

After satiating oneself on the antiquities of ’ Hierapolis or Ephesus, awelcome stop over in the quaint seaside town of Kas (pronounced “Caash”)offers the chance of some magic kayaking. Be it boat hirage, a one dayescorted tour or a seven day expedition, Bougainville Turizam will look afteryour every need.

Anchored on precipitous hillsides, the small hotels and pensions of Kas area picture postcard of the Mediterranean without the crassness of bigcommercial tourist cities. It is a town with many interesting small restaurantsand bars. For the adventurous it is an ideal base for outdoor activities.

Bougainville include in their kayaking tour of Kekova transport to the startingpoint of Ucagiz and a late but delicious lunch on return.

The Kekova group is a myriad of small green islands like emeralds scatteredacross the turquoise sea - a kayaker’s paradise. Ucagiz and the nearby villageof Simena are set against the stunning backdrop of Kale Koy, an imposingflyzantine castle. A welcome respite from the hot sun, Simena is onlyaccessible by boat. A short walk takes you up to the castle, where a ratherstout Turk will probably demand a few million lira to gain access.

Nearby the sunken city of Kekova lies six metres below the TurkishMediterranean. The area is off limits to divers, swimmers and fishermen; sokayaking is one of the few ways to peer down through the millennia.

Foundations, walls and mosaics dating back over 2000 years are visible justbelow you. The earliest inhabitants were the Lycians from about 500BC. Theirpresence was overtaken by the Byzantines who called Kekova home untilaround 500AD. Then a series of earthquakes spelled the end for the citizensof Kekova. Their valley disappeared under the sea. Today its only inhabitantsare inquisitive kayakers and the inevitable tour boat.

If you are in that part of the world and looking for a paddle with a difference,drop a line to guides Maho or Meidan at [email protected]

They have both singles and doubles available for a memorable experience.

Kayaking the Lycian WayI N T E R N A T I O N A L K A Y A K I N G

by John Banks


15 Niven St, Onekawa, NapierPH: 06 842 1305 www.canoeandkayak.co.nz

The Specialist Kayak Shop in the BayMon – Fri: 9.00am – 5.30pm.Sat: 9.00am – 4.00pm.Sun: 10.00am – 2.00pm.

Open 7 Day

Heaps of trips & club activitiesYakity Yak

E-mail [email protected]

The Best Kayak Club Around

Courses • Kayaks • Accessories • Friendly Advice • Hire

HAHAWKE’S BAWKE’S BAYYHAWKE’S BAY


On a weekend in June a small group of keen paddlers headed down to theRotorua area, hoping to get in some paddling at good high flows. We knewthere had been rain, but we had no idea just how much! The Bay of Plentywas having a terrible time with severe flooding and earthquakes, and allthe dams in the area were at full release. For us however it was a greatspectacle, with river levels up to 6 metres above average. The pictures areof the Rangitaiki River near Murapara and the surrounding area. By the waynone of our group paddled!

The FloodP H O T O E S S A Y

by Sam Goodall

I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4 3 9 I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4 3 9


Positions for staff available

07 847 5565

Retail, Cour e , Hire& Yakity Yak Clu

These three men are New Zealanders and are not only explorers andadventurers; they are also very articulate and artistic.

I’ve been waiting for this book since the “Slide Show” a few years ago, whenI found the photography stunning. The photos still are magical and the wordscaptivating, verging on verse.

Even if you only look at the pictures and read the captions, you’ll be bothexcited and chilled to the bone.

At only 113 pages (plus equipment lists) it’s not a long read - a great evening’sentertainment - inspirational.

Mark Jones’ statement before the trip “I hope our quest will inspire others tochase their dreams whatever they might be. None of us dream alone. Onedreamer breathes life into the next” - is inspirational in itself.

The books style is rather unusual. Each man writes about one third of thetrip. This means that you get three different personalities and slants on theexpedition.

We get to share the highs, the contentment - “It would have been difficult tofind three more contented beings on the planet, and I couldn’t think of aplace more worthy of our attention” and the lows, the pain, the boredom -“Minutes seemed like hours, but nothing happens in minutes in Antarctica”.

We feel the granduer and splendour - ‘The Mountain chains rise sheer fromthe sea and giant glaciers run between the two” yet also the seriousness ofthe scenery - “Ignoring a sign in the city could get you towed; missing a signin the ice could get you killed”.

They share the view - “The campsite we ended up with was stunning -perched on a snowy knoll with fantastic views of bergs silhouetted against asky that burnt like a great bonfire...” and the feel of the place - “The stillnesswas absolute: we were in a vacuum of movement”.

We get caught up in the wonder and speechless magnificence of the ice -“shapes so extraordinary as to be not of this world” and in the reality “ amidthis lunatic art exhibition, any trace of our passing was soon lost”.

The delight of the wildlife is captured - both in words and in pictures. Thereis a particularly beautiful descriptive account of a penguin chick’s King-of-the-roost antics on a kayak deck.

The friendship, the camaraderie is apparent but also the risks of the ventureand therefore the reliance on each other - “I was connected by more thanfriendship: there was an invisible lifeline between us. Should any of us breakit, we’d be sunk”.

If I had to find something to be critical about, I’d say that with the 1000’s ofphotographs taken, surely we could have had one per open page.

But then, I am reminded that sometimes, even pictures are not enough “Itried to capture such scenes with my camera, but it seemed a crude tool forthe job, like using a press to preserve the beauty of a flower”.

This is not just a well written and illustrated, beautiful book - it does call oneto action - to get more out of life- “to experience life stripped bare”.

Caveat Emptor. Buyer beware.

Ruth E. Henderson

The Frozen CoastSea Kayaking the Antarctic PeninsulaGraham Charles, Mark Jones, Marcus Walters with Sarah Moodie

The dust cover’s brief description begins “In January 2001 three men set out to

paddle down the length of the Antarctic Peninsula...it was to be the southernmost

sea kayak journey ever attempted, an 850 kilometre expedition through the

freezing waste of ice, rock, and ocean that makes this one of the most inhospitable

coasts on earth.”

Book Review


Press ReleasesKASK’s focus on water safety educationalactivities continues in 2004, particularly afterwhat KASK newsletter editor, Paul Caffyn,described as a grim 2003/04 summer with two seakayakers drowning, one killed in a collision witha power boat and several rescues that were everso close to joining the fatality statistics.

In February 2004, Paul Caffyn compiled adatabase of all sea kayaking incidents in NewZealand since 1992. The information was thenpassed on to both Water Safety and the MaritimeSafety Authority. Subsequent exchange ofincident information from both bodies has beenforwarded to Paul, to add to the database. Firstanalysis shows that many serious incidents,involving solo paddlers or groups, were causedby paddlers being caught by strong offshorewinds. A critical factor in many incidents was thefailure to carry any appropriate signalling devicesfor calling in a rescue, such as day/night flares,

VHF radio or mobile phone. In April, Paul touredthe South Island with a safe sea kayakingroadshow, speaking to the sea kayak networks inInvercargill, Dunedin and Christchurch. A similarsafety roadshow around the North Island seakayak networks is planned.

The bimonthly KASK newsletter continues tocarry regular ‘Bugger!’ file articles - these areaccounts of sea kayak trips which turned tocustard - where the word ‘Bugger!’ was beenused. Each file includes a lessons learned sectionof what went wrong, and what should have beendone to prevent the incident - a strong messagefor all paddlers to ensure they do not make thesame mistakes.

The 3rd edition of the KASK Handbook, a 146ppmanual for sea kayaking in New Zealand, wasupdated and reprinted in March 2004. If yourlocal kayak shop does not stock this marvellouscompendium of information, ask the manager tocontact Paul Caffyn, ph/fax: (03) 73 11806 or email:[email protected], for trade orders.

I have to admit to a snigger when recentlyreading an article about Gear Tips forTrampers. Some of the suggestions included:dried fruit for snacks as chocolate is too heavy,share a tube of toothpaste and if you are reallykeen share your toothbrush, don’t take a tent,just the fly will do. Eat dehydrated food asmuch as possible.

Next time my kayak is packed with theessentials plus enough food to feed a smallarmy, chocolate, spare chocolate, a nice bottleof red, wine glass, cheese & crackers, foldingchair and pillow, I shall thank my dodgy kneethat I cannot tramp and also the eskimo’s forinventing kayaks.

Steve and Karen Knowles

Snigger

With a financial grant for printing from WSNZ,KASK has completed a ‘Safe Sea Kayaking’brochure. KASK will endeavour to have thisbrochure included with every new sea kayak soldin New Zealand. After an introduction to sea kayakand equipment terms, the focus is on what skillsare necessary before launching and, on the water,to stay safe. The final page lists websites to sourcefurther practical information.

Paul Caffyn

Publications Officer, KASK

After 4 years of hard work, Fish and Game, withthe support of the New Zealand RecreationalCanoe Association(NZRCA) and local kayakers,rafters and outdoor professionals have won thecase for a Water Conservation Order on theRangitata River.

Relevant to white water recreation are the Court’sfindings that the upper Rangitata, the Gorge, andthe Arundel section are outstanding on a nationalbasis: the upper Rangitata for kayaking, the Gorgefor kayaking and rafting, and the Arundel sectionfor “water based recreation”. As one of the bestexamples of its type of grade 2 to 3 white waterwith easy access and safe boating, making it idealfor instruction, team building, personal growth/development courses, multisport and simplerecreation.

The Court also found that these and other

Rangitata victorysections of the river are outstanding for salmonhabitat, angling amenity, and native bird habitat.In order to protect all of these values as a whole,the Court recommended that no furtherabstraction above what is currently taken beallowed at normal flows. Currently approximatelya third of the Rangitata’s flow is abstracted forirrigation and stockwater.

The NZRCA took part in the Environment Courthearing which spanned 7 weeks of hearing timein 2003 and 2004.

This is a great outcome for the NZRCA and reflectsa lot of hard work over the last four years fromboth the NZRCA, its supporters, and those whotook their own time to give evidence at thehearing. The WCO recommended by the Courtwill only take effect once the appeal period hasexpired, and once the Minister for theEnvironment makes it final.

Alan and Pam Hall with Paul Caffyn


G et your kids into the fun sport

of kayaking.

Give them a Summer Kayaking Holiday

Program this summer and watch their

confidence and skills develop.

During the four-session course your children willbe taught in a safe and progressional manner tobecome capable kayakers and will develop theskills/knowledge and appreciation of their ownabilities to be a safe paddler.

This will in turn open up a world of excitingpossibilities for them to join you on great outdooradventures. What an experience for them!Imagine camping and exploring the WhanganuiRiver, sitting around a camp fire at night andcreating strong confidence building childhoodmemories.

This is an opportunity not to be missed if yourchildren or grandchildren would benefit from this,call your local Canoe & Kayak Shop and get themenrolled.

Limited spaces are available and conditions

do apply.

Summer KayakingHoliday Program

K A Y A K I N G F O R K I D S


I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4 4 3* Stockists of New Zealands top-rated kayaks & kayaking gear *

7 Pilgrim Place, Christchurch. Ph.03 366 9305

Day TwoWilderness SystemsHydraulics

Legend PaddlesThulePalm

Q-Kayaks Wave Sport Ruahine Kayaks Eskimo

Canoe & Outdoor WorldMULTI SPORT • RECREATION • SEA KAYAK • WHITE WATER • POLO

Auckland CanoeCentre soldPeter and Su Sommerhalder have sold

the Auckland Canoe Centre after 20

years of running Auckland’s first Kayak

Shop. They have over the years been

one of the main catalysts in the growth

of kayaking in NZ. Many of their

customers gained from their skill,

knowledge and enthusiasm and then

went on to run their own business

supporting their local clubs and

spreading the Kayaking word.

My first experience with Peter and Su was whenTreff and I joined the Auckland Canoe Club manyyears ago. There they were donating their timeand knowledge to teaching another bunch ofbeginners the joy of kayaking.

Over the years we have built a strong friendshipwith them and with their son Daniel on many clubtrips, courses and committees.

Peter has been a stable hand in the AucklandCanoe Club committee for as long as I canremember, always helping and encouraging anddoing what was right for the club.

When we first started Canoe & Kayak ten years agowe were hopeful that Peter & Su would be involvedwith the new shop but this did not eventuate andthis left us as competitors in a very small industry.This had the potential for an explosive result, butbusiness was put behind friendship and we haveworked together over the ten years in a friendlycompetitive way.

It leaves a bittersweet taste with Peter and Su sellingthe shop. It is sad to see them go after 20 years, yetit is great to see them able to follow up the plansand dreams that have been put on hold because ofthe time commitments of the shop.

We wish them well and trust that we will be ableto get together more often on the water and aroundthe dinner table.

Thanks Peter and Su

Peter Townend


“Getting Started”

This DVD introduces the foundation of seamanship for kayakers.

It includes preparation, safety checks, equipment, basic technique, a simple method for learning to roll,navigating, weather and wind, tides and currents, beaches, waves, surf and landings and low-impact coastalcamping.

“Getting there (and back) - Navigation”

This is the second title in the series of seven. It covers practical navigation, “rules of the road”, including theuse of the compass and GPS.

It is designed to provide practical methods for navigating sea kayaks and focuses upon the techniques usedby most experienced paddlers. This DVD makes the point that navigation is but one of the essential skillsneeded for coastal kayaking, and is inextricably entwined with weather and oceanography. Navigating safelycalls for a respectful attitude to the sea and sound judgement. While attitude and judgement cannot be taughtby watching video, the medium does provide an excellent guide for the experience necessary for true learning.Used in this way, with an incremental approach to increasing difficulty, the techniques shown can be practiseduntil a high level of competence has been achieved.

Each disc has over 50 mins playing time and is available in-store at your Canoe and Kayak shop at anintroduction price of $39.95. Postage is an extra $5.

SEAMANSHIP for KAYAKERS

A series of instructional DVD’s.

John Dowd, with the help of experienced instructorshas released two DVD’s for seakayakers. There willbe seven in the series.

Rhino Decks

These very popular spray decks are made fromtough textured neoprene with extremely durableprint on top and a super-sticky coating on theunderside. Will not pop off unexpectedly and willlast for years. $169 RRP (all sizes)

Rasdex Pursuit Deck

This new deck from Rasdex has to be the smartest one around formultisport boats. Printed black and silver on top with an 8mmbungy cord to fit easily under the cockpit rim. $139 RRP

Hydrophilic Fabrics

Hydrophilic fabrics are used in outdoor garments. They are engineered to let moisture, i.e. sweat, out while not letting waterin. Kayakers push hydrophilic fabrics to the limits, when our jackets cope with a lot of water against the outside. But it stillhelps to have the breathable properties for those times when there’s more sweat on the inside of the fabric thanthere is water against the outside. So what makes a good fabric for kayaking clothing?

Firstly, the fabric needs to have a non-porous coating to make it waterproof. The second part of theequation is that this coating should be hydrophilic (“water-loving”). Water molecules produced byyour body as moisture vapour can then use the molecular chains in the hydrophilic coating as‘stepping stones’ to move from the inside of your jacket to the air outside. This transfer processoperates only in one direction because of the temperature and humidity differential across the innerand outer surfaces of the coating.

Rasdex use only 2 brands of coating on their fabrics, Vent-X and Exeat. Each brand has a distinctivehang-tag, one of which can be found on all their garments. “The reason we only use these coatings isthat, because of the paddling action, kayaking jackets have a very high risk of delamination under thearms,” Rob Soothill from Rasdex told us. “These two coatings are the only ones we’ve ever found to beabsolutely delamination-proof, so we get all our fabric coated in the UK with either Vent-X or Exeat beforewe bring it to New Zealand to be made up into jackets.”

To avoid premature deterioration of these high-tech fabrics, make sure you read and follow the care instructions for your jacket. You can also use re-proofing products occasionally to keep the water beading off the outside of the fabric and help it stay waterproof for longer.


NEW ZEALAND KAYAK MAGAZINE’S BUYERS GUIDE

Weight: 22.68 kg

Width: 711 mm

Length: 4.55 m

Price: $1195

(x A hatch and tank straps

incl.)

TOURER This kayak has it all, even an adjustable leg length ruddersystem. The low profile hull of the Cobra Tourer cuts down on windage,enabling paddlers to maintain high speed and straight tracking with easyhandling in all conditions. The integrated keel provides stability andefficiency.

ESCAPADE Great general purpose kayak for fishing, diving and havingfun in the sun.

Weight: 27 kg

Width: 750 mm

Length: 3.46 m

Price: $910

Weight: 23.5 kg

Width: 62 cm

Length: 4.5m

Price: $1360

SWIFT The swift is an easy handling and stable sit-on-top, with a hullshape similar to that of a sit-in kayak to give it greater speed. The standardSwift comes rigged with a rudder and storage compartments, making it theideal craft for those longer trips or a day out fishing beyond the breakers.

Weight: 21.77 kg

Width: 597 mm

Length: 5.046 m

Price: From

$1995

EXPEDITION is designed to go fast. It is built to accelerate quickly and getto its top speed in a short period of time. This boat has lots of storage and isideal for any paddler interested in performance touring, sea kayaking andlong distance cruising.

SPECIFICATIONKAYAKS SPECIFICATIONKAYAKS

RECREATIONAL

Weight: 17 kg

Width: 68 cm

Length: 2.8 m

Price: $819

ACADIA 280 A light easy to use family kayak. Enjoyable paddling for thewhole family in sheltered waters.

Weight: 34 kg

Width: 83 cm

Length: 4.70m

Price: From

$1349

ACADIA 470 A great fun family boat with plenty of free board allowing fora heavy load. Excellent for sheltered water exploring. Paddles quickly andhas excellent stability. Dry storage compartment.

The Frozen Coast

Sea Kayaking the Antarctic Peninsula

The team from Adventure Philosophy; Graham Charles, Mark Jones, Marcus Waters write a gripping account of theirgreat adventure and give a fascinating insight into one of the most extreme sea kayak expeditions ever undertaken: an850 kilometre journey through the freezing waste of ice, rock and ocean of the inhospitable Antarctic Peninsula coast.

The photography is stunning, the words captivating and inspirational. RRP $39.95.

Sea Kayaking - A Manual for Long-Distance Touring

The author, John Dowd, is a New Zealander living in Canada. John paddled his first homemade kayak when he wasfourteen in the Hauraki Gulf. Besides extensive cruising in the South Pacific, he is the founder of Ecomarine in Vancouver,the best-known sea kayaking retailer, with rental and instruction activities. His first manual was published in 1981. Itproved so popular that four updated editions have been released since. The book is an inspiration to all sea kayakers,regardless of skill levels achieved.

In addition to chapters on traditional topics such as equipment, seamanship, and planning an expedition: there are oneson hazards, camping and food gathering, first aid, survival situations, and sea kayaking for people with disabilities.

Well illustrated with photographs and sketches.

The recommended retail price is $29. Canoe and Kayak shops are selling John Dowd’s book for the special price in-storeof $19.95. Postage is an extra $5.


THE EXPLORER is ideal for fishing, surfing and exploring and one of thedriest ‘Sit-ons’ you will find, great hatches for storing your goodies

Weight: 18.18 kg

Width: 790 mm

Length: 3.43 m

Price: From

$895

Please note that all prices are subject to change without notice. Accessories and hatches as pictured may not be included in price.

We have many more kayaks available so please ask if you cannot see what you want.


RECREATIONAL

We recommend that everybody who uses akayak should participate in a trainingcourse. This will ensure your enjoyment andsafety. Ask at your nearest kayak shop.

DELTA DOUBLE Fun for the whole family at the beach or lake.Plenty of room and great stability.

Weight: 32 kg

Width: 830 mm

Length: 4.2 m

Price: $1160

SYNCHRO A funtastic two person cruising kayak which is stable and fast.It has plenty of storage and great appointments to make your adventuresfun.

Weight: 34 kg

Width: 840 mm

Length: 4.75 m

Price: $1459

Weight: 14 kg

Width: 700 mm

Length: 3 m

Price: $710

SPRITE ONE A kayak for the family, able to seat an adult and child.Easy paddling, adjustable seat back and clip down hand grabs, paddleswell in a straight line and is very stable. Suits flat water conditions.

TORRENT FREEDOM Great for the surf and the river with awesomemanoeuvrability. Excellent finish.

Weight: 22.7 kg

Width: 810 mm

Length: 3.12 m

Price: $889

SWING Flat water cruising, well appointed with gear storage inside. Alsoincludes an optional extra pod that detaches, which is great for carryingyour fishing gear to your favourite spot. The pod can also be used as a seat.

Weight: 25 kg

Width: 780 mm

Length: 4.01 m

Price: $1039

ESCAPEE Probably the closest you will come to finding one kayak thatdoes it all. Surfing, fishing, snorkelling.

Weight: 23 kg

Width: 750 mm

Length 3.3 m

Price: $770

SQUIRT A Sit-on-Top for the family. Able to seat an adult and a smallchild. It is easy to paddle and is very stable. Easily carried by one adult ortwo kids.

Weight: 15 kg

Width: 780 mm

Length: 2.7m

Price: $469

THE PLAY is great for the paddler who wants a fun fast surf and flat waterkayak. Kids love this Sit-on as it is not too wide for them to paddle and yetvery stable.

Weight: 17.27 kg

Width: 710 mm

Length: 3.10 m

Price: From

$649

THE TANDEM ‘two person’ is ideal for fishing, surfing and exploring withgreat hatches for storing your adventure equipment. Now available withthree person option and is often used by one person.

Weight: 25.90 kg

Width: 915 mm

Length: 3.81 m

Price: From

$1095

Weight: 25.85 kg

Width: 914 mm

Length: 3.81 m

Price: From $995

(hatches & accessories not

included)

FISH ‘N DIVE The ultimate fishing/diving kayak. A large well is located inthe stern and holds up to three tanks. There is one centrally located seat anda smaller companion seat near the bow. It can also be fitted with an optionalmotor bracket for an electric trolling or small outboard engine.


Weight: 21kg

Width: 770 mm

Length: 2.5 m

Price: $630

WHIZZ A great multi-purpose family boat for big kids and small kids alike.Lots of fun this summer at the beach. (Hot surfer!)

Weight: 36.36 kg

Width: 915 mm

Length: 5.03 m

Price: From

$1295

THE TRIPLE is an excellent performing family Sit-on. The centre seat areais dry with heaps of room so the kids can move and fidget without causingthe adults any concern. The centre space also allows for storage of heaps ofcamping equipment.

Weight: 35 kg

Width: 800 mm

Length: 4.87 m

Price: $2579

CONTOUR TANDEM 485 This double Sea Kayak is an ideal day tourerwith the easy ability to do those weekend camping expeditions. It handleswell, is fun to paddle and has well appointed accessories.

TUI EXCEL A versatile touring kayak for lake, river and sea. Stability,speed and easy tracking enable an enjoyable days paddling. A largercockpit allows for easier entry and exit.

Weight: Std 22kgWidth: 610 mmLength: 4.4 mBasic $1410Excel $1750Excel lightweight $1920



RECREATIONAL


LAKE AND SEA KAYAKS

Weight: 45 kg

Width: 760 mm

Length: 5.64 m

Price: $3379

ECO NIIZH XLT This upgraded model is proving a hit with its newlighter weight and some excellent features, we now have a plastic doublesea kayak that is great to use for all those amazing expeditions andadventures.

Weight: 17.2 kg

Width: 736 mm

Length: 2.9 m

Price: $819

MINNOW ONE Small, light, easy to paddle fun for the whole family.Suitable for all ages. Suits flat water conditions.

Your height, weight and paddlingability will affect the type of kayakbest suited for your needs. Ask foradvice at your specialist kayak shop.

Weight: 20 kg

Width: 675 mm

Length: 3.7 m

Price:

Tourer $1099

Expedition $1429

ACADIA 370 Flat water cruising, well appointed, a nifty adjustablebackrest, an access hatch in the back which is great for carrying your extragear.

Weight: 32 kg

Width: 820 mm

Length: 4.5 m

Price: From

$1170 to

$1590

SPRITE TWO Two person cruiser, comes with dry gear storage. Fast,stable and easy to use. Adjustable back rest. Suits flat water conditions.

Weight: 20 kg

Width: 710 mm

Length: 2.98 m

Price: $849

Five O Amazing surf sit on top fun and agile and performance orientated.COBRA STRIKE A Wave Ski which the whole family can enjoy. Fantasticin the surf, it‘s a fast and manoeuvrable sit-on-top.

Weight: 16 kg

Width: 685 mm

Length: 2.92 m

Price: $795

Weight: 27 kg

Width: 62 cm

Length: 480cm

Price: $2039

CONTOUR 480 Is a roomy, manoeuvrable, easy to handle boat. Achannelled hull provides outstanding tracking that helps keep you oncourse. Its upswept, flared bow makes crossing rough water a breeze.



LAKE AND SEA KAYAKS


Weight: 28 kg

Width: 610 mm

Length: 4.85 m

Price: $2199

ECO IPIZO 490 The ECO IPIZO 490 is a truly modern kayak that is asunique as they come. A small keel ridge that runs the length of the hull, plus araked stern adds several inches to the waterline, this translates into speed,efficiency and superb tracking. A fast sheltered water sea kayak.

Weight: 27 kg

Width: 610 mm

Length: 5.3 m

Price: $2550

Lightweight $2820

TASMAN EXPRESS Responds to rough conditions. Its low profile andflared bow enable it to perform well in adverse conditions. It is designed togive the paddler maximum comfort, with adjustable footrests, backrest, sideseat supports and optional thigh brace.


Weight: 22 kg

Width: 610 mm

Length: 5.3 m

Price: $3980

TASMAN EXPRESS KEVLAR As per the plastic model, the kevlarTasman Express responds to rough conditions but it’s decreased weight, andincreased stiffness, gives even better performance.

CONTOUR 450 This kayak is designed for day tripping and lightovernight expeditions. It’s great fun to paddle and handles easily.

Weight: 26kg

Width: 640mm

Length: 4.5 m

Price: $1889

Weight: 22kg

Width: 590 mm

Length: 5 m

Price: $3110

(Freight charges may apply)

CHALLENGE 5 Slightly larger volume than the Sequel and lighter at 22kg.A fast and stable touring sea kayak well appointed and featuring a greatrudder/steering system.

SEQUEL Fast, light, touring kayak suits beginners through to advancedpaddlers. The hull design allows for great handling in rough water. Wellappointed and ideally suitable for multisport training.

Weight: 22kg

Width: 600 mm

Length: 4.5 m

Price: $1785 North Island

$1903 South Island

BREEZE Fully appointed sea kayak. Light weight and agile with a longwaterline giving good speed in a smaller sea kayak. Designed with thelighter paddler in mind. Suitable for day or overnight trips. Fun in a compactpackage.

Weight: 34kg

Width: 820 mm

Length: 4.5 m

Price: $1690

WANDERER EXCEL A stable fun kayak which is easy to handle. This isan enjoyable kayak for all the family.

TORRES A fast and stable sea kayak capable of handling the extremeexpeditions. Huge storage and lots of leg room.

Weight: 23kgkevlar/carbon

Width: 600 mmLength: 5.6 mPrice: $4110 Kevlar

Weight: 26kg

Width: 580 mm

Length: 4.93 m

Price: $2099 North Island

$2195 South Island

Weight: 22kgWidth: 600 mmLength: 5.4 mPrice: $3960 Kevlar

SOUTHERN SKUA Fast, stable sea kayak. Great in the rough and in thewind. Well appointed for expedition and day trips.

PENGUIN Has all the features for multi-day kayaking with ease ofhandling in all weather conditions. With great manoeuvrability this kayak issuitable for paddlers from beginner to advanced.

Weight: 25 kg

Width: 610 mm

Length: 4.8 m

Price: $2250

Lightweight $2520

Weight: Std 26 kg

Width: 590 mm

Length: 5.4 m

Price: $2559

ECOBEZHIG 540 An enjoyable sea kayak, fast and nimble with hugestorage, great features and the most comfortable seat your butt will evermeet.


Weight: 11kg

Width: 450mm

Length: 5.65m

Price: $2995

Weight: 16.5 kg

Width: 500mm

Length: 6.4 m

Price: $3495 kevlar

& carbon

$2995 fibreglass

OCEAN X This Racing Sea Kayak was designed specifically for the “Lengthof New Zealand Race” and built around the safety criteria drawn up for thatrace. The OceanX is also very suitable for kayak racing in the manyharbours, estuaries and lakes of New Zealand and lends itself well to thekayak sections of many multisport races.


MULTI SPORT AND RACING SEA KAYAKS


Weight: 12.5 kg

Width: 450mm

Length: 5.89m

Price: $2995

OPUS This kayak is for the competitive multisporter who has mastered themid range kayaks like the Swallow and is paddling the river with skill andenjoyment. Advanced paddling ability is required to enjoy racing this Kayak.

Weight: 12 kg

Width: 480mm

Length: 5.4 m

Price: $2795

SWALLOW The next step up from the entry level kayaks. Fast with goodstability. Medium skill ability is required to enjoy racing this kayak.

MAXIMUS Fast ocean going Racing Sea Kayak. The broad bow allowsthis kayak to ride over waves like a surf ski without losing any speed and iseasy to control while surfing. A low profile reduces buffeting by the wind inadverse conditions.

Weight: 16.5 kg to 19 kg

depending on construction

Width: 510 mm

Length: 6.43 m

Price: $2980 - $3330



Weight: 14.5 kg

Width: 540 mm

Length: 4.94m

Price: $2295

INTRIGUE This kayak is ideal for the beginner kayaker who is looking fora quick, light kayak with great stability.

THE ELIMINATOR is a fast stable racingand training ‘Sit -on’. It has an adjustable dry seat and a cool drainingsystem. Ideal for the paddler wanting a good fitness work out.

Weight: 19.09 kg

Width: 585 mm

Length: 5.03 m

Price: $1495

Weight: 26 kg

Kevlar/Carbon

Width: 550mm

Length: 7m

Price: $4995 Glass

$5495

Kevlar/CarbonGive your specialist kayak shop a calland talk to one of our friendly team tohelp choose the best kayak for you.

REBEL This new fast funky Ruahine Kayak designed for the smallerpaddler in the 50 to 70kg range.It is 5.65 metres long, which is half way between the length of the Swallowand the Opus and it has a maximum beam of 450mm.

ADVENTURE DUET This lightweight, very fast and recently updatedAdventure Racing double kayak continues to dominate adventure racing inNZ and is very suitable as a recreational double.

F1 This innovative new multisport kayak is designed for the advanced andelite paddler. This radical kayak is fast with considerable secondary stabilityand is fitted with our new “bikini” seat. It will accelerate with ease, cuttingwave trains and eliminating rocking.

Weight: 13.5 kg Kevlar12 kg Carbon /Kevlar

Length: 6.2 mPrice: $3095 Kevlar

$3295 Carbon /Kevlar

Weight: 26 kg Glass

24kg Kevlar

Width: 550 mm

Length: 7 m

Price: $4995 - $5495


5 2 I S S U E T W E N T Y s e v e n • 2 0 0 4www.canoeandkayak.co.nz

HAWKE’S BAYDISCOVER ANOTHER WORLD

15 NIVEN STREETONEKAWA, NAPIER

Telephone: 06 842 1305CSJ Limited

Trading as Canoe and Kayak Hawke’s Bay

NORTH

NIVEN STREET

TAR

AD

ALE

RO

AD

TAUPODISCOVER

ANOTHER WORLD

38 Nukuhau Street, TaupoTelephone: 07 378 1003

Rees and Partners LimitedTrading as Canoe and Kayak Taupo

LAKE TERRACE

TON

GA

RIR

O ST

SPA ROAD

NU

KU

HAU

NORTH

S.H.1

NORTH SHOREDISCOVER ANOTHER WORLD

Unit 2, 20 Ascension Pl. OffConstellation Drive, Mairangi Bay,

Auckland - Telephone: 09 479 1002Flood Howarth & Partners Limited

Trading as Canoe and Kayak North Shore

CONSTELLATION DRIVE

NO

RTH

ERN

MO

TORW

AY

ASCE

NSIO

N PL

NORTH

UPPER HIGHWAY (16)

MANUKAUDISCOVER ANOTHER WORLD

710 Great South Road, ManukauTelephone: 09 262 0209

J. K. Marine LimitedTrading as Canoe and Kayak Manukau

WIRI STATION ROAD

GR

EAT

SOU

TH R

D

SOU

THER

N M

OTO

RAW

AY

FIRSTDRIVEWAY

BRONCOS

TOYOYA

NORTH

3/5 Mac Donald StreetMount Maunganui (off Hewletts Rd)

Telephone: 07 574 7415Jenanne Investment Limited

Trading as Canoe and Kayak Bay of Plenty

BAY OF PLENTYDISCOVER ANOTHER WORLD

MAUNGANUI ROAD

MACDONALD STREET

HEW

LETT

S R

OAD

TO TAURANGA BRIDGE

LIQUORLAND KFC

SILVERDALEDISTRIBUTION CENTRE

7/28 Anvil Road, SilverdalePlease phone for opening hours

Telephone: 09 421 0662Canoe & Kayak Limited

Trading as Canoe and Kayak Distribution

TARANAKIDISCOVER ANOTHER WORLD

Unit 6, 631 Devon RoadWaiwhakaiho, New Plymouth

Telephone: 06 769 5506Peter & Bronnie van Lith

Trading as Canoe and Kayak Taranaki

NORTH

SMAR

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WAIWHAKAIHO RIVER

DEVON ROAD

HAMILTONDISCOVER ANOTHER WORLD

OPENINGSOON

PHONE07 847 5565

NORTH

MAIN NORTH HIGHWAY

TAVERN ROAD

EAST

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FOUNDRY RD

ANVIL RD

AUCKLANDDISCOVER ANOTHER WORLD

502 Sandringham RdTelephone: 09 815 2073Marine Retail Developments Ltd

T/A Canoe & Kayak Auckland

BALMORAL ROAD

DO

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D SOUTH

SAN

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CITY

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ST LUKES RD

Photo by Ruth E. HendersonThe Yakity Yak Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Browns Bay Reef

issue 27

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