C&K mag #31ss- final - Canoe & Kayak

final tally was one snapper (thrown back...too
small), one sting ray and a kahawai, which was bled
and chopped up for bait. That evening a walk up
to the top of the island to catch the sun set over
Auckland City was a fitting finale for a great day.
We were joined by Steve and Sue Levett, who had
paddled over from Milford.
On Wednesday the rain and wind was back with a
vengeance. We spent the day making ourselves as
comfortable as we could. Neil and Christine had
to return to Auckland and set off in the morning.
Several of us walked across the island taking
photos of them as they paddled down Motuihe
Channel and into Islington Bay. We met them at
Gardiner Gap for a brief chat before they headed
off around the eastern coastline of Rangitoto with
the northeasterly going full throttle. On their
arrival at Takapuna, Christine sent a message
saying they were the @#%* biggest waves she had
paddled in her life!! Upon our return to camp, we
erected additional tarpaulins for shelter and
congregated for a day of eating, drinking, swapping
stories and reminiscing about previous trips.
Thursday dawned with more of the same weather.
Roger and Steve jumped in the Packhorse double
for a paddle straight into the 20-30 knot north
easterly, across to Rakino Island. Roger later told
us that sitting in the front cockpit, he was paddling
thin air as the bow of the Packhorse rose over the
big swells. They had a thrilling surf back to Home
Bay. Chris Dench and I took our Euro X singles out
to the head of Home Bay to surf in the 1-2 metre
swells. By the end of the day the conditions had
eased and Steve, Sue, Roger, Lou, Chris and Sharon
decided to return to Auckland before the next
forecast front came through. About an hour later
Gordon Daglish arrived and in typical style
promptly scavenged the leftovers of our
evening meal.
New Years Eve, Friday in gradually clearing
conditions we paddled to Rakino. The island has
120 properties ranging from Kiwi bach style to
impressive millionaire mansions, all run off solar
power. The northeasterly had dropped to about
10-15 knots, making for a slight workout going over
Rakino Channel. We paddled around the island
clockwise exploring the three bays on the western
side. At the top of the island we encountered a two
metre rolling swell coming in from the Gulf and
zoomed down the eastern side with the following
wind and swell. We stopped for lunch in the pretty
Sandy Bay, sheltered from the wind and basked in
the sun for a while. The return leg was exhilarating,
surfing the waves all the way back to Home Bay.
Our friend Janice intended to catch the ferry over
to Rangitoto wharf and walk into camp to join us
for New Years Eve. Jacqui and Brenda walked over
to meet her at Gardiner Gap but somehow the
planned surprise rendezvous went awry and
Janice walked into camp alone! Jacqui and Brenda
turned up some two hours later having walked/
jogged all the way to the Rangitoto wharf and back
in their search for Janice. The moral of this little
misadventure is...always take your mobile phone!
That evening we were joined by more
kayakers...Steph Easthope, Greg Dunning, Guy
Folster, Phil Oster and his partner Emma. Hard to
keep track of all the comings and goings! New
Years Eve was spent under the big tent with the
wine, snacks and beer flowing freely. Greg let off
extremely smoky sparklers in the tent. They were
interspersed with an array of gadgets playing
tunes of various origins. With Ian in full flight
under the influence of red wine and Phil chipping
in with his unique brand of humour, we enjoyed
much laughter and pranks. Everyone made it for
the midnight countdown, hoorays, handshakes
and snogs! The long awaited fire works display on
Waiheke Island turned out to be two big puffs of
multi coloured explosions and that was it! Wow!!
New Years Day for some of us meant hangover
headaches, a brief survey of the scene and back
to bed. Others were in fine form. We spent the day
in the big tent, playing cards, rambling over the
island or taking a short stroll along the beach.
Jacqui, Janice and I cleaned up the plastic lying on
the beach, coming away with two bags full.
Dave Evans enjoys a brew
Charlie’s tent, again.
On Sunday we packed for the trip back home. The
Fizz boat arrived at 9.00am, was loaded and on
it’s way by 10.00am. We hit the water and battled
into the 15-20 knot southwesterly, which had
blown up overnight to provide us with a workout
for the homeward leg. To provide the grand finale
for the trip, as we rounded the southeastern side
of Rangitoto Island, the Westpac rescue
helicopter circled above us and a Police boat
pulled up alongside. The officer on board asked
for two of the group members amongst us. They
identified themselves to be told that a relative
had contacted the Police to say we were running
late for our return to Takapuna! A slight
communication glitch provided us with a few
minutes of excitement but on a more serious note,
it was reassuring to know that the rescue people
can take such quick action to come to our aid.
We reached Takapuna Beach at 2.30pm. Chris and
Sharon were waiting to welcome us back. A
fantastic week of stress free camping at Home Bay
had come to an end. Twenty-six clubbies had
joined us for varying lengths of stay. Next
year...Great Barrier Island....watch this space!
ISSUE THIRTYone • 2005 33