C&K mag #30 sp - Canoe & Kayak

SEA KAYAKING
A Paddle in the Harbour
by George Lockyer
I’m very fortunate to live in
picturesque Governors Bay, on the
Banks Peninsula, only 15 minutes over
the Port Hills from Christchurch.
It’s only a five-minute trundle from my
house to Sandy Beach Rd and
the water.
After 17 years away from kayaking I purchased my
Q-Kayak’s Tui at Canoe and Outdoor World in
Christchurch, along with a two-wheeled trolley. I’d
taken it out half a dozen times and so far had been
very impressed. It’s a good basic, stable sea kayak
with plenty of room for storage if you fancy a
longer trip with camping in mind.
It’s morning when I launch. The right blade of my
paddle dips hungrily into the briny, powering my
kayak a little further onward. The left one rises
toward the blue sky as a few drops fall from it like
diamonds to merge once more with the ocean. My
back muscles bunch and relax and my breathing
quickens as I step up the pace. I can hardly keep
the grin off my face. Nothing exists but the sea, the
sky and my boat knifing through the slight chop
of the Harbour.
I turn slightly to cut through the wake of a
speedboat pulling a water skier. I must admit to
feeling slightly nervous. The last Eskimo roll I
attempted was in a heated pool a good 20 years
ago and 12 thousand miles away so I’m taking no
chances. I know I should have more faith in my
28 ISSUE THIRTY • 2005
abilities (albeit very rusty ones) and the
seaworthiness of my boat.
On my right I pass Governors Bay jetty, which
stretches 400 metres into the water and where last
summer my six-year-old son caught his first fish,
an unappetizing dogfish, at which even the cat
turned up her nose. A cormorant wheels overhead
and the wind blows spray in my face. On my other
forays into the harbour, the water had been as flat
as a millpond but a Southerly has gotten up and
things are getting a bit choppy.
I approach the tip of Mansons Peninsula and
maneuver the Tui through the narrow channel
between the mainland and Plum Pudding. This
tiny piece of land only becomes an island at high
tide. The other side is more exposed to the wind
and I really have to dig my paddle in to stay on
course for the tip of Moepuka Point. Then it’s a
short paddle, this time with the wind at my back
to Quail Island, where I pull the kayak up onto the
beach, get my flask out and sit down in the sun
for a welcome coffee break.
In front of me the steel ribs of a wreck point to the
sky. There are four shipwrecks, intentionally sunk:
nothing romantic I’m afraid. The island’s 81
hectares (or about 200 acres in the old money) sits
solidly in the middle of the ancient volcanic crater
that is Lyttelton Harbour. Captain Mein Smith was
the first European to set foot on the Island back in
1842 of the schooner Deborah. He named it after
the large number of native Quail encountered at
the time (though not surprisingly, now long
extinct). The Maori name, ‘Otamahua’ means, “to
gather sea-bird eggs”. The Island is administered
by the Department of Conservation and with the
Otamahua / Quail Island Ecological Restoration
Trust, they are embarked upon a project to rid the
island of pests and regenerate the native forest.
The History of the Quail Island is rich and diverse.
It was acquired by The Crown in 1850 from the
Ngai Tahu and sold into private hands soon after.
It was farmed until 1976 when it became a
Recreation Reserve. In 1987 administration of the
Island was transferred to DOC.
Both Scott and Shackleton quarantined their dog
teams here en-route to the Antarctic while their
boats were provisioned in Lyttelton.
Quail Island was first farmed by Edward Ward
who along with his two brothers, came out with
the Canterbury pilgrims in 1850 aboard the
Charlotte Jane. He herded his cattle from the tip
of Moepuka Point, past King Billy Island to Quail
Island. At low tide the water is only 600 mm deep
but the clinging mud would have made it an
exhausting business!
As well as being farmed, the Island was also used
at one time as a leper colony.
Flask stowed away, life jacket on and paddle in
hand, it’s back into harness and I continue on. Last
year a pod of hectors dolphins was spotted on the
South side of the Island, being pursued by
something resembling a killer whale. I paddle to
the jetty where a scenic cruise boat from Lyttelton
docks and rest my arms for a few minutes.