Kayaking Kanakyland Kiwi Style - Canoe & Kayak

Feature
Approaching Menyuru Is with a rare tail breeze.
with a mix of French cuisine and Kiwi Freeze
Dri, stowed between my legs, shrank all too
slowly over the next 8 days.
Palm lined sandy beaches between the
headlands were perfect for camping, and there
was usually water. Following Terraventure’s
A gap in the reef 200 metres out, allowed suggested itinerary, which recommended
us easy passage to the open sea. In a small
following chop we rafted together, rigged a
fly/sail with paddles as spars and covered
15 kms in 2 hours. Someone said and all
agreed, “This is the life” We caught a few fish
and Bevan hooked a Spanish mackerel, the
largest fish caught for the trip.
In fading light we paddled the last 2 km
of the day to the sandspit of the Poco Mie
River where we quickly pitched camp and
roasted marshmallows to celebrate a good
chunk out of the trip. Our tired kids lit their first
experimental coconut roasting fire. Typical for
all our campsites bar one, there was plenty of
firewood and coconut husks, for fuel.
At first light the following morning Cath had
a brew on the fire. We repacked gear in better
places while Al scouted for water and Bevan
‘jury-rigged’ his ‘Pacific DownUnder’ V sail on
his double. Then in mid 20 degrees we swam
before paddling.
Most mornings we were dogged by head
winds. We found that making an early start
allowed us a reprieve from the wind. We
had extended lunches, beachcombed and
snorkled then we were into the
headwind again, inside the reef
coasting centimetres above coral, or
out in the deep.
When on day 3 we rounded a
headland Adele ( 14 ) called, “I’ve
never been in such large head seas
before”. Thankfully, due to
suitable, but not essential, camps, we pitched
tents almost on someone’s front lawn in the
Nickel mining community of Quinne. Fresh
bread from the mine’s shop was a bonus, as was
chatting to expat New Zealanders.
My favourite camp was on a narrow neck of
land where we pitched our tents on a grassy
glade amongst hibiscus, palms and ficus. It
was garden-like, a horticultural heaven. Another
great camp was amongst colourful shacks in
raked yards under shady trees. This had been
the holiday community for workers during the
1980s nickel mining heydays. Now uninhabited
we gratefully used the tables, chairs, and tapped
water in a holiday away from the holiday. In
firelight we sang to a harmonica.
When not hugging the rugged headlands,
we had views of steep, nickel-rich hills. For
years multi-national mining companies have
been prospecting here and their burn-offs have
created many sparsely covered hills.
Round a headland women in ‘mother hubbard’
dresses ran to greet us. We were expected!
Quite daunting really. Eager hands helped to
drag the boats up, and we were led to the guest
house. Refreshments were spread on large
tables decorated with flowers while passionfruit,
papaya and mandarins were brought on platters
for the kids. Then, speaking stilted French,
we enjoyed an evening with Georgette and
Jon, an elderly Kanak couple, who run a small
tourist establishment. Dinner, all local produce
including octopus, was served under the
a reef further offshore, the
waves were a large chop,
rather than ocean swell.
Low tide about lunch time
created tricky surf. Once
Bevan mistimed the approach.
Dangling diagonally on the
reef Al grabbed and hauled
him on. Generally we had to
float the kayaks across 100
metres or so of fringing reef,
stepping carefully between the
corals. Suitable footwear was
necessary to avoid dreaded
coral cuts.
In pursuit of the phone at
the tribu of St Roch.
Limited
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ISSUE FIFTY Four • 2010 9