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WIN A KAYAK COURSE<br />

$5.95 NZ<br />

Win<br />

Cobra Fish n’ Dive<br />

valued at $995<br />

NZ <strong>Kayak</strong> Magazine Buyers Guide<br />

SPONSORED BY<br />

WHITE WATER • RIVER KAYAKING • SEA KAYAKING • MULTISPORT<br />

Discover Another World


2 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


So why choose a Q-<strong>Kayak</strong>?<br />

• Quality - not only the finish,<br />

but the high grade materials<br />

used in all Q-<strong>Kayak</strong>s kayaks<br />

• Excellent NZ designs -<br />

Designed and manufactured<br />

in New Zealand by active<br />

paddlers,<br />

bringing you high<br />

performance,<br />

specialized craft<br />

• User friendliness -<br />

Catering for novice through<br />

to elite kayakers<br />

• Warranty -<br />

Not only a 2 year warranty,<br />

but excellent back up service<br />

A full range of Sit-on and Sit-in <strong>Kayak</strong>s<br />

Check out what’s on the water!<br />

PROUDLY NEW ZEALAND MADE & DESIGNED<br />

web: www.q-kayaks.co.nz • PHONE: 06 326 8667<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 3


Issue 33<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong>ing & Fishing Lake Taupo 6<br />

Andrew Canning circumnavigates Lake Taupo in<br />

three days and still has time to catch a trout or<br />

three.<br />

Coromandel Coastline 14<br />

Ruth Hibarger tells of trip with the added<br />

dimension of the laughter of the van Lith children.<br />

Right place right time 24<br />

AUT’s Matt Barker covers some ‘what ifs’ and<br />

‘maybes’ of white water leadership.<br />

Fishing in Taranaki 8<br />

Bronnie van Lith persuades four keen fishermen<br />

to part with some hints and tips on sea fishing<br />

from kayaks.<br />

First-timer but no Part-Timer 16<br />

Grabbing life in both hands and going for it, in<br />

Kaukapakapa.<br />

What does a 180 degree spin look like? 17<br />

Maree and Jim Downey prepare to open a<br />

Wellington <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> shop.<br />

Off-Road Running Shoes 28<br />

Footwear for multisporters.<br />

Waimakariri familiarisation trips 28<br />

Product Focus - fishing gear etc. 30<br />

Rakiura in rain and Red Bands 32<br />

Bernie, Janette, Johnny and Silvia spend their<br />

holiday paddling around Stewart Island.<br />

Paddling at the end of the earth 10<br />

The Antarctica Sea <strong>Kayak</strong>ing Championships lure<br />

Steve Camp to race in rather extreme conditions.<br />

VHF Channel changes 17<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong>ing versus Legal Tomes 18<br />

Irvin Openshaw the first person to kayak the Cook<br />

Strait tells his tale to roving reporter Heather Hills<br />

Casio Coromandel Classic 20<br />

A two day multisport event is described by Team<br />

PRO4 Nutrition<br />

The unquenchable thirst 38<br />

Kelvin Oram writes about his journey on the<br />

Ganges with friend Doug.<br />

Mohaka Adventure 12<br />

We get two sides of the story when Steve Kittle<br />

becomes a ‘Shuttle bunny’ for Nhoj and friends.<br />

Winners of Rasdex paddle jacket 22<br />

Potu Falls 23<br />

Two staff members from Taupo <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

drop over a local waterfall.<br />

The birth of a kayak 41<br />

The Dusky Bay Classic arrives.<br />

Obscured by Waves - Book Review 42<br />

Paul Caffyn’s book on his South Island Odyssey.<br />

NZ <strong>Kayak</strong> Magazine’s Buyers Guide 43<br />

Directory: Things to Do 49<br />

Learn to <strong>Kayak</strong> and WIN a Skills Course 50<br />

Front cover: Steve Knowles<br />

4 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


EDITOR:<br />

Peter Townend<br />

Ph: [09] 473 0036 Fax [09] 473 0794<br />

Email: pete@canoeandkayak.co.nz<br />

SUBEDITOR:<br />

Ruth E. Henderson<br />

Ph: 021 298 8120<br />

Email: ruth@canoeandkayak.co.nz<br />

DESIGN & PRODUCTION:<br />

Breakthrough Communications<br />

PO Box 108050 Symonds St,<br />

Auckland<br />

Ph: [09] 303 3536 • Fax [09] 303 0086<br />

Email: kayak@graphics.co.nz<br />

Website: www.graphics.co.nz<br />

PUBLISHER:<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong> NZ Magazine is published six times<br />

per year by <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Ltd.<br />

7/28 Anvil Road, Silverdale, Auckland<br />

PRINTING: Brebner Print<br />

DISTRIBUTION: IMD<br />

SUBSCRIPTIONS:<br />

New Zealand – 1 year 6 Issues = $30<br />

Overseas – 1 year 6 Issues = $50<br />

Payment to:<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> and <strong>Kayak</strong> Ltd,<br />

7/28 Anvil Road, Silverdale, Auckland<br />

Ph [09] 421 0662 • Fax [09] 421 0663<br />

Overseas subscribers can make payment via<br />

credit card number on subscription form.<br />

CONTRIBUTORS: We welcome contributors’<br />

articles and photos.<br />

• Deadline for issue 35: 10 December 2005<br />

• Deadline for issue 36: 10 February 2006<br />

• Text should be submitted on disk or<br />

emailed as a Word text file.<br />

• Photos should be emailed or put on CD as<br />

a high resolution (300 dpi) jpg at full size<br />

accompanied by captions. Prints should<br />

be captioned on the reverse and<br />

numbered and listed in text.<br />

• All care will be taken to safeguard and<br />

return material.<br />

• No responsibility is accepted for<br />

submitted material.<br />

• Material published in the magazine must<br />

not be reproduced without permission.<br />

• Refer to www.canoeandkayak.co.nz.<br />

NZ <strong>Kayak</strong> magazine ‘Contributors’<br />

Guidelines’ for more details.<br />

COPYRIGHT: The opinions expressed by<br />

contributors and the information stated in<br />

advertisements/articles are not necessarily<br />

agreed by the editors or publisher of New<br />

Zealand <strong>Kayak</strong> Magazine.<br />

ALL CONTRIBUTIONS TO:<br />

Ruth E. Henderson<br />

ruth@canoeandkayak.co.nz<br />

New Zealand <strong>Kayak</strong> Magazine<br />

Subscribe a friend to the <strong>Kayak</strong> NZ Magazine<br />

Subscription Form<br />

• One year subscription, that’s 6 issues for $30, saving nearly<br />

$6 off the news-stand price, delivered free.<br />

Name:<br />

Email:<br />

Address:<br />

Phone:<br />

On Sunday the sun was out. I was too,<br />

walking with the kids and dog, enjoying<br />

a leisurely lunch and an afternoon on the<br />

water. We had a family gathering at Dacre<br />

Cottage to mow the lawns, paddle, swim,<br />

BBQ and enjoy beach games.<br />

I dare say that on most days you and I<br />

over-tax our brains on ‘important things’,<br />

so that the opportunity to relax with<br />

neighbours, friends, and family, to chat<br />

with strangers we meet is surely just the<br />

‘bee’s knees’.<br />

Our kayaks are more than valued boats;<br />

they are tickets to shared activities or to<br />

dream in pleasant solitude. They make it<br />

possible to discover this great little<br />

country, smile and think, “It doesn’t get<br />

much better than this”.<br />

As Christmas approaches we are<br />

pressured to do even more. Over-taxing<br />

Card No:<br />

✄<br />

Cheque Visa Mastercard<br />

Signature Expiry date:<br />

Send form to <strong>Kayak</strong> NZ Magazine. PO Box 100 493, NSMC, Auckland.<br />

Or phone [09] 421 0662 Fax [09] 421 0663<br />

email: pete@canoeandkayak.co.nz<br />

is almost universal. For some of us the<br />

frantic timetable is an annual torment.<br />

We know the answer - go paddling for<br />

a few hours alone, mobile phone ‘off’,<br />

or with friends. Smile and say<br />

“Gidday” to anyone we meet. In<br />

brightening other people’s we feel<br />

refreshed.<br />

Can you make time in your ‘frantic<br />

schedule’ to say “Gidday” to store<br />

owners Jim and Maree, who have<br />

recently opened the tenth <strong>Canoe</strong> &<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong> Centre in Wellington, or to<br />

another Centre manager? You know<br />

that the next best refreshing thing to<br />

kayaking for a few hours is to talk and<br />

plan an activity or trip with a fellow<br />

enthusiast for a few minutes.<br />

Happy paddling.<br />

Peter Townend<br />

Great Stuff Safety Flag<br />

• Very easy to remove<br />

• Simply plugs into a rod holder<br />

• If lost overboard it floats<br />

• Flexible plastic base and fibreglass shaft<br />

Being seen has never been easier<br />

Available at all good <strong>Kayak</strong> stores<br />

Includes Safety Flag & Rod Holder<br />

email: greatstuff@woosh.co.nz<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 5


LAKE KAYAKING<br />

Three days kayaking and<br />

fishing around Lake Taupo<br />

by Andrew Canning<br />

I have lived in Taupo for a few years<br />

and have often entertained the idea of<br />

a kayaking trip around the whole Lake.<br />

A clear long range forecast and the “Go<br />

for it”!! thumbs up from my lovely<br />

partner Rachel, meant it was all on.<br />

Pulling out of Whakaipo Bay at 5pm my Tasman<br />

Express was very low in the water with enough<br />

food for a week aboard!<br />

The lake was like glass and it was an easy paddle<br />

to Kawa Kawa before dark. It was a late start due<br />

to a stag do the previous night. A tree ‘slightly<br />

rooted’ to the cliff and hanging perilously out over<br />

the water, reminded me how I felt. Monday<br />

morning the welcome sound of the lake lapping<br />

gently on the beach only metres from my tent<br />

woke me.<br />

My harling rod was quickly in the rod holder and<br />

I was quietly cruising along. My senses dined on<br />

a smorgasbord of natural sights and sound<br />

including tuis, bellbirds and the occasional plop<br />

of a trout. And then!! ZZZZZ—ZZZZZZZZZZ—!!!<br />

Magic to my ears. Yee Haaaa. Numero uno. A nice<br />

4lb rainbow hen, given the kiss of life and<br />

quickly released.<br />

When harling I find it helps significantly to<br />

exercise some self- control by hitting the rudder<br />

hard left or right before lunging for the rod. I can<br />

then play the trout over the bow rather than<br />

awkwardly back over my shoulder.<br />

A quick stop at Boat Harbour and then off again<br />

past the breathtaking scenery: native bush,<br />

towering cliffs and waterfalls as a backdrop to the<br />

deep green/blue of the flat lake.<br />

About 2pm I discovered a little bay surrounded<br />

by cliffs with a small stream, the Waikino flowing<br />

into a sandy bay that dropped off deeply about<br />

100m out.<br />

After a quick lunch I was in my hammock: rod out<br />

(heave and leave) and I was lost in the pages of<br />

Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code oblivious to the<br />

changing weather.<br />

Alerted by the noise of my paddle washing across<br />

the ledge I scrambled for my gear just in time to<br />

stop it getting wet. Up the lake white horses were<br />

building. Within an hour the lake had changed<br />

from flat calm to very rough. Waves slammed onto<br />

the ledge, but thankfully the wind leap-frogged it<br />

before screaming up the towering cliffs behind<br />

me. I was here for the night whether I liked it<br />

or not.<br />

Annoyed for dropping my guard I concentrated<br />

on catching dinner and landed 5 trout, using the<br />

waves to pull them over the 3m ledge. I kept one<br />

and filleted it into steaks, rolled in flour, fried in<br />

butter and served with asparagus and mash.<br />

Despite the wind I had a very sound sleep, apart<br />

from being woken twice by the noise of my reel<br />

screaming out from my ‘heave and leave’ fishing<br />

technique.<br />

At sparrows fart the lake was virtually flat again. I<br />

harled close in under the cliffs, enjoying the<br />

sunrise and a cup of left over luke -warm coffee<br />

from my thermos.<br />

I landed a nice trout, keen to put in a big day,<br />

stashed my rod and paddled past the lovely<br />

settlement of Whanganui. Over the next few hours<br />

trout broke the surface very near my bow.<br />

Temptation got the better of me and out went the<br />

weapon again, but to no avail. Rounding<br />

Tangingatahi Point the Northeasterly wind and<br />

waves rebounding off the cliff base (clapatis)<br />

made me wind in my line to concentrate<br />

on paddling.<br />

After 7 hours paddling I pulled into Te Hapua bay<br />

for lunch and a quick nap in my hammock. Setting<br />

off into a southeasterly head wind and making<br />

slow progress I decided I might as well be fishing.<br />

I tried different flies and lures over the next few<br />

hours without a catch. The weather deteriorated.<br />

Consistent white caps encouraged me to put the<br />

rod away and resort to paddling for distance.<br />

Reaching Kuratau mid afternoon, the wind was<br />

even stronger. I cut the corner and headed straight<br />

over to the Tongariro Delta, landed, quickly<br />

changed into dry clothes and attended to a king<br />

size dose of the munchies.<br />

Eating so much I was surprised to fit back into my<br />

kayak! After a total of 11 1/2 hours paddling I<br />

arrived at the Waiotaka River mouth where<br />

Rachel, bearing fish-n-chips and a bottle of red,<br />

joined me. After dinner we had a quick fly fish in<br />

the river mouth and I couldn’t help but laugh at a<br />

French fisherman who waded so far into the rip<br />

that the trout were rising behind him. But we all<br />

caught trout whilst enjoying a spectacular sunset.<br />

Next day I hugged the shoreline most of the way<br />

up the lake to Motutere Point, then paddled to<br />

Motutaiko Island. Within 20 minutes I caught 4<br />

prime trout in about 50 metres of water. I knocked<br />

a 5 1/2 pounder on the head for dinner with<br />

Rachel that night.<br />

In a light Northerly, I paddled due north from the<br />

island up to the middle of the lake. After a few<br />

hours I passed well to the west of Horomatangi<br />

Reef, - Rangatira Point looked barely closer. The<br />

Northerly picked up and Rachel rang to warn that<br />

the forecast had changed to “thunderstorms over<br />

the central North Island”. They soon became very<br />

obvious. Thunderbolts and Lightning - very<br />

very frightening!<br />

About 6 kilometres south of Rangatira Point a<br />

swiftly rotating funnel of wind sucked water off<br />

the surface of the lake. It sounded like a truck on<br />

State Highway 1 at Hatepe. It grew louder and<br />

louder and 200m away was coming straight for me.<br />

I paddled rapidly in the opposite direction but ran<br />

low on energy. Figuring that at worst it could only<br />

tip me out, I sat and watched as it passed very<br />

close by and disappeared. I drank a cup of coffee<br />

whilst buzzing on the wow factor. I later<br />

discovered that water- spouts are rarely seen on<br />

Lake Taupo.<br />

Carrying on almost to Rangatira Point before<br />

heading east, I had a quick jig on Mine Point<br />

where I touched a couple of trout but failed to<br />

hook them. A strong South-Easterly set in and with<br />

a tail wind behind me I paddled into Whakaipo.<br />

My abdominals, shoulders and arm muscles were<br />

aching after another 11 1/2 hours of paddling with<br />

only 15 minutes out of my kayak all day. Rach was<br />

waiting patiently on the beach. As I pulled in I<br />

had a huge grin from ear to ear, let out a hoot of<br />

excitement and was engulfed by a great sense of<br />

achievement. Bring on the next adventure!!<br />

yippee-I-aye!!!<br />

6 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 7


KAYAK FISHING<br />

Hints about fishing in Taranaki<br />

by Bronnie van Lith<br />

Fishing off kayaks is a growing sport in<br />

New Zealand but especially in<br />

Taranaki. The Oakura Surf casting club,<br />

recognizing this fact, set up a ‘Fishing<br />

off <strong>Kayak</strong>s’ section of their club, and<br />

within the week had another 15 people<br />

join to go fishing. So why all the fuss? I<br />

approached a group of 5 fishermen<br />

and asked why. Garry Harrison, Stefan<br />

Martul, Wayne Hutchins, Gary Mc<br />

Cracken & Bruce Howson wouldn’t tell<br />

me all their secrets, but did let the<br />

following hints slip out of the bag:<br />

So let me start with the most obvious question,<br />

why fish off kayaks?<br />

• To fish the unfished areas, where most of the<br />

fish are. Motorboats automatically head out to<br />

the horizon, Surf casters can get only a short<br />

distance off the beach, but there is a huge area<br />

from the coast line to about a couple of kms out<br />

that has never been fished. And kayaks can<br />

get there.<br />

• You can catch some really good fish in 7-15<br />

metres of water.<br />

• You are much smaller and quieter so you don’t<br />

scare the fish off first.<br />

• In Taranaki there are only a few spots where<br />

you can launch motorboats and you are often<br />

limited by the tides. We can launch our kayaks<br />

anywhere at any time.<br />

• Heaps cheaper. Fishing off shore is no longer<br />

restricted to those who could afford a<br />

motorboat or who have a Dad or a friend with<br />

one. <strong>Kayak</strong>s make it affordable for anyone.<br />

• You don’t have to worry about the cos of petrol,<br />

maintenance, trailers, and cleaning the boat<br />

down afterwards. Simply throw the kayak on<br />

top of the car and away you go.<br />

What sort of fish have you caught & what is<br />

you’re biggest?<br />

• My largest has been a 4 1 / 2<br />

kilo trevally. It took<br />

me for a bit of a tour around the ocean but it<br />

was fun.<br />

• My mate Nigel caught a 10 1 / 2<br />

kilo snapper once,<br />

but my biggest snappers have only been<br />

3 1 / 2<br />

- 4 kilos.<br />

• You can catch anything. I normally go for<br />

snapper & gurnard. If you go south you can<br />

catch blue cod, trevally. John<br />

Dory, spotty, dogfish shark, even<br />

king fish.<br />

• I spotted a marlin in the Nga<br />

Motu harbour once. I think we<br />

have the potential in Taranaki to<br />

catch game fish, especially when<br />

the blue water comes<br />

in close.<br />

• You could even catch Tuna, but<br />

it would be a bit of a pot luck,<br />

being in the right place at the<br />

right time as they move so fast it<br />

would be hard to keep up<br />

with them.<br />

• We catch Kahawai all the time,<br />

whether you are trying to or not.<br />

One day I caught a big one close<br />

to the wharf in the harbour. It<br />

then swam under the wharf. I<br />

was still fighting when I heard a<br />

voice from above... “ You do<br />

realize you are not meant to be<br />

fishing in here?” No, it wasn’t<br />

God, it was the port security.<br />

“You tell that to the fish!” I<br />

replied. I wasn’t going to let this<br />

fish go for nobody.<br />

Can you give me some hints on<br />

fishing off kayaks in Taranaki?<br />

• Using burly is essential in Taranaki, rather than<br />

drift fishing. Then the fish come to us. The<br />

anchors you sell in the shop work well.<br />

• I click my burly onto the anchor chain. Makes<br />

it nice and simple.<br />

• I have my burly on a dropper line. I find I can<br />

then make sure I am fishing in the burly trail.<br />

• I tend to use shorter rods. Makes it a bit easier.<br />

• I lost a rod going through the surf so I buy the<br />

cheaper rods. They still last a couple of years.<br />

• I like to use a good quality one. I simply make<br />

sure it is tied onto the kayak well. I use a paddle<br />

leash for this.<br />

• The Fish n’ Dive is great for that problem. I store<br />

away both my rods inside the boat before I<br />

venture back through the surf.<br />

• You need to use a boat reel or spinner.<br />

• I made my own flasher rig. Have caught every<br />

fish you could think of with it.<br />

• The artificial squiggly baits work well too.<br />

• The rod holders and Scotty holders work well.<br />

I also use a fish finder.<br />

• You need to think about storing the fish once<br />

you have caught them. I simply throw a wet<br />

towel over the fish in the tank well.<br />

• I use a wet sack.<br />

• I use the white fishing bag that fits perfectly into<br />

the back of the Fish n’ Dive. Works wonders.<br />

Can even put ice in it.<br />

• Fishing on the northern side of the rivers is a<br />

good hint. This is because typically the current<br />

is always heading north.<br />

So what made you take this sport up?<br />

• I went fishing with some mates one day in the<br />

Coromandel. We knew of a great fishing spot<br />

off this ledge, so being keen fishermen, we took<br />

ages scrambling over rocks to get there. It<br />

wasn’t a good day, we caught maybe 3 snappers<br />

between us, in the 3-4 hrs that we were there.<br />

As we were packing up fours guys came<br />

paddling around the corner with kayaks loaded<br />

with fish! I asked them where they had been.<br />

“Just around the corner” they said. A corner that<br />

we couldn’t get to by foot. That annoyed me.<br />

It also looked more fun than scrambling<br />

over rocks.<br />

8 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


• I went on a charter fishing trip at Great Barrier.<br />

They had three kayaks on board, so I decided I<br />

would use one to get to some rocks not far from<br />

the mother boat. Had a great day. Out fished<br />

those on the boat by 10 to 1. Next day everyone<br />

wanted to use the kayaks so we tied a rope to<br />

the kayaks. Someone could use it to get to the<br />

rocks then someone else would pull the kayak<br />

back to the mother boat for the next person to<br />

use it. Everyone had an awesome day fishing<br />

that day.<br />

• I simply bought a kayak to have fun in. It wasn’t<br />

long before I worked out the potential it had<br />

for fishing.<br />

• I was thinking of my family when I bought my<br />

kayak. The Fish n’ Dive has an awesome seat in<br />

the front for the kids. They love coming out and<br />

fishing with me.<br />

• I really appreciate the local demo days you<br />

guys at <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong>, Taranaki have on the<br />

lake, introducing people to different models. It<br />

was great being able to try different boats &<br />

gain the confidence to buy one.<br />

• I don’t think you need to be a hard-out<br />

fisherman when you buy a kayak. You can get<br />

the boat for family fun & then take a simple<br />

hand line out.<br />

Can you give me some safety hints for fishing<br />

off a kayak?<br />

• Taranaki is a very beautiful but wild coast. Wind<br />

can pick up very quickly, so it is important to<br />

check out the wind direction & strength before<br />

you go.<br />

• I never go out in a strong offshore wind. When<br />

it is not an offshore wind, I paddle into<br />

the wind.<br />

• Visibility is always a big thing. Wear bright<br />

colours or/& buy a brightly coloured boat. I<br />

have a bright coloured buoyancy aid, it’s great.<br />

• Those flags are also a great idea. They help<br />

boaties be more aware that we are out there<br />

and show us some consideration.<br />

• Never underestimate the value of doing a<br />

course. Do that first off. Learn some basic and<br />

effective paddle techniques so you are<br />

prepared for when the wind gets up, and learn<br />

the best ways of getting back on your boat.<br />

• It is important to make sure you can get on the<br />

boat again in case you do come off. Practise this<br />

in a safe environment & with a friend before<br />

you head out to the open sea. There are some<br />

boats on the market where this can be very<br />

difficult.<br />

• Always wear a buoyancy aid. I have a friend<br />

( Herb Spanagal ) who was out fishing by<br />

himself one day and fell asleep. Woke up in the<br />

water, looking at the bottom of his kayak. He lost<br />

a good rod & reel too.<br />

Well thank you for your time. Can I squeeze<br />

just one more story out of you before we end?<br />

• Stefan and I (Gary) were coming back from<br />

fishing when we took a short cut between the<br />

breakwater & Motunui rock. We were heading<br />

back when Stefan caught a kahawai right on the<br />

breakwater, so we stopped and looked around.<br />

To our horror and enormous swell had formed<br />

behind us. I swear it was the 7th wave! I<br />

paddled for my life, sure I was about to die.<br />

Stefan still had this kahawai on his line and like<br />

a true fisherman wasn’t going to give it up. He<br />

jumped off his kayak hanging onto his line and<br />

his boat with all his might. I’m not sure how I<br />

kept on my boat but I did. When I turned<br />

around to let out a trumpet roar... behind me<br />

was 7th wave number two!<br />

P.S. Stefan lost his fish!<br />

• No drainage hole<br />

• Strengthening under flange<br />

• Only 3 rivets for mounting,<br />

less holes in your kayak<br />

• Fits Great Stuff safety flag<br />

DON’T SETTLE FOR LESS<br />

Available at all good <strong>Kayak</strong> stores<br />

email: greatstuff@woosh.co.nz<br />

Cobra Fish & Dive ready for action<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 9


KAYAK RACING<br />

Paddling at the end<br />

of the earth<br />

by Steve Camp<br />

The intimidating roar of a bull elephant seal broke<br />

the stillness. We stopped paddling and listened.<br />

The cacophony and smell of a gentoo penguin<br />

rockery wafted over the still water. My eyes<br />

watered in the crisp, moist sea air. We resumed<br />

paddling and the fog opened. Suddenly,<br />

apparition-like, forms of rock pillars and ice cliffs<br />

filled the sky before us. Porposing alongside our<br />

kayaks inquisitive gentoo penguins squawked<br />

excitedly. I slid my hand out of my warm ‘podgie’<br />

paddling glove and dipped it into the icy cold<br />

water. I needed to reassure myself that this was<br />

for real.<br />

It had long been a dream of mine to explore the<br />

bays and coastline of Antarctica. I had tasted the<br />

paddling beauty of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska<br />

a few years previously, now the lure of taking part<br />

in the second Antarctica Sea <strong>Kayak</strong>ing<br />

Championships had brought me to the other end<br />

of the earth. Held every two years (weather<br />

permitting) to coincide with the Antarctica<br />

Marathon, I was making this journey with 180<br />

kindred spirited adventure sportsmen<br />

representing 13 different countries. We had left<br />

Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world, four<br />

days before in a Russian icebreaker research ship<br />

and anchored off the eastern coast of the<br />

Antarctica Peninsula. The marathon successfully<br />

behind us, we focused our minds on the kayak<br />

championship, which lay ahead.<br />

For safety and survival in this unforgiving<br />

environment all competitors paddle in a dry suit<br />

on top of at least two layers of thermal gear topped<br />

off with gloves, balaclavas and booties. It’s a far<br />

cry from the warmer conditions of the Hauraki<br />

Gulf where I am more accustomed to paddling.<br />

Unlike the marathon, which we had run a few days<br />

earlier, where all runners were responsible for<br />

their own running kit, the championship<br />

organisers had to provide 20 single and double<br />

kayaks, dry suits, paddles, set a suitable course<br />

and hope for good weather. To squeeze scores of<br />

paddlers into so few kayaks they ran a series of<br />

time-consuming heats under crisp, clear, blue<br />

skies, with only the top ten going through to<br />

the finals.<br />

We gathered on the stony beach littered with<br />

blocks of ice, standing in groups waiting our turn<br />

and checking the form of the other paddlers. The<br />

course was two kilometres out and back sprint<br />

between two Zodiacs.<br />

I won my heat, securing a spot in the finals to be<br />

held three days later. Some of the finalists were<br />

keen to get the championships over and done<br />

with sooner. I’d come a long way and was happy<br />

to milk every extra moment in the cockpit of my<br />

kayak, absorbing the stunning scenery. Antarctica<br />

is simply one of the most humbling and powerful<br />

places on earth and to see it by kayak is an<br />

experience not to be missed. The following two<br />

days on the water held new wonders, from faceto-face<br />

encounters with humpback and minke<br />

whales, to serene paddles through narrow fjords<br />

dwarfed by enormous icebergs.<br />

Race day arrived, as did steadily deteriorating<br />

weather. It had been snowing on and off for the<br />

last 24 hours. With the long range forecast looking<br />

bleak, the race organisers weighed up their<br />

options to race now or come back in two years.<br />

There was a frenzy of activity, offloading the<br />

kayaks and Zodiacs into the water. The poor<br />

weather necessitated shortening the course to a<br />

measured nautical mile sprint - out around a<br />

Zodiac and back.<br />

We left the safety and warmth of our ship in a<br />

partial whiteout to paddle 100 metres to the<br />

Zodiac - our start line. The wet snow congealed<br />

on the sea’s surface like thick porridge. The race<br />

itself was hard going. The snow blurred my<br />

sunglasses. It was difficult to see. I found I could<br />

bulldoze my way through the mush, but it was<br />

indeed heavy paddling.<br />

Between gusty snow squalls I could make out the<br />

turning point. Going wide around the Zodiac I was<br />

surprised to see I was in the lead. Unable to find<br />

the path I had already cleared in the porridge, I<br />

kept going. Nearing the finish line I could hear<br />

the safety crew in the Zodiacs shouting. Shutting<br />

them out I kept my head down, paddling hard. On<br />

my left I saw what I had feared for the last two<br />

hundred metres - a dark blur breaking out of my<br />

wake and slowly getting larger. Gradually it pulled<br />

alongside me, then slowly edged past to beat me<br />

across the finish line! Like all races, it’s about<br />

strategy. Maybe I should have held back and let<br />

someone else clear the way through the porridge<br />

mush, saving my strength for the end! But no<br />

regrets, I’d had a fantastic experience just getting<br />

to the start line. That’s what life is about.<br />

It was a long way to go to get freezing cold in a<br />

kayak but it is a unique event and the effort to get<br />

there only makes it a lot more special. I will always<br />

cherish my memories of paddling in this pristine<br />

icy wilderness.<br />

10 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 11


WHITEWATER KAYAKING<br />

Mohaka Adventure....<br />

Te Hoe to Willow Flats<br />

by Steve ‘Shuttle’ Kittle and Nhoj Snikwad<br />

“Hey bro, wanna be a Shuttle bunny!”<br />

I thought for a moment and it clicked into place. I<br />

was being asked to utilise my driving skills and<br />

drive 4 gnarly white water dudes down to the Te<br />

Hoe ‘put in’ for the grade 3/4 section of the<br />

Mohaka River. They were (names changed to<br />

protect the innocent) Dick Geoffrey, Nohj<br />

Snickwad, River ‘where’s my hat’ Ron and the Dog<br />

of Madness. It would be a jolly day out with the<br />

boys. I thought, why not.<br />

Had I known it would take over 9 hours, half of<br />

which was over mountainous single lane<br />

corrugated logging tracks with sheer drops<br />

lunging down into huge ravines, I may have<br />

thought twice and stayed in bed.<br />

Ten minutes after dropping the lads off at the ‘put<br />

in’ and cheerily waving goodbye, I experienced<br />

the ultimate in free Adrenaline Sports that New<br />

Zealand has to offer. A logging truck bore down<br />

on me as my trailer slid perilously close to the<br />

edge of an extremely big drop to the rocky splat<br />

zone of the Mohaka River. Realising I had not been<br />

dashed to a billion pieces by the truck or on the<br />

rocks below, I opened my eyes, stopped swearing,<br />

changed my undies and patted my dog, who I’m<br />

sure was giving me a dirty look. I then continued<br />

to the ‘take out’ at Willow Flat to greet the boys as<br />

they paddled triumphantly home...<br />

...shuttle drivers are great people. Especially when<br />

the section of river you want to sink your paddle<br />

into would normally be a 2 day driving epic - and<br />

“See you at the take out” is your bag. The lower bit<br />

of the Mohaka from the Te Hoe road bridge to<br />

Willow flat is a quality run for the grade. Plenty of<br />

bouldery rapids and a few that you will want to<br />

scout properly before running. Take my advice and<br />

get your creek boat fitted out properly so that<br />

when you do get out for a rock scramble scout<br />

mission your legs will work and are not completely<br />

made of rubber. Anyhow, after Steve let us loose<br />

on the water we were soon having fun finding our<br />

way down this section. River Ron was a bit cagey<br />

and admitted to not being able to sleep the night<br />

before as his nerves were getting a bit on edge,<br />

nothing to do with those funny pills and Barb eh?<br />

Ron’s made more comebacks than Mohammed Ali<br />

after telling everyone he’s not doing THAT river<br />

again. The flow was very much lower than the last<br />

time I did this stretch and it makes it a bit more<br />

hazardous with some rock sieves you don’t want<br />

to go near. The holes are smaller though and<br />

there’s more boofy type drops which previously<br />

were nice green tongues. Dick Geoffrey styled the<br />

run as per normal and the ‘veterans’ walked<br />

around a couple of bits. We have probably had<br />

enough adrenaline in our systems for one lifetime.<br />

I can’t get over Mad Dogs river knowledge.<br />

Personally I have the memory of a lobotomised<br />

goldfish when it comes to what’s around the<br />

corner but M.D. was giving a running commentary<br />

on what’s going to crop up in the next wee while.<br />

Good to have someone like that on a trip if you<br />

want to economise on time. Arriving at the take out<br />

and seeing Hooba bouncing around and barking<br />

on the bank was a great sight as you know the long<br />

suffering shuttle driver is there too, even if his first<br />

sentence is worse than the most chronic Tourettes<br />

Check out the scenery down here<br />

syndrome individual. But we all know sandflies<br />

are there to remind us we are in paradise.....<br />

...two hours later, I got to Willow Flats deep in the<br />

Mohaka Forest and awaited their arrival. And I<br />

waited, then I did some more waiting before<br />

finally waiting a bit longer.<br />

All the while I was being slowly devoured by the<br />

bastards of the sky, your friend and mine, the<br />

Sandfly. I was going insane with the relentless<br />

biting, so much so that I went to the ultimate<br />

extreme and put on the Dog of Madness’s soggy<br />

long johns to cover my legs up. If you knew the<br />

‘Dog’ you would appreciate why this was extreme!<br />

12 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


I was starting to think like a mum, “Where are<br />

those boys, they should be here by now, I hope<br />

they’re alright.” I was worried sick. Then I heard<br />

the familiar manic laughing cackle of the Dog of<br />

Madness. I was relieved they were alright and<br />

looked forward to hearing all about their<br />

adventure. I was more relieved that we were going<br />

to leave the bite zone from hell and that since they<br />

were all alive I would still get paid.<br />

I must have looked tired on the drive home and<br />

in need of a break, because as I got out of the van<br />

at the summit kiosk for a stretch, Nohj clambered<br />

out of the side window, Dukes of Hazard style and<br />

jumped into the driver’s seat relieving me of my<br />

duties. Gladly I slumped in the back and was<br />

strangely satisfied with my own efforts. I was glad<br />

I had got out of bed.<br />

Nhoj Snikwad<br />

River Ron<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 13


SEA KAYAKING<br />

Coromandel Coastline<br />

by Ruth Hibarger<br />

June on the Coromandel can be sunnier<br />

than in December and the maddening<br />

crowds are sure to be less. Peter van<br />

Lith loaded his double canoe with his<br />

three young children and launched<br />

through the misty rain. Talitha (6 years,<br />

32kg) Daniel (5 years, 27kg) and Ariana<br />

(3 years, 20kg) gave him a total<br />

handicap of 79kg. Bronnie van Lith had<br />

a single kayak all to herself, lightly<br />

loaded for quick get-a-ways. All<br />

kayaking mothers dream of this.<br />

Whining children? No problem just<br />

paddle a bit farther from the noise.<br />

That really wasn’t an issue with the van<br />

Lith kids; noisy laughter was the<br />

melody we paddled to on this trip.<br />

Helen Lander, Les Dollard, Brendan<br />

Hartigan, and myself from the Taranaki<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong> Club and Rex Temm from<br />

Te Awamutu were all keen to see<br />

Cathedral Cove and the coastline north<br />

of Hahei.<br />

We launched from a sandy beach and paddled<br />

past multicoloured cliffs. In this area monetary<br />

penalties and jail sentences protect the fish and<br />

crayfish! Lunch at Cathedral Cove fuelled the crew<br />

for the paddle to the islands in Te Whanganui A<br />

Hei Marine Reserve. If you’ve ever hiked down to<br />

Cathedral Cove, you know how beautiful it is, but<br />

only a small area is accessible on foot. To really<br />

see this area, you must kayak.<br />

The islands inside the marine reserve were<br />

inviting. Rocky cliffs rise above waves which have<br />

carved surprisingly deep caves. In pitch darkness<br />

when surging swells threaten to damage rudders<br />

a headlamp comes in handy . Two giant crayfish<br />

and a stingray lurked unafraid of us, in the sunlit<br />

entrance of a cave on Mahurangi Island. How<br />

much was the fine for taking protected sea life? A<br />

waterproof camera would have been handy.<br />

Luckily Les had such a camera plus the laptop and<br />

the know-how to provide a slideshow to the rest<br />

of the Yakkers on Monday morning. Rainbows<br />

reward paddling in the rain. A memorable one<br />

glowed unobstructed across an expanse of New<br />

Zealand Coromandel coastline. Short daylight and<br />

long dark nights can put a real damper on a kayak<br />

trip but the cabin at Hahei campground prevented<br />

that. Peter not only paddled a kayak with three<br />

non-paddling kids but cooked dinner for us!<br />

Sunday’s plan to go from Simpson’s Beach north<br />

of Whitianga to Opito necessitated shuttling cars.<br />

This coastline impressed us just a much as the<br />

previous day. Both our timing and the weather<br />

were perfect. As the sun set we finished the 20-<br />

kilometre paddle and approached ‘flash houses’<br />

in the flawless bay. Dinner in Whitianga ended a<br />

wonderful day. Weary paddlers sank into their<br />

beds by 10:00.<br />

Monday offered us a supposedly quick trip to Hot<br />

Water Bay, but who could resist entering the coves<br />

and caves, one after another? The finale, just shy<br />

of the finish was the blowhole. Its sunlit, circular<br />

enclosure was big enough for us all. The waves<br />

washed us up on the beach with time to dig down<br />

and soak in the hot water. So ended three very<br />

memorable hassle free days on the Coromandel.<br />

Photos by Les Dollard.<br />

14 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 15


RIVER KAYAKING<br />

First-timer but no Part-timer<br />

by Nadia Lehmann<br />

“Grab life with both hands, hold on<br />

tight and go for it.”<br />

That was my motto as I prepared to leave Wales<br />

and head to New Zealand. After frequent visits<br />

over the past 10 years, and at least one paddle<br />

outing each time, I had decided to pursue my love<br />

for the more varied waters and go.<br />

Arriving last December, and taking a while to settle<br />

down, I decided that occasional day trips with<br />

various organisations to more or less the same<br />

places was not entirely satisfying so I went on a<br />

Skills course with the North Shore <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

shop and became a Yakity Yak Clubbie.<br />

Beginners hick ups were encountered - the usual:<br />

do not know anyone, have no boat, have no roof<br />

rack or any gear for that matter, not sure of the<br />

best paddle spots.<br />

I went to my first club night and all the above<br />

problems were resolved. As a newbie I was<br />

welcomed and encouraged and given many<br />

helpful tips.<br />

My diary was filled with future trips. I made a list<br />

of essential items needed, plus an additional list,<br />

a wish list. Other members were very welcoming<br />

and encouraging.<br />

It took a few weeks to get my first essential item -<br />

roof racks - then a week later I had booked my<br />

first YY trip: Ruth and Ian’s Housewarming and<br />

paddle trip at Kaukapakapa. Veronica, my skills<br />

course buddy, and I collected all our hired gear<br />

from the shop, and headed up to KKK.<br />

We were first to arrive. As newbies we had been<br />

hesitant about turning up to the party, but there<br />

was nothing to worry about within this friendly<br />

environment. Everyone was made to feel<br />

welcome. We pitched our tents and the party<br />

began with drinks and nibbles on the deck,<br />

watching the last of the sun disappear over the<br />

river, lazily running past the boundaries of the<br />

Veronica trials out the carpet strip, under Brenda’s<br />

watchful eye.<br />

property - our watercourse for the next day. Duck<br />

shooting had begun that weekend and our<br />

tranquillity that night and the next day would be<br />

marred (or was it spiced up?) by the sound<br />

of gunshot.<br />

More people arrived and so did the rain and cold,<br />

but nothing dampened the spirits or froze the<br />

enthusiasm. Several hours later, I dashed through<br />

the rain into my tent, glanced up and in a gap in<br />

the clouds saw the Southern Cross - a good sign.<br />

There was an early wake up call, well, it is early<br />

when you stay up late. Our group of 16 hardy<br />

paddlers weren’t turned off by a little bit of rain -<br />

or a little bit of torrential rain at times. We<br />

launched at the Springs Road Wharf’s ramp, in<br />

Parakai - on the incoming tide. It was tremendous<br />

how everyone helped each other. We two ‘new<br />

ones’ really felt part of the Yakkers group.<br />

Off we went, a mixture of boats and paddles,<br />

travelling downstream on the Kaipara River<br />

through beautiful unspoilt scenery, bordered by<br />

With only half the group making the return journey, there were plenty of boats to choose from.<br />

thousands of mangrove bushes. Two fizz boats,<br />

passed us, but otherwise the river was ours.<br />

We reached the dredgers and turned right into the<br />

Kaukapakapa River. A left, -and we would have<br />

ended up on the Kaipara Harbour. The group<br />

stayed together having a good yak and ducking<br />

whenever we heard shots. We encountered quite<br />

a few decoys on the river and occasionally<br />

camouflaged heads and bodies would pop up<br />

from the nearby mangroves. “ Do not shoot at<br />

the kayakers”.<br />

After a two-hour paddle we made it back to the<br />

‘scene of the crime’ from the previous night and<br />

tried out Ruth’s new landing ramp. This caused<br />

much amusement and more teamwork. The tide<br />

was high. What on earth were we landing and<br />

stepping on?<br />

Our arrival coincided with heavy showers. Under<br />

the shelter of the veranda we warmed ourselves<br />

up with hot drinks and barbequed sausages and<br />

patties. Thanks Ian.<br />

The weather turned for the worse. Some people,<br />

perhaps a bit tired from the night before, or<br />

deterred by the rain, decided to stay and help tidy<br />

up. So only 8 did the return journey.<br />

The relaunch was something of a challenge, as the<br />

tide was going out extending our original landing<br />

patch. The ramp was revealed! It was carpet<br />

(recycled from the North Shore shop!) and was a<br />

tad waterlogged and muddy. The river had<br />

dropped 30cm below that. A few enterprising folk<br />

decided to seal-launch from a section higher up<br />

the paddock. That looked a bit risky, with the<br />

chance of going head over heels. Luckily all was<br />

well and the group staying behind waved us off.<br />

The downstream paddle on the Kaukapakapa<br />

River was quick. Our small group yaked less. Once<br />

on the Kaipara river, and going upstream the<br />

outgoing tide and wind did not allow for any<br />

slacking in paddling and there was little shelter<br />

along the banks. Exiting at Parakai was our last<br />

challenge. The tide flow was strong and by now,<br />

the ramp was no use to us. It had to be a threeperson<br />

job at the Wharf’s pontoon. Team effort<br />

once again prevailed and turned an impossible<br />

one-person task, into a well-executed mission<br />

each time someone came out of the water.<br />

After a few helpful hints about how to secure my<br />

kayak to the roof rack - we were off. I had a quick<br />

stop at Ruth and Ian’s to say a big thank you and<br />

to collect Veronica, and then we were homeward<br />

bound - still enthusiastic, tired, happy and keen<br />

for more. See you on the water very soon.<br />

Photos by Ruth E. Henderson<br />

16 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


NEW CANOE & KAYAK SHOP<br />

What does a 180 degree<br />

spin look like? by Maree Downey<br />

For some kayak enthusiasts, a 180<br />

might well be the difference between<br />

enjoying travelling on top of a rapid as<br />

opposed to underneath it!<br />

Our family has been sitting on top of a fast flowing<br />

river for five months. It has deposited us in<br />

Wellington where my husband Jim and I are the<br />

new shop owners of <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong>.<br />

Jim comes from 5 years in the NZ Navy and 19<br />

years in the NZ Police Force. I’ve had 18 years in<br />

the Airline Industry. We were ready to jump at this<br />

timely opportunity.<br />

When a young boy Jim and his brother built a canoe<br />

out of canvas and painted it yellow. They survived<br />

the rigors of the Tauranga harbour and their fishing<br />

expeditions. In recent years he has moved into<br />

more reliable boating equipment and has become<br />

a very keen multisporter. He has taken up sea and<br />

river kayaking with great gusto and reckless<br />

disregard (from my perspective) to hair raising<br />

moments. He has also participated in 12 hour<br />

events in orienteering, running, cycling, abseiling,<br />

shooting, and kayaking.<br />

I have no claim to fame in the kayaking world...yet!<br />

My first introduction to kayaks was 6 years ago on<br />

our honeymoon in the Caribbean. We anticipated<br />

a great day kayaking and snorkelling around the<br />

mangroves of St Thomas. However, it took on quite<br />

a different twist due to our competitive nature. Our<br />

double <strong>Kayak</strong> careered from point to point making<br />

sure we weren’t out- paddled by the Aussies and<br />

Americans in the group.<br />

In recent weeks I have participated in several<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> courses - a wonderful way to<br />

develop skills and confidence and also to make<br />

new friends.<br />

Prior to the arrival of our 15 month old daughter<br />

Emma (who is just wonderful), Jim and I planned<br />

our own cycling trip through France. Our<br />

preparation was a trip from Auckland to Thames -<br />

over the ‘hills’ of the Coromandel to Tairua and from<br />

there to Tauranga. After that I didn’t think I’d be able<br />

to walk to the airplane let alone ride around France.<br />

But it was a wonderful holiday - eating and paddling<br />

our way through some fantastic countryside. We<br />

haven’t quite braved taking Emma out on the bikes<br />

or in a kayak yet but she has had her first swimming<br />

VHF CHANNEL CHANGES 1ST SEPTEMBER 2005<br />

Coastguard has established a Marine VHF Radio Service Network for its members which is a global leader.<br />

The Half Moon Bay Marina Nowcasting Service is a world first. We acknowledge with grateful thanks the<br />

assistance of our sponsors in establishing and maintaining the network channels which are monitored 24<br />

hours every day of the year.<br />

Coastguard VHF Marine Radio Coverage<br />

Ch 16 International Distress - Safety and Calling Frequency.<br />

Also Calling Channel Coastguard and other vessels. Except in an emergency situation, move to a<br />

suitable working channel after making initial contact with station being called.<br />

Ch 80 Calling/Working Channel for Coastguard (Previously 86) Waitemata Harbour and<br />

Inner Hauraki Gulf.<br />

Ch 82 Calling/Working Channel for Coastguard.Outer Hauraki Gulf. Effective range is from Mayor Island<br />

to North of Tutukaka. Repeater located on Moehau Ranges, Coromandel.<br />

Ch 86 Calling/Working Channel for Coastguard (Previously 87) Whitianga.<br />

Ch 85 Calling/Working Channel for Coastguard. Tutukaka and Whangaruru area.<br />

Ch 64 Calling/Working Channel for Coastguard. Whangarei.<br />

Ch 86 Calling/Working Channel for Coastguard. Bay of Islands.<br />

Ch 81 Calling/Working Channel for Coastguard. Manukau Harbour and west coast located on South Head.<br />

Ch 84 Calling/Working Channel for Coastguard. Kaipara Harbour and west coast located on South Head.<br />

Ch 04 Calling/Working Channel for Coastguard. Raglan/Kawhia Harbours and west coast, linked to<br />

Channel 81.<br />

Boat to Boat Channels<br />

Ch 03 Kawau, Ch 62 Waiheke, Ch 65 Coromandel, Ch 63 Manukau<br />

Continuous Weather & Marine Safety Service Nowcasting<br />

Half Moon Bay Marina Nowcasting provides Peak and Average wind strength(Knots) and direction (true<br />

bearings) from sites around the Northern Region<br />

Ch 20 Outer Hauraki Gulf.<br />

Ch 21 Inner Gulf and Waitemata/Manukau Harbours.<br />

Ch 23 Kaipara Harbour and immediate West Coast.<br />

Ch 21 Bay of Islands - north to Whangaroa and south to Whangaruru.<br />

Ch 22 Port Waikato to Raglan/Kawhia.<br />

lessons so it won’t be long before she is out and<br />

about with us.<br />

It has been our privilege to travel to and<br />

experience many countries in the world. We’ve<br />

trekked on elephant back, canoed down a river<br />

in the Chitwan National Park, and most magical of<br />

all safaried through the Masi Mara in Kenya and<br />

trekked with friends in the Anapurnas of Nepal.<br />

We love life, the outdoors and making new<br />

friends. We look forward to greeting you in the<br />

brand new Wellington <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> shop. Make<br />

sure you come and visit us sometime - we’d love<br />

to meet you.<br />

Kiwi Association of Sea<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong>ers N.Z. Inc.<br />

(KASK)<br />

KASK is a network of sea kayakers<br />

throughout New Zealand<br />

KASK publishes a 146 page<br />

sea kayaking handbook<br />

which is free to new<br />

members: the handbook<br />

contains all you need to<br />

know about sea kayaking:<br />

techniques and skills,<br />

resources, equipment, places to go etc.<br />

KASK publishes a bi-monthly newsletter<br />

containing trip reports, events, book reviews,<br />

technique/equipment reviews and a ‘bugger’<br />

file. KASK holds national sea kayaking forums.<br />

Website:<br />

www.kask.co.nz<br />

Annual subscription is $35.00.<br />

Kask<br />

PO Box 23, Runanga 7854,<br />

West Coast<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 17


KAYAK HISTORY<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong>ing Versus Legal Tomes<br />

by Heather Hills<br />

Even at 78 you never know whom you<br />

are going to wake up next to and what<br />

stories will unfold. Recently I was<br />

parked up in my campervan at Parakai<br />

Hot Springs next to Irvin Openshaw<br />

and his wife Vivienne. Discussions<br />

over a cuppa revealed some<br />

interesting pieces of history.<br />

In the 1960’s Irvin was working at Public Trust in<br />

Wellington and studying law at Victoria University.<br />

There was a battle on. Dusty tomes versus<br />

kayaking and tramping. <strong>Kayak</strong>ing won.!! He never<br />

did finish his law degree.<br />

He dreamt of paddling across the Cook Strait but<br />

Mother said “Not on your Nellie, not until you are<br />

21 son!”<br />

In 1960 you couldn’t buy an off-the-shelf boat, so<br />

the first step was to build his own craft. He and<br />

his mate Alan Pearson laid their hands on a design<br />

from ‘Tyne Boat’ in England. They each<br />

constructed single folding kayaks 26 inches wide<br />

and 14 ft long with 5/8 inch-dowel and1/2inch<br />

marine ply for the frame. The skin fitted like a sock<br />

over the frame. A 5-ply rubber bottom, with 10oz<br />

canvas on top completed the construction of<br />

the kayaks.<br />

With the Gisborne <strong>Canoe</strong> and Tramping club Irvin<br />

had many adventures including the first descent<br />

of the Waioweka River. Other trips included the<br />

Mohaka, Willow Flat, Wairoa, Rukituri, Waikareiti,<br />

Hangaroa and in 1960, the rescue on the Motu<br />

River when club members had run out of kai.<br />

Exciting trips were made on the Waikato River<br />

from the Mihi Bridge down stream, prior to the<br />

Dam being built.<br />

This was all good training and preparation to be<br />

the first to cross the Cook Strait. The Mana Cruising<br />

Club agreed to escort him once he had convinced<br />

Bob Gouldie the kayak was OK. But was Irvin fit<br />

enough? Irvin Openshaw proved that point by<br />

taking on the 32-mile Wairoa River flat race, which<br />

took 7 to 8 hours.<br />

Then on the 23rd March 1962 he achieved his<br />

dream. The kayak was launched at Makara with a<br />

N/W fresh wind. Off the coast he successfully<br />

negotiated the Terawhiti and the Karori Rips.<br />

Point to point the trip was 22 miles N to S. The<br />

crossing took five and a quarter hours, achieved<br />

with a completely dry bottom! With the 32 ft Mana<br />

Cruising Club launch escorting him, and Alan<br />

Pearson accompanying him in his kayak, Irvin<br />

touched just South of Brother’s Island and then<br />

paddled to sheltered waters at Perano Head for<br />

his pick up. The Dominion and T.V. hailed Irvin as<br />

the first person to successfully paddle across the<br />

Cook Strait in a kayak. Irvin remembers his<br />

reaction on arrival. Firstly relief at being able to<br />

get out of his kayak, away from the salt water and<br />

sea spray, and secondly anticipation of a feast of<br />

steak, sausages and eggs!<br />

Irvin continued to escape dry as dust legal studies<br />

by becoming deeply involved with Outward<br />

Bound, Anakiwa. He attended the opening of the<br />

school, then commenced as an instructor. Mana<br />

Bay Cruising Club helped set up the school. The<br />

All Black, Ron Jarden was one of the helpers and<br />

Irvine was the ‘Gofer’. For<br />

the second course, Irvin<br />

helped set up a river<br />

programme and took<br />

Outward Bound students on<br />

the Rai, Pelorous and Wairau<br />

Rivers. He continued at the<br />

Anakiwa school with Hamish<br />

Thomas as warden and<br />

Adrian Hayter who sailed<br />

single-handed around<br />

the world.<br />

In 2001 Irvin announced to<br />

his family that he wished to<br />

embark on a fitness<br />

programme so he could<br />

attempt another crossing on<br />

the 40th anniversary. Once<br />

again he was told “ Not on<br />

your Nellie” or in his words<br />

“ My idea was met with<br />

strong opposition.” These<br />

days Vivienne puts her foot<br />

down on extreme physical<br />

sports and outdoor<br />

activities. However, he does<br />

escape along with his son<br />

Troy on extreme 4WD<br />

vehicle ventures.<br />

Ruakituri River in The <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

used in the Strait crossing<br />

18 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


For Sale<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong> Shops<br />

Interested in<br />

owning your own<br />

kayak shop?<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Ltd is ready to<br />

open Licensed Operations in new<br />

centres and has the going concern<br />

Hamilton <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong>,<br />

The Corner Greenwood St<br />

& Duke St, State Highway 1<br />

bypass for sale.<br />

Phone: 09 421 0662<br />

Peter Townend<br />

Managing Director, <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Ltd<br />

and I’ll be glad to have a chat.<br />

All approaches will be dealt with in confidence.<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 19


ADVENTURE RACING WITH TEAM<br />

NUTRITION<br />

Casio Coromandel Classic<br />

by Phil White<br />

The Casio Coromandel Classic is a<br />

multisport event that covers some of the<br />

best parts of the Coromandel in two days.<br />

It has been designed to enable any skill<br />

level to compete, yet provide a<br />

challenging race for the fastest teams and<br />

individuals. The first day starts from<br />

Thames with a 22 km mountain bike ride<br />

up the Kaueranga valley, then a scenic<br />

but technical 27 km run past the<br />

Pinnacles hut to the other side of the<br />

peninsula, a paddle from Coroglen to<br />

Cooks Beach, and a road bike to Tairua.<br />

The second day continues with a kayak<br />

up the Tairua estuary to the Pauanui<br />

turnoff, followed by a road bike to<br />

Whangamata, a run up the Wentworth<br />

valley and over the Wires track to the<br />

Maratoto valley, and a fast road bike<br />

back to Thames.<br />

This year in keeping with tradition, spectacular<br />

weather and light winds marked the end of winter<br />

and made for fast racing.<br />

The event is open to teams, including relay teams<br />

of 2, 3 or 4, and traverse teams who do the whole<br />

lot together. There are also individual<br />

competitors. Each stage (apart from the runs) is<br />

fairly short, and achievable for novice racers to<br />

experts and everything in between. This also<br />

makes it easy to push to the limit. The best two or<br />

three teams were stacked with expert runners,<br />

cyclists and kayakers. The kayakers included<br />

several of the best K1 paddlers in the North Island,<br />

along with sea kayakers and multisporters of<br />

varying ability.<br />

As with all such events, preparation of body and<br />

equipment make a huge difference to the outcome<br />

and enjoyment. Little things like tyre choice and<br />

tyre pressure for the mountain bike, aerobars on<br />

the road bike, position of food and drink for easy<br />

access in bunch rides, type of running shoes, the<br />

type and rate of fluid and food intake. It is good<br />

to learn from the experiences of others (good and<br />

bad). Perhaps the most interesting lessons came<br />

from the kayaking stages. With the large range of<br />

paddling ability, a correspondingly large range in<br />

kayak types was represented. Some had different<br />

kayaks on hand so they could choose the best one<br />

for each stage.<br />

The first kayak stage meanders down the<br />

mangrove-lined channels of Whitianga harbour<br />

for two thirds of its length (i.e. dead flat), making<br />

it ideal for tippy racing kayaks. Ideally, however<br />

you need a boat that is also suited to the last part,<br />

which goes between Whitianga and Cooks Beach,<br />

past large cliffs which reflect the swells.<br />

Accordingly, tippy racing kayaks are not ideal, and<br />

most people take a more stable boat for this stage.<br />

At least one person got it wrong, and had six swims<br />

along the way. The next day he took a more stable<br />

boat. There were a couple of K1 racing boats on<br />

this stage, and no, they didn’t swim. However,<br />

they were not necessarily the fastest option. One<br />

of the K1 paddlers caught up to a Total Eclipse (an<br />

intermediate level multisport boat), and then was<br />

surprised to see it hanging on his wash, and even<br />

more surprised when they took turns leading. Once<br />

they were out to sea, the Total Eclipse pulled away<br />

for good. The traverse teams could use double<br />

kayaks, some of which are both stable and fast.<br />

At the end of the first day, the results<br />

were posted, so everybody knew<br />

where they were relative to the other<br />

individuals and teams.<br />

On the second day, the kayak stage is<br />

a deep-water mass start from the<br />

Tairua wharf. This stage is entirely<br />

within the Tairua estuary, so it is all on<br />

flat water. This year, with the tide out, there wasn’t<br />

much water so there was the option (or necessity,<br />

depending on your route choice) of portaging<br />

across sand banks. The following fleet could<br />

observe and learn from the mistakes of the<br />

leading K1 paddlers. Many people stepped up to<br />

a lighter and faster boat for this stage, and with<br />

shallow water, portages, and an opposing current,<br />

it made a real difference. One traverse team went<br />

from a reasonably fast adventure racing double<br />

to a very fast K2. However, decisions such as<br />

when to get out of the boat and run (or walk), and<br />

which side of the channel to take were in the end<br />

almost as important as boat speed.<br />

The parade of multisporters and their caravan of<br />

support vehicles eventually made its way over the<br />

hill and back to Thames. Stories were swapped<br />

on the sunny lawns outside the boating club until<br />

it was time for the prizegiving, to be inspired, and<br />

to look forward to the warmer weather and the<br />

challenge of races to come.<br />

For more information see<br />

www.coromandelclassic.co.nz<br />

Team PRO4 Nutrition are an adventure racing<br />

team heading for the Southern Traverse in<br />

November. They entered the Coromandel<br />

Classic as a relay team of 3 for some speed work<br />

and a weekend of racing with other<br />

multisporters and adventure racers. They<br />

gratefully acknowledge the support they<br />

receive from PRO4, <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong>, Scott, Polar<br />

and Vasque.<br />

Firebolt<br />

New innovative kayak with great speed and<br />

stability, for the intermediate/advanced paddler.<br />

Designers & Constructors of Multisport<br />

& Adventure Racing <strong>Kayak</strong>s<br />

Phone/Fax 06 374 6222<br />

E-mail:- mike@ruahinekayaks.co.nz<br />

Website:-www.ruahinekayaks.co.nz<br />

20 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


Getting into Multisport <strong>Kayak</strong>ing?<br />

Ask anybody who has competed in a multisport race and they will say<br />

One or two weekends training<br />

Is just NOT ENOUGH!!!<br />

We believe our comprehensive Grade 2 Training & Certification is the best you can get.<br />

To gain the skills to confidently paddle on white water, you need between<br />

3 and 8 weekends on the water with an instructor.<br />

PHONE NOW<br />

2005 Multisport Package $795<br />

* See page 28 for Waimakariri Familiarisation Trips<br />

0800 529256<br />

OR CALL IN TO YOUR LOCAL CANOE & KAYAK SHOP<br />

FOR MORE DETAILS AND COURSE DATES<br />

Official<br />

Sponsor<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 21


W I N N E R S<br />

Winner of Rasdex - Paddle Jacket<br />

Issue 31<br />

Tim Kitt, of Ashhurst, married to Chris with two kids Simone and Dylan is the winner of one of<br />

the Rasdex Adventure open neck paddle jackets in Issue 31. He works for Mainland products<br />

in Palmerston North as a transport supervisor. When holidaying at Waitarere beach (Levin)<br />

he got keen on sea kayaking.<br />

He recalls “We had an old canvas over wood sea kayak built by Frank Herbert in 1948. It used<br />

to take 4 people to carry it down the beach and 8 to bring it home. It was an amazing craft and<br />

although it had no watertight compartments it was unsinkable and we used to set out with<br />

longlines in some ‘adventurous’ conditions.<br />

Tim decided to get back into kayaking for both fishing and fitness and after testing various craft settled on the Cobra Fish n’ Dive (mainly due<br />

to stability).<br />

He reckons “The boat sits nicely on top of the Hilux with setlines, longlines, rods and dragnet strapped to the top. We plan to tour around the country<br />

with family to get at some better fishing spots. The kids are pretty keen so will be looking for a couple of boats for them. I can’t wait to try out the jacket!”<br />

Winner of Rasdex - Paddle Jacket<br />

Issue 31<br />

Kay Raffell, who recently looked longingly at a paddle jacket whilst window shopping in<br />

Taupo, and paddled down the Whanganui in a blue cape, is the second proud owner of a<br />

Rasdex Adventure open neck jacket. She tells the tale of her kayaking journey to date.<br />

“I was introduced to a kayak about 30 years ago in the north of Scotland. My partner of the<br />

time was into sea and surf kayaking. He built his own fibreglass kayak and off he went... but<br />

he did let me have a go first...on the calmest of lakes. I was terrified!<br />

Fast-forward 10 years to New Zealand (minus the sea kayaking partner) where I found the<br />

most delightful place to live by the sea - Okura. I bought a house and then a little yellow<br />

play kayak for $50. I started going intrepidly where no Kay in kayak had been before...over the wild wavelets of the sandspit...then on the big ocean<br />

voyage round the headland to Long Bay...on the calmest oily swell of days. I was so proud!<br />

Pete Townend at that time had a small kayaking operation just up the street and I decided to do a skills course. I was, terrified of water...and especially<br />

putting my head under. Pete was one of the kindest and most sensitive of teachers I have ever encountered...after several times of being tipped upside<br />

down in the Okura river I came up...crying. Eager to get it over with I said...“I’m Ok. I’m just frightened”. But Pete looked at me and gently said “I think<br />

we’ve done enough for today”. Taking me along at my pace...he got me through all the drills and wet exits etc over the next few days. Thanks Pete.<br />

Soon after that I moved up to the Bay of Islands and with my new skills and confidence decided to buy a sea kayak. I can remember the trepidation<br />

with which I drove off with it on the roof and the thrill of putting in on the Kerikeri Inlet.<br />

Over the next 10 years I kept pushing my boundaries, until I was confident on the coast and round the islands, culminating in a solo four-day camping<br />

trip round the islands. During that time I’ve done more training...got all the safety gear and acquired a sail...the next best purchase ever, after the kayak!<br />

A few months back I had the chance to join up with friends for the Whanganui River Trip for my first river experience. I’ve now moved down to the<br />

West Coast of the South Island and on the trek down, with kayak on top...stopped to kayak on Lake Tarawera and in the Marlborough Sounds...where<br />

the wind can be SCAREY.<br />

Now I’m looking forward to just cruising on some of the beautiful lakes around here, with maybe a cruise up to Abel Tasman. I plan to join up with KASK<br />

and hopefully meet some other West Coast paddlers soon. “<br />

22 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


WHITEWATER KAYAKING<br />

Potu Falls<br />

by Richard Powell<br />

Potu Falls is one of the many waterfalls around the Taupo<br />

area, which very few people know about. The drop itself is<br />

not too difficult, but as the pool at the bottom is not very<br />

deep!!!! a certain water level is required to kayak it. Two<br />

staff members from the <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> store in Taupo<br />

decided it was their day to go forth and conquer ...(insert<br />

fanfare) so..............<br />

It was midday and there could be nothing<br />

better for me to do than take a Potu virgin<br />

off the Potu Falls. We collected our soggy<br />

paddling kit, which (much to Freddy’s<br />

disgust) was scattered around the premises<br />

of the base and loaded the trusty paddle<br />

wagon (along with kayaks Disco Stu and<br />

Amy<br />

RAD Rodger). After stopping for the<br />

standard road-trip ice cream and caffeine filled ‘V’s we were on our way.<br />

We parked as close to the falls as possible (not like kayakers are lazy or<br />

anything) and began our ascent of the gravel track kindly put in just for us by<br />

the local forestry company. Half of the next 30mins took us on a trek -<br />

scrambling down steep muddy, bushy cliffs. However, it was well worth the<br />

walk. The 7m-drop looked clean and easy - right into a nice big blue pool.<br />

The walk to the top in itself was a mission! One of us had to scramble up,<br />

followed by the paddles, then the boats and finally the second person.<br />

Looking over the drop sped the heart up a bit. The lip had a big rock to the<br />

right hand side, which caused a minor sieve. The native bush was kind, it<br />

had grown just low enough so that we could get our hunched bodies<br />

underneath the lower branches but unfortunately didn’t leave us enough<br />

room to paddle. Never the less we had walked all this way and we WERE<br />

going to paddle! I skirted up first and decided the best line would be right to<br />

left trying to avoid the densest scrub and boof left over the lip. Right!<br />

Onwards, soon I found myself floating down to the entrance... backwards!<br />

Luckily I hit a rock, which spun me forwards<br />

again... I tried to go right to left but instead<br />

drifted down the centre underneath the<br />

densest bush unable to paddle at all. The<br />

lip of the waterfall was fast approaching so<br />

I set up for my well-planned left hand boof.<br />

Down the ‘v’ I went, into a buffer wave and<br />

bugger it; there I was again; sideways. As a<br />

Richard<br />

last resort I put in a final sweep stroke<br />

before plummeting uncontrollably to the<br />

pool below. Surprisingly, this didn’t help very much. It simply caused me to<br />

pencil vertically and smash the front of my boat into the bottom of the<br />

supposedly deep blue pool. I surfaced upside-down with very sore feet and<br />

a tender rib cage. I rolled up.<br />

Not to be deterred by my spectacular exploits, the Potu virgin (Amy) was still<br />

amping to go. She skirted up and paddled towards the lip from right to left.<br />

Avoiding the dense scrub, she slid down the ‘v’ (straight I might add) and put<br />

in a nice left hand boof which caused her to style the drop - without even<br />

getting her hair wet!<br />

PRESS RELEASE<br />

Fuljames, Taupo<br />

NZRCA asks kayakers to respect access closure<br />

The Tauhara North No. 2<br />

Trust has erected a<br />

locked gate at the ‘Hay<br />

Barn’<br />

on<br />

the access road to<br />

N g a w a a p u r u a<br />

(Fuljames) rapids, on the<br />

Waikato River. Access<br />

(including foot access)<br />

past this gate is not permitted.<br />

The NZRCA understands that the landowners have closed access<br />

because some people were being disrespectful of their land.<br />

The landowners are concerned that people and large groups have been<br />

camping without permission, with unsatisfactory toilet facilities, leaving<br />

rubbish and mess. The landowners are also worried about their liability<br />

for people’s safety, and have concerns about other non-kayaking related<br />

issues - hunting, house truckers, dumped cars etc.<br />

The vast majority of kayakers respect the land and don’t make a mess or<br />

disrespect the area, but we ask that all kayakers respect the closure.<br />

Anyone who trespasses may jeopardize any future availability of access.<br />

The NZRCA will be exploring solutions for access and will be<br />

communicating with the security company which is managing the access<br />

on behalf of the landowners.<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 23


OUTDOORS WITH<br />

Right place<br />

right time by Matt Barker<br />

In the huge grey area of ‘what ifs’ and<br />

‘maybes’ white water leadership is<br />

not easy.<br />

Risk management plans and hazard maps are only<br />

partly helpful in managing the day enjoyably and<br />

safely. But a hazard map is flow dependant. Higher<br />

or lower water levels will nullify some hazards<br />

and expose others. Rivers can change overnight<br />

and make your hazard map out of date before it<br />

goes to print. How far do you go with a hazard<br />

map, do you mark all deep water and slippery<br />

rocks? How about the real killers, which are off<br />

the line? Are they important to mark?<br />

While the whole aquatic environment can be<br />

hazardous it’s the probability and degree of<br />

danger posed by each hazard which will concern<br />

the leader. A big worry is that someone will<br />

develop the mindset of “I have done my RAMS<br />

form and I just have to avoid the hazards marked<br />

X Y and Z on this map and my group will be<br />

sweet”. This is a very wrong and dangerous<br />

attitude to be lulled into. Only constant<br />

observation, vigilance and appropriate<br />

management on the day will keep your group<br />

safe. Paperwork never physically got between<br />

anyone and a strainer.<br />

On site leadership starts by selecting a suitable<br />

strategy or style, adjusting it for the specific<br />

situation and then actively managing that<br />

situation with the emphasis on ‘actively’. You<br />

need to be constantly aware of the group’s ability<br />

and the hazards. Keep them as separate as is<br />

appropriate for the activity.<br />

Rather than trying to cover all the possibilities (an<br />

impossible task) the white water leader should<br />

concentrate on the most likely and the most<br />

serious issues. Delegate minor roles to more able<br />

members of the group, who with suitable support<br />

and supervision will develop the next generation<br />

of leaders.<br />

The table offers leadership styles and sets of<br />

circumstances in which they are likely to be<br />

useful. Few rapids allow any single pure<br />

leadership style to be used. More often the leader<br />

has to change leadership style part way through<br />

Matt Barker has been coaching<br />

white water kayaking for nearly 20<br />

years. He holds a Coach Level 5,<br />

the BCU’s highest award, and<br />

NZOIA Level 2 <strong>Kayak</strong>. He works as<br />

a Senior Lecturer at Auckland<br />

University of Technology. AUT<br />

offers diploma and degree level<br />

programmes in outdoor<br />

leadership and outdoor<br />

education. For enrolment<br />

enquiries contact Marilyn Squire<br />

on 09 9179999.<br />

to cover a particular hazard or likely incident.<br />

Picking the line is especially important when the<br />

technically easiest path through the rapid is not<br />

necessarily the safest. It may be necessary to<br />

suggest or insist on a technically harder line which<br />

makes a capsize or swim more likely but is less<br />

dangerous than an accident on the easier line.<br />

Paddle every river, every time, like it’s a new river.<br />

In the real world of earthquakes, landslips and<br />

floods, it really may be quite different to the river<br />

you paddled last week or last year.<br />

Lead from the back<br />

Indian file<br />

River Leadership Styles<br />

Style Pro’s Con’s Suitable situations<br />

Lead from the front.<br />

Alpine Blasting Indian file.<br />

Whole group in view.<br />

Able to unpin clients.<br />

You pick the lines and set pace. The current<br />

helps to bring swimmers and their gear to you.<br />

Clients can be unprotected at the front. You can’t pick lines.<br />

Takes time to rescue clients at the front. Watch for fish tail<br />

effect. Hard to maintain communication and line of sight<br />

with front clients. Group can get too spread out.<br />

Can’t see group unless you paddle backwards. Hard to<br />

unpin clients.<br />

Short technical rapids with obvious end points or eddies. Where<br />

pinning is major hazard.<br />

Rapids with hazards that need to be avoided. Unknown rapids<br />

Need to speed up.<br />

Leap frog<br />

Everybody gets a turn at leading.<br />

Can be fast.<br />

Lose sight of group members<br />

Lack of control of where lead client eddies out.<br />

Experienced small groups on rapids with lots of small eddies.<br />

Buddy systems<br />

Less units to look after. Clients can rescue each<br />

other, or call for help. Improves self esteem.<br />

Buddies can get in the way in rescues.<br />

Needs careful pair selections.<br />

Useful with large and mixed ability groups.<br />

Eddy hopping<br />

One At a Time<br />

Lead from middle. Mother<br />

and ducklings<br />

Safe, everybody in a safe eddy. Clients only<br />

move when you say go.<br />

You only have to deal with one client at a time.<br />

Safe.<br />

Pre-rig rescues.<br />

You can show lines,<br />

Maintain line of sight.<br />

Easier to communicate with front and rear. You<br />

can move to front or rear as necessary.<br />

You can Shepherd into eddies.<br />

Group has to be able to make the eddies.Can’t unpin clients.<br />

Can lose line of sight with all clients.<br />

Need to maintain chains of signals.<br />

Very slow.<br />

Physically separated from group.<br />

Front person can still get away from you.<br />

You don’t pick the lines.<br />

Can give clients limited exposure to leading.<br />

Useful for skilled groups in unknown technical rapids that<br />

require boat scouting.<br />

Pool drop situations.<br />

Where there is a likelihood of more than one swimmer.<br />

Crux rapids.<br />

Good for wide open rapids with large or multiple lines.<br />

When in doubt scout<br />

Safe. Good to show clients the line from the<br />

safety of the bank.<br />

Slow. Some clients may psych themselves out by looking at<br />

it too long.<br />

When you can’t see the bottom of a drop or what’s round a<br />

corner get out and have a look see.<br />

Portaging The river will be there another day. Portaging is not without its own dangers, assess these. Any stuff that you don’t want the group to go down<br />

Rafting up<br />

No one swims may be the quickest way of getting<br />

through a particular rapid.<br />

Not particularly mobile to avoid hazards<br />

Boily sections on large wide rivers.<br />

24 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 25


NORTH SHORE<br />

MANUKAU<br />

Unit 2/20 Constellation Drive<br />

(off Ascension Place),<br />

Mairangi Bay, Auckland<br />

PHONE: 09 479 1002<br />

AUCKLAND<br />

502 Sandringham Rd<br />

710 Great South Road,<br />

Manukau<br />

PHONE: 09 262 0209<br />

HAMILTON<br />

The corner Greenwood St &<br />

Duke St, State Highway 1 Bypass<br />

PHONE: 09 815 2073<br />

PHONE: 07 847 5565<br />

SILVERDALE<br />

BAY OF PLENTY<br />

DISTRIBUTION CENTRE<br />

3/5 Mac Donald Street<br />

7/28 Anvil Road, Silverdale<br />

PHONE: 09 421 0662<br />

Mount Maunganui (off Hewletts Rd)<br />

PHONE: 07 574 7415<br />

DISCOVER<br />

AN<br />

Easy finance available. Conditions and booking fee apply<br />

26 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


HAWKE’S BAY<br />

15 Niven Street<br />

Onekawa, Napier<br />

PHONE: 06 842 1305<br />

TARANAKI<br />

Unit 6, 631 Devon Road<br />

Waiwhakaiho, New Plymouth<br />

PHONE: 06 769 5506<br />

WELLINGTON<br />

2 Centennial Highway<br />

Ngauranga, Wellington<br />

PHONE: 04 477 6911<br />

TAUPO<br />

38 Nukuhau Street,<br />

Taupo<br />

PHONE: 07 378 1003<br />

OTHER<br />

WORLD<br />

Now selling new territory for<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> shops. Interested?<br />

PHONE: PETER TOWNEND 0274 529255<br />

To join, see<br />

your nearest<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

shop<br />

www.canoeandkayak.co.nz<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 27


MULTISPORT<br />

Off-Road Running Shoes<br />

by Craig Taylor, podiatrist & co-owner of Shoe Science<br />

An Off - Road shoe or Road shoe has one primary function<br />

and that is to transport you in comfort from point A to point<br />

B quickly and safely. Looking cool and groovy is important,<br />

but comes second to avoiding slipping, falling and breaking<br />

your neck.<br />

Off-road terrains vary hugely, from boggy mud, to slippery boulders to deep<br />

rivers. You need to visit a shop that stocks an excellent range and has staff<br />

with expert product knowledge. A good store sorts everything out for you.<br />

No one Off-Road shoe covers all conditions.<br />

If you are an off-road nut tackling many different terrains and wanting to do<br />

so at speed you will need several pairs of shoes.<br />

Common Off- Road surfaces:<br />

The most common surface is, surprisingly, a combination of tar seal and loose<br />

trail. From the office or home, over a sealed road, to a park with groomed<br />

trails, you need a shoe that has both on-road and off-road features. A heel<br />

height of between 20 mm and 24 mm with cushion features and an outsole<br />

which grips are important. Be careful to avoid shoes that will be slippery on<br />

seal. A trail gripping outsole has a stud type pattern to penetrate soil, but<br />

can be slippery and dangerous on the road if the outsole rubber is too hard.<br />

A soft rubber outsole is required for the tar seal/ trail combo.<br />

All Off-Road shoes provide good upper support in the arch and across the<br />

toes. It is important that your foot does not slide from side to side in the<br />

shoe. Road shoes do not have these upper features.<br />

If river running, ensure that your shoes allow water to run out. No shoe is<br />

waterproof. The water will get in. The trick is getting it out quickly.<br />

If boulder running, your shoes should be lower in the heel and forefoot and<br />

have a very grippy sole. This usually<br />

means it is smooth, with a high soft<br />

rubber content.<br />

So you can see, shoes for<br />

boulder hopping are very<br />

different to the pair you<br />

would use to run from the<br />

office to the local park.<br />

So it is pretty tricky to get<br />

the perfect shoe. As I<br />

mentioned earlier; my best advice is to choose<br />

a good store and have them sort everything out for you.<br />

Mesatrail -<br />

designed for a<br />

combination<br />

of road and<br />

trail running.<br />

Hardrock - designed for<br />

heavy trail. Not suitable<br />

for any road running.<br />

Has reinforced toe box.<br />

Waimakariri<br />

Familiarisation Trips<br />

7th - 15th of January<br />

2006<br />

It is essential that all first time<br />

Coast to Coasters get some paddling<br />

time on the Waimak prior to race day.<br />

Take the jitters out of race day - make it fun-filled<br />

rather than fear-filled and join us for some great<br />

paddling to build that confidence up!<br />

For bookings call Taupo C&K on 07 378 1003<br />

28 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


Horses for Courses<br />

by Nicholas Carman<br />

Every Christmas for the last ten years, my family has rented<br />

the DOC Lodge on Motutapu Island. This year was the same,<br />

but this year I had a sea kayak.<br />

At dawn on Christmas Eve my Uncle John, who was training<br />

for the Speight’s Coast to Coast, and I launched from<br />

Cheltenham Beach, chosen to avoid the strong winds, which<br />

had plagued Auckland over December. John had hired an<br />

ultra-light Tribear multi sport kayak, and I was in my brand<br />

new Eco-Bezhig, a carthorse compared to his boat.<br />

In his thoroughbred, John soon powered ahead of me, arms pumping. He<br />

seemed to be in an awful hurry. This was not sea kayaking as I understood it.<br />

Weren’t we supposed to loaf along the coast and take in the scenery, with<br />

frequent breaks, and a lot of conversation? The only thing John said to me<br />

was “Come on we need to keep moving.”<br />

The wind was kind to us and the sun shone as we crossed the channel to<br />

Rangitoto and paddled east towards Motutapu passing the spectacular<br />

slopes of the volcano. I was all psyched up for a long trip, but it only took a<br />

couple of hours to reach my favourite Christmas destination of Administration<br />

Bay. We enjoyed a friendly swell once we reached Shipwreck Bay. Getting<br />

there in this new way was a real thrill for me. John seemed pleased too. We<br />

shook hands on landing.<br />

On Boxing Day morning the weather was the best since Christmas Eve. Our<br />

kayaks cut a trail through the still water around Motutapu. Fishing boats were<br />

out in force in the Rakino channel.<br />

Rounding Billy Goat point John raced ahead of me again. He wasn’t overly<br />

interested in my comments on the local marine life! Being new to kayaking<br />

I saw many birds I hadn’t seen before. I was particularly thrilled to see a<br />

Little Blue Penguin floating in the water.<br />

Heading towards Islington Bay John in training mode, became a dot on the<br />

horizon. His aim was to get from A to B as quickly as possible. I wasn’t<br />

interested in competing; I was just trying to keep to my own steady pace.<br />

He did let me catch up from time to time - I was carrying his water and<br />

snack bars!<br />

At Islington Bay the tide had gone out. Gardiner’s Gap was high and dry.<br />

The full implication of this immediately did not sink in. On the far side of<br />

the bridge there was a portage over a kilometre of sand. The weight<br />

difference between my boat and John’s became brutally obvious as my boat<br />

nearly yanked my arms out of their sockets, whereas John’s lighter boat was<br />

hardly any trouble at all. I felt rather stretched by the time I reached water<br />

on the other side!<br />

A mere three hours and fifty minutes all up, we were back at Administration<br />

Bay. I spent the rest of that day in bed....<br />

John and a partner did the Speight’s Coast to Coast in the two-day event.<br />

They came 14th in the veteran’s class. I cheered him on at a safe distance<br />

via email.<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 29


AMPRO<br />

GERBER GATOR<br />

FILLET KNIVES<br />

Gator Fillet knives feature surgical<br />

stainless steel blades and<br />

patented handles which set them<br />

apart from the competition.<br />

Gerber revolutionized knife grip<br />

technology when it introduced<br />

the Gator in 1991, winning Blade<br />

Magazine's Most Innovative Knife<br />

of the Year<br />

®<br />

award. The Gator<br />

Fillet series of fillet knives have<br />

handles made of a hard inner<br />

core of glass filled polypropylene,<br />

with Santoprene<br />

®<br />

rubber molded<br />

and chemically bonded around it,<br />

essentially combining the two<br />

materials into one piece. This<br />

creates a handle that is soft and tacky when<br />

gripped, even when wet. This handle is<br />

lightweight, yet extremely durable.<br />

Innovative sheath includes built-in ceramic<br />

knife sharpener.<br />

Available in three lengths: 6", 7.5" and 9" from<br />

only RRP: NZ$34.95<br />

SEALLINE BAJA DECK BAG<br />

Here's the best way to keep a few essentials dry<br />

and handy on deck while sea kayaking. Our deck<br />

bag has waterproof RF-welded seams and a lowprofile<br />

shape to protect against deck-washing<br />

waves. Convenient zip access is guarded by our<br />

patented splash-proof Zip Lips<br />

<br />

closure and rollback<br />

zipper visor. It is built with tough 20 ounce<br />

vinyl and an internal shape-holding stiffener.<br />

Outside, a mesh zip pocket holds small items that<br />

can get wet, and an elastic cord has clips for<br />

attaching a Sealline<br />

®<br />

Map Case or Electronic Case.<br />

A detachable shoulder strap is handy for carrying<br />

on shore.<br />

RRP: NZ$219.00<br />

HOLEY SOLES<br />

The best, most comfortable,<br />

lightweight & downright funky kayak,<br />

beach, tramping, hangin'-out shoes<br />

you'll find! Want something a little<br />

different at the beach this year?<br />

Available in a wide range of discreet<br />

& not-so-discreet colours, Holey Soles<br />

will not only set you apart from the<br />

crowd, they also have a range of<br />

practical uses & features. Wear your<br />

Holey Soles when you're walking your<br />

canoe into the water. Then throw<br />

them into the boat and don't worry if<br />

you miss the boat -They float!<br />

RRP: NZ$39.95<br />

ULTIMATE<br />

ODOUR PROOF<br />

BARRIER BAG<br />

A great item for the camping department is<br />

our O.P. SAK odour proof bags to use for<br />

food storage. The Alaskan polar bear<br />

literally left the food filled bags intact but<br />

raided the<br />

near by trash<br />

bin. O.P. SAK<br />

is rated a<br />

biohazard bag<br />

by the US<br />

Government.<br />

The bags were<br />

strong enough<br />

to be used by<br />

the<br />

government<br />

for Anthrax<br />

containment.<br />

RRP:<br />

22x15cm (3) NZ$21.95<br />

30x40cm (3) NZ$24.95<br />

FISH FINDER<br />

NorCross Marine Products is proud to introduce<br />

the latest in portable fish finder technology -<br />

the FF3355P. This new unit arrives with dozens<br />

of new features, including a mountable,<br />

side-scannable, and adaptable sonar sensor,<br />

4 sensitivity settings, and WeedID.<br />

The new sonar sensor lets you troll, mount, or<br />

float the sensor. It attaches to a broomstick<br />

handle to scan under weeds, lily pads, or docks<br />

to find fish. It also comes with mounting tabs for<br />

hull mounting of your portable fish finder to<br />

canoes, kayaks, and inflatable boats.<br />

The FF3355P is guaranteed to produce even<br />

bigger fish stories...<br />

RRP: NZ$260.00<br />

PADDLE LEASH<br />

• Light weight<br />

• No tangles or twists<br />

• Seconds to fit<br />

• No bounce while paddling unlike heavy<br />

coiled paddle leashes<br />

• Secures paddle to kayak while fishing or<br />

if capsized<br />

• An essential safety item for any kayaker<br />

• Suits sit in or sit on top kayaks<br />

RRP: NZ$24.00<br />

30 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


WHEELS<br />

The <strong>Canoe</strong> & K ayak Trolleys have been designed and made<br />

by kayakers for New Zealand Conditions.<br />

• Stainless steel frames.<br />

• Easy to use and assemble.<br />

• Fits any boat from canoes, to kayaks and sit-on-tops.<br />

• Very few pieces - nothing to lose.<br />

• Heavy duty trolley easy to attach with only<br />

two snap lock knucles.<br />

• Light weight trolley has a simple fold-down system.<br />

• Stand to hold trolley in place whilst loading.<br />

Pricing:<br />

Heavy Duty all stainless steel 3 piece RRP: NZ$349.00<br />

Light Weight all stainless steel 1 piece RRP: NZ$199.00<br />

RASDEX<br />

RASDEX COMBINATION<br />

DECK<br />

Keep the water off your knees but stay<br />

comfortable around your waist with this<br />

combination deck from Rasdex. The 4oz Vent-X<br />

coated fabric used for the one-size waist tube is<br />

waterproof, breathable and fully seam sealed,<br />

and the deck has adjustable elastic shoulder straps and a useful free-draining pocket. The<br />

neoprene deckpiece ensures it stays flat across the cockpit and won't collapse onto you when<br />

the odd wave hits. Available to fit any size kayak, it's the ideal solution when you want to be<br />

both comfortable AND dry all day. RRP: NZ$159.95<br />

TOPLINE<br />

PALM REC ADVENTURE<br />

BUOYANCY AID<br />

A classic recreational PFD with two zipped front mesh pockets.<br />

The front foam has been ergonomically designed to fit male &<br />

female. The front foam has been shaped for extra comfort for<br />

long touring days on rivers, lakes and sea. Adjustment can be<br />

made while wearing the PFD. With front zip.<br />

Buoyancy: > 7.6 kg.<br />

Colour: Red<br />

Sizes: XS (Youth), S/M, L/XL, XXL<br />

RRP: NZ$185.00<br />

OPTIC NERVE<br />

PERFORMANCE<br />

EYEWEAR AT<br />

AFFORDABLE PRICES<br />

Optic Nerve is the latest in sports eyewear<br />

now available through <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> and<br />

other leading sports retailers nationwide. A<br />

market leader already in the US, Optic<br />

Nerve is set to revolutionize the eyewear<br />

industry in NZ - Finally, performance sports<br />

eyewear at affordable prices. The range<br />

includes styles for everyone from the<br />

serious athlete to the casual participant<br />

(and the ones watching). Polarised goggles<br />

and interchangeable styles come with 3<br />

different lens tints and a hard case. Plus a<br />

big range of polarised and general sports<br />

eyewear are now available. All models have<br />

100% UV protection, durable polycarbonate<br />

lenses with focal point technology and<br />

guaranteed optical clarity - all for<br />

RRP: NZ$99-$139!<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 31


SEA KAYAKING<br />

Rakiura in Rain & Red Bands<br />

( Stewart Island Circumnavigation)<br />

by Silvia Turner-Johnson<br />

It was raining. Our trusty Red Band<br />

gumboots were the last to be squashed<br />

into the end hatch before we<br />

launched our heavily laden boats into<br />

the cold waters of Halfmoon Bay.<br />

Stewart Island and gumboots, they just<br />

go together.<br />

us to paddle confidently in bigger seas, and to<br />

have no weather enforced layover days.<br />

We passed beautiful bays and great beds of kelp<br />

as we headed towards our planned stop at Xmas<br />

Village Hut. There was little let up in the weather<br />

as we faced our first obstacle and an important<br />

lesson. The realisation that we would be unable<br />

to land our boats on this stony beach because of<br />

the pounding surf was not lost on our tired and<br />

weary bodies. Backtracking we found a small<br />

stretch of sheltered sandy beach and welcomed<br />

the New Year in the luxury of a hunter’s shelter.<br />

A chance to dry gear and get warm after the cold<br />

temperatures of our first day proved important to<br />

group morale.<br />

The boats sat low in the water and were sluggish<br />

to respond as we negotiated our way through<br />

the moored fishing boats. The local fishermen<br />

shook their heads in disbelief. It was cold and<br />

the rain was heavy and would continue.<br />

Even the hardy fishing folk of Stewart<br />

Island were taking the day off.<br />

This was Rakiura, Stewart Island. In Maori folklore<br />

Stewart Island was the anchor, which held the<br />

canoe ofMaui as he fished up the North Island. It<br />

is a land steeped in history. From the earliest<br />

European settlers who built ships, hunted whales<br />

and extracted tin and gold from the sparsely<br />

vegetated hillsides of Port Pegasus to the fishing<br />

and tourist operators of today, Rakiura influences<br />

all who populate and frequent her shores. The<br />

pace of life is quiet and unhurried. Only a few<br />

kilometres of the island’s 1,600 km coastline are<br />

touched by human habitation.<br />

We had arrived the day before, crossing Foveaux<br />

Strait on the 30th December 2004. Preparation<br />

had begun months before, the idea hatched and<br />

cemented between the 4 of us - Bernie, Janette,<br />

Johnny and myself.<br />

Wearing unseasonable layers of polypro, down<br />

jackets and woolly hats we unloaded our sea<br />

kayaks and 3 weeks of supplies onto the docks at<br />

Oban. After intense scrutiny of the 10-day forecast<br />

we decided to leave Oban a day earlier than<br />

planned and pass the exposed western coast<br />

before an expected window of easterlies in<br />

otherwise southwesterly winds was lost. We were<br />

keenly aware that sea kayaking attempts to<br />

circumnavigate the island are often frustrated by<br />

the extreme weather conditions.<br />

As the noses of our boats pushed out of the<br />

harbour into the large swells rolling onto the<br />

northern coastline our initiation began. The girls<br />

had commandeered the double. The boys were<br />

in the singles.<br />

This choice of boats proved successful, enabling<br />

Paddling out of Halfmoon Bay along northern coastline - Day 1 cold!<br />

32 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


Johnny paddling past Kelp beds.<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 33


We pushed on over the next 3 days to Doughboy<br />

Bay, embracing the intermittent spells of blue sky<br />

and sunshine, travelling close to the shoreline,<br />

lucky to see close-ups of the varying shades of the<br />

West Coast landscape. The towering cliff faces of<br />

the Ruggedy Islands were magnificent. Jagged<br />

rock edges stood raw and stark against the<br />

turquoise blue of the sea. Our first introduction<br />

to surf landings, ‘Stewart Island style’, was at West<br />

Ruggedy Beach. The golden sands beckoned us<br />

in for a lunch stop. In the surf the heavy double<br />

proved herself every bit as capable as the singles.<br />

We made our way down the coastline and into<br />

Doughboy Bay, home to the most remote hut on<br />

the southern walking circuit. The days had been<br />

cool and the prolonged patches of rain had made<br />

it difficult to dry gear. The hut’s warmth from the<br />

fire and respite from the cold winds was a joy not<br />

to be underestimated.<br />

An easy day in preparation for the push around<br />

the Southern Cape was favoured and we camped<br />

on the opposite beach of Easy Harbour, fishing for<br />

dinner among the inner Titi (Muttonbird) Islands.<br />

A male sea lion, irritated at the impudence of our<br />

camping on his beach, visited us frequently during<br />

the evening, roaring his disapproval.<br />

We launched early on the 6th day, a nervous quiet<br />

enveloping the group, as we headed to our last<br />

stop on the West Coast at Port Nicholson. Lunch<br />

was brief due to the cold SE flow, which refused<br />

to abate, and all too soon we were paddling<br />

towards the SW Cape, battling current and<br />

headwind. Closing on the Cape it seemed less<br />

imposing than I’d imagined it to be, but any<br />

momentary relaxation was short lived as I realised<br />

the size of the waves crashing and rebounding off<br />

the headland. The mixing of the tidal currents<br />

from the great blankets of ocean, with the restless<br />

swell and wind, created a cocktail of confused and<br />

steep water. We inched forward around the Cape<br />

and attempted to take a moment’s refuge behind<br />

the small granite dome of Murphy Island lying just<br />

off the Southern Coast.<br />

South Cape lay ahead and we continued through<br />

the heaving seas. The swells became steeper, with<br />

irregular larger waves standing up and crashing<br />

over our boats. I felt the fragility of our trusted<br />

fibreglass vessels, and an awareness that we<br />

hadn’t seen another human soul since leaving<br />

Long Harry Hut four days previously. The pain and<br />

cold were blocked out as motivated by fear and<br />

determination we paddled strongly. Four hours<br />

after leaving our lunch stop we dragged our weary<br />

bodies onto the beautiful sandy beaches of<br />

Broad Bay.<br />

A rest day was our reward. We feasted on<br />

pancakes and chocolate sauce, and later on<br />

succulent crabs caught in the clear waters of the<br />

bay. Escorted from BroadBay the following<br />

morning by the resident sea lion, we rounded<br />

Broad Head into the shelter of Small Craft Retreat.<br />

The fishing again proved bountiful through South<br />

Passage and into Port Pegasus. Pulling into the<br />

beach at Islet Cove we were surprised to meet a<br />

large group of sea kayakers who welcomed us into<br />

their space for the next four days. We appreciated<br />

the use of their hut as a southerly blast swept<br />

through! A highlight of our stay at Islet Cove was<br />

a close encounter with a kiwi. The Islet Cove long<br />

drop offers its visitors a small view of the<br />

surrounding landscape and it was from this<br />

viewpoint that tuis were seen dive-bombing a<br />

harassed looking kiwi. We then had an amazing<br />

experience crawling around in the undergrowth<br />

after him as the kiwi enjoyed his late<br />

afternoon sojourn.<br />

Launching empty boats to paddle up the tidal<br />

waterways of Cook’s Inlet on our day walk into<br />

Gog and Magog made a pleasant change in<br />

Packing boats at Doughboy - always a lengthy process fitting things in.<br />

Johnny’s birthday feast - sushi0.<br />

routine. These magnificent granite peaks stand<br />

tall and all seeing over the scrubby valleys and<br />

plains, and allowed us sobering views of our<br />

journey down the West Coast. Johnny completed<br />

what may well be the first ascent of Gog in Red<br />

Bands. Other excursions were to Bald Cone,<br />

Bulling Bay and the Tin Line. We camped finally<br />

at Twilight Bay feeling a pleasant saturation, ready<br />

for what Port Pegasus had to offer.<br />

A light drizzle, combined with a strong<br />

southwesterly flow pushed us through Whale<br />

Passage and we began our run up the East Coast<br />

of the island. We were resigned to the fact that<br />

our next stop would be Big Kuri Bay with 35 kms<br />

of rugged cliff and rocky terrain to bypass. Initial<br />

boisterous cheers at the healthy tailwind became<br />

34 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


subdued as the wind and sea grew. The crew of a<br />

lone fishing boat heading for the shelter of Port<br />

Pegasus expressed their concern at our plan to<br />

continue up the coast by telling us we were<br />

‘Bloody mad’. What they didn’t understand was<br />

that we couldn’t turn around in those conditions<br />

and were committed to our initial decision. For<br />

the next five hours the following sea became<br />

unpredictable with varying two-three metre<br />

swells and a 25-35 knot tailwind forcing us to<br />

remain completely focused until we reached the<br />

sanctuary of Big Kuri Bay. The double expressed<br />

her discomfort in the conditions. She was picked<br />

up by the waves and once surfing threatened to<br />

broach side on in the trough of waves. Energy for<br />

communicating was limited to a “We’re doing<br />

great,” yelled to Janette as she braced yet again in<br />

front of me. The albatross practised their fly-by<br />

manoeuvres over our boats, and we appreciated<br />

their graceful company.<br />

The sight of Big Kuri brought tears to my eyes. I let<br />

my body surrender to the feelings of complete<br />

physical and mental exhaustion. It had been our<br />

biggest day yet. We felt like true adventurers,<br />

deserving of a DB, as we sprawled on the sun<br />

soaked beach. Big Kuri was yet another tropical<br />

paradise with white sandy beaches and clear<br />

waters. A hunter’s bivvy stood, wrapped in layers<br />

of black polythene and wool packs, testimony to<br />

the toughness of its sporadic inhabitants. We<br />

were thankful for its shelter as an escape from the<br />

hungry sand flies, and the ‘interesting’ reading<br />

material provided plenty of laughs.<br />

The following day we explored the length of Lord’s<br />

River in downpours of heavy rain and decided to<br />

make camp at yet another hunter’s bivvy at the<br />

entrance to the river. The shelter enabled us to<br />

do some much needed drying of clothes and<br />

Janette soon had the outside bath cranked up to<br />

ease our paddle weary bodies. Heading out of<br />

Lord’s River we made for our last destination of<br />

Port Adventure. Spectacular fishing at the<br />

Western Coastline - Ruggedy Mountains in distance<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 35


entrance was closely followed by a large squall<br />

which hit us head-on and stopped us in our tracks.<br />

We sheltered as best we could and waited, heads<br />

tucked down, for the blinding horizontal wind<br />

and rain to ease. Port Adventure Hut was to be our<br />

home for the next two nights and thanks to the<br />

generosity of a couple aboard their yacht, we were<br />

able to celebrate Johnny’s 33rd birthday with<br />

some superb red wine, sushi and cheesecake.<br />

The cold temperatures continued on day 20, the<br />

last day of our trip. We rounded Buller’s Point and<br />

headed into Patterson’s Inlet, slogging into a<br />

strong headwind and crawling to the sanctuary of<br />

Ulva Island, a refuge for native birds. We had<br />

lunch with the birdsong of kaka, tui and<br />

saddlebacks, and watched the antics of some of<br />

the ‘locals’ on the beach - a bunch of brawling<br />

wekas. The wind refused to ease and it was with<br />

pained bodies that we made the final leg of our<br />

journey around Acker’s Point and into Halfmoon<br />

Bay. Beaching our boats in unison, it was<br />

impossible to shake the smiles from our wind<br />

burnt, salt encrusted faces. The South Seas Hotel<br />

lay waiting with a well-earned shower followed<br />

by steak, chips and a cold beer or two.<br />

We had been a great team, drawing strength and<br />

support from each other through the highs and<br />

the lows and enjoying truckloads of laughs in<br />

between. It had been an incredible adventure,<br />

and one that wouldn’t have been as successful<br />

without the help of many of the locals. A special<br />

thanks to Liz and the friendly bar staff who<br />

helped with transporting gear and offered<br />

invaluable advice.<br />

Great fishing - Trumpeter<br />

Photos by Johnny Johnson<br />

Lunch on top og Gog<br />

The end of the journey. Day 21. Half Moon Bay.<br />

36 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


Coastbusters<br />

2006 is all GO<br />

Coastbusters planning and preparation is well under way<br />

for the event to be held in March 2006 - see website<br />

www.coastbusters.org.nz<br />

What is it?<br />

A Bi-annual Sea <strong>Kayak</strong> Symposium put on by recreational sea kayakers for<br />

sea kayakers.<br />

The highly successful last event was held at Orewa in March 2004.<br />

Where is it being held?<br />

Milford Primary School on edge of Lake Pupuke North Shore City Friday and<br />

Saturday with speakers and workshops then Sullivans Bay Mahurangi West<br />

for the Sunday mass paddle exercise.<br />

When is it?<br />

Friday evening, Saturday all day and the evening, Sunday, March the 17, 18, &<br />

19th 2006.<br />

Who can attend?<br />

Any actively involved sea kayaker from any club or group or individual<br />

How do I apply or get more information?<br />

Watch the website for details. Entry information and fee will be posted later<br />

in 2005.<br />

Put it in your diary NOW.<br />

WHATS ON?<br />

ThermaTech<br />

Head2Head<br />

- 12 March 2006<br />

For the first time in fifteen years, the ThermaTech Head2Head will not<br />

be held in the spring. The event is moving to the more competitor<br />

friendly date of March 12th. The decision was not made lightly or<br />

unilaterally. Race organisers had feedback from a wide range of past<br />

competitors and sought comment from potential newbies. There was<br />

regret that H2H can no longer be used as a benchmark for a Coast to<br />

Coast build-up. However, other competitors polled had either a<br />

neutral reaction to the timing, or an overwhelmingly positive one,<br />

citing better weather for training and the event, and less pressure over<br />

Christmas period.<br />

Entry forms are available on www.head2head.net.nz<br />

Team entry fees have been reduced, Individual entry fees held at last<br />

years levels and the usual generous “Early Bird” discounts apply up<br />

to the end of November.<br />

Big Boys Toys<br />

Why should I diary it?<br />

‘Cos you’ll miss out otherwise.<br />

Ask anyone who attended the last one. It was a highlight of the year.<br />

New Yakity Yak T-Shirts<br />

are here!!<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> have commissioned a new Yakity Yak logo design<br />

which will be featured on high quality New Zealand - made T-shirts -<br />

now on sale in your local <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> store!<br />

Be the first to pick one up by calling into your local store... the T-shirts<br />

are a bargain and a must-have for all Yakity Yakkers.<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> will be exhibiting at the Big Boys Toys exhibition, taking place<br />

at Auckland Showground between 11-13th November.<br />

We will be exhibiting on Stand 10. There'll be prizes, competitions, special<br />

show deals - and we'll be on hand to advise on any aspect of kayaking, trips<br />

or courses.<br />

More information on Big Boys Toys will be available on TV, radio and press<br />

campaigns run by the organisers.<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 37


INTERNATIONAL<br />

KAYAKING<br />

The unquenchable thirst -<br />

Life and death on the Ganges<br />

by Kelvin Oram<br />

I met Doug when we were working in a<br />

monkey sanctuary in the Bolivian<br />

jungle. One night over a couple of<br />

beers I mentioned my dream of<br />

paddling down the Ganges in an<br />

inflatable canoe. “Let me know when<br />

you do it,” he said with a smile, “and<br />

I’ll come along,”<br />

The next time I saw him was two years later with<br />

an inflatable canoe under his arm at Delhi airport.<br />

For the next four weeks we were to paddle 1,000<br />

kms down the Ganges River in North India from<br />

Haridwar in the Himalayan foothills to the sacred<br />

city of Varanasi.<br />

We sought travel advice from rafting companies<br />

in Rishikesh. “You must be crazy”; “It’s too<br />

dangerous with just two of you”; and “It’s a very<br />

long way” were words of wisdom from concerned<br />

river guides. However, we hadn’t come this far to<br />

be put off, and although Doug had a dodgy<br />

stomach, known by expatriates as Delhi Belly, we<br />

launched our little rubber boats.<br />

On our first day we paddled through the foothills<br />

and out into the giant floodplain which supports<br />

India’s most populous State - Uttar Pradesh.<br />

Doug’s condition didn’t improve. As a medical<br />

man he described the state of his bowels<br />

eloquently. “Now there is blood and mucus in it!”<br />

Because it was tough for him in the afternoon heat<br />

we stopped several times for him to rest in the<br />

shade, drink, shit and gather his intestines for the<br />

next few kilometres. He made little complaint and<br />

had a grim determination to carry on. With<br />

Haridwar well behind us we camped on our own<br />

little sandbar and watched the sun set over<br />

the river.<br />

For the next few days we paddled happily through<br />

rural India, catching glimpses of village life.<br />

We waved like royalty at people working with<br />

hand ploughs and sickles in the fields, crossing<br />

the river in buffalo drawn carts and carrying water<br />

on their heads in giant silver bowls. Bleary eyed<br />

one morning I peered from my tent at three deer<br />

hunters armed with hefty spears standing over the<br />

boats and beaming at me. As neither of Doug or I<br />

spoke Hindi they conversed in frantic spear<br />

waggling. We understood that they didn’t fancy us<br />

for dinner but wanted to know what we were doing.<br />

By noon on the fifth day, battling the wind not the<br />

sun had become our chief concern and we were<br />

exhausted. We had reached Tigri, a village<br />

inhabited by luminous pink and green folk who<br />

smiled a lot. They were celebrating ‘Holi’, a festival<br />

at which all India goes crazy. We needed a break<br />

from paddling and asked about a hotel for the<br />

night. “Sorry, no hotel, but you can stay in my<br />

house,” came a voice from the crowd. That day<br />

and night Anil and his family fed, watered and<br />

entertained us. We were covered in pink and<br />

green dyes and hugged a lot. Just what we<br />

both needed.<br />

The following day the wind had died away. Still<br />

multicoloured we paddled on with renewed<br />

energy and spent the night in a Maharaja’s ancient<br />

palace with a troup of over-confident monkeys<br />

and half a million mosquitoes. Sleeping in a<br />

palace isn’t an every day experience with or<br />

without such companions!<br />

Our second week started with an army of kids,<br />

eager to carry our gear to the far side of the huge<br />

Naraura dam.This made the portage easy. The<br />

Ganges had become a trickling stream in a bleak<br />

and frustrating maze of sand dunes and<br />

inhospitable scrub. We had to frequently drag our<br />

boats back to ever shifting deeper channels.<br />

At one point, an intimidating group of young men<br />

with sticks shouted at us in Hindi and held onto<br />

our boats (with us in them). When they let us go<br />

we paddled well into the evening in case they had<br />

designs on us that night. Two days later, after<br />

stopping for water at a small village, two guys,<br />

sitting by the river, grabbed Doug’s boat. They had<br />

guns. I approached to see what the problem was<br />

and suddenly the rifles were pointed at us with<br />

demands for “Dollars, dollars !”<br />

Fortunately my wallet was handy. I handed it to<br />

them. They emptied it, pushed us off and ran<br />

away. We paddled like men possessed for a few<br />

minutes, and then started shaking. We were lucky<br />

that they were content with a few rupees, for they<br />

could have taken everything.<br />

Ten minutes later a young man pursued us with<br />

an armful of ‘green snakes’. Still shaking we<br />

paddled hard until he caught us in some shallows.<br />

“For your journey,” he said in perfect English as<br />

he handed us a bundle of bendy green<br />

cucumbers. We munched on them and pondered<br />

the morning’s excitements with one practical<br />

outcome: we determined to keep a small amount<br />

of ‘bandit stashes’ on our persons to avoid delay<br />

in satisfying robbers.<br />

What a country!<br />

We both needed a rest after our second week on<br />

the river and intended to stop in Fateghar for a<br />

hotel break, but we took the wrong fork in the<br />

river. Instead we were paddling amongst half<br />

submerged Hindu corpses delayed in the Ganges’<br />

shallows on their way to heaven. We weaved our<br />

38 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


Doug<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 39


way through the macabre scenes of vultures and dogs picking flesh from<br />

rotting bodies while the stench of decay hung in the humid air like a fog over<br />

the living. It was foreign to our Western sensibilities to be surrounded by<br />

death. But, the locals were unfazed, bathing themselves and watering<br />

their buffaloes.<br />

By week three it was clear that we weren’t going to be able to paddle to<br />

Varanasi in time for Doug’s flight home. So, we decided to catch the train for<br />

the 250 km section between Kanpur and Allahabad.<br />

Back into paddling mode, the pre-monsoon heat was unrelenting. The sun<br />

was a fiery dragon. By midday water bottles were hotter than a cup of tea<br />

and we craved cold drinks. Drenched in sweat we pored over our road map,<br />

which didn’t show bends in the river, to find any sizable town which might<br />

supply a coke or cold water. It became a bit of an obsession. At each bridge<br />

or village we put hand to mouth and called “Pepsi?” the international<br />

river greeting.<br />

Dolphins frequently accompanied us , showing us the main channel and<br />

coming right up to us. It was reassuring to have these beautiful creatures<br />

alongside. Every time they appeared we would drift for a while and watch<br />

them play and chase fish a few feet away.<br />

We reached Allahabad having survived being robbed at gunpoint, burned<br />

alive, charged by buffaloes, assaulted by bendy vegetables, the rotting body<br />

slalom and stench of death, Delhi Belly, the sand dune desert, the wind and<br />

a less than healthy addiction to Pepsi. We were ready for a pit stop ! We<br />

found it in the Hotel Yatrik with its lovely staff, swimming pool, room service<br />

and ICE. We spent two splendid days there grinning a lot and sipping cold<br />

ones by the pool.<br />

We left the hotel for the final 300 kms to Varanasi. Paddling wasn’t easy, for<br />

in addition to the scorching heat we were both sick with the runs and a chest<br />

infection possibly caused by the hotel’s air conditioning. But we still had<br />

the dolphins and a huge ice bucket which Doug had bought to be replenished<br />

at every opportunity.<br />

On our final day, as we rounded the last bend and passed under the huge<br />

bridge just upsteam from Varanasi, a flying Indian, in a large urn accompanied<br />

by a cloud of his charred remains, hurtled past me. We took great care to<br />

dodge the stream of ash and bones at this popular departure point for<br />

cremated Hindus on their way to heaven.<br />

Emotion and thoughts filled my head as we paddled past the famous ghats.<br />

My admiration for my friend and paddling buddy Doug, who had hardly ever<br />

kayaked before and who had persevered in spite of his Delhi Belly discomfort,<br />

was complete. I felt overwhelmed by the kindness of so many Indians who<br />

had offered us food, tea, accommodation and friendship, and gratitude to<br />

the guy who invented the screw-top ice bucket. It had enabled us to sit in<br />

the middle of the Ganges with a cold Coke and think “Maybe this aint so bad<br />

after all?”<br />

Next stop the Nile. It doesn’t get that hot in the Sahara does it?<br />

Editors Note - Kelvin isn’t paddling seven rivers ‘just for fun’ but to raise<br />

awareness and money for Save the Children. Their website is<br />

www.savethechildren.com<br />

40 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


KAYAK DESIGN & BUILDING<br />

The birth of a kayak<br />

- Dusky Bay Classic<br />

THE IDEA<br />

In 1992 the concept of manufacturing a<br />

polyethylene kayak in two sections, then joined<br />

in the centre to form a long sea going double, was<br />

born.<br />

More than 10 years on Max had a new longer oven,<br />

and finally the chance to get on with his double<br />

sea kayak project.<br />

THE DESIGN AND CRAFTING HER<br />

Using the foundation of our composite 6.25mtr<br />

Dusky Bay II, Max started on a shorter<br />

polyethylene model which would cater for<br />

weekend paddling in open waters, yet handle<br />

changing weather and tidal conditions.<br />

HULL: Much of the hull work was done, but in<br />

plastic, large flat areas are a no-go area, so the<br />

beautiful lifting rails, used in the elite ‘Torres’ sea<br />

kayak, shaped the hull beautifully, giving it extra<br />

strength, speed, and stability. Running the rails<br />

all the way to the bow, enabled any wash to shed<br />

early, making for a dryer deck.<br />

DECK: Here is where the fun began! We wanted<br />

good stowage in front and rear, without<br />

compromising a good length between cockpits to<br />

prevent paddle clashing. Could we fit a centre<br />

hatch in? How to make the cockpits comfortable<br />

for thigh and foot? There are similarities to our<br />

other sea kayaks, but working out where it all sits<br />

best, and then getting everything to the right<br />

measure and level, certainly took time.<br />

GETTING HER MOULDED<br />

After months of moulding bog, fibreglass, foam<br />

and sanding, the beast was ready for the Foundry.<br />

With eight of the team to lift her onto the trailer,<br />

by Sandy Wilson<br />

she was off and away. At the Foundry, Brett was<br />

not looking forward to the project. She was one<br />

big girl. Within a few weeks we had the alloy hull<br />

home. Many hours of sanding and sore hands<br />

went into getting a smooth finish. Just when we’d<br />

had enough, the deck turned up. The area was<br />

not as big, but detail was more complex, so more<br />

sanding, and more sanding .........<br />

A heavy duty spider frame was made to lift her in<br />

and out of the oven. Max progressed with the<br />

seats, beefy rudder and all the finishing touches,<br />

while the team sanded and sanded .............<br />

THE FIRST BIRTH<br />

Finally, a long time down the track, the<br />

‘DUSKY BAY CLASSIC’ was ready to be loaded up<br />

and produce.<br />

You wait with baited breath at the first birth of a<br />

new model. Did you get the shrinkage percentage<br />

right, will the hatch rims come away, or will they<br />

buckle with pressure? Is the plastic distributed<br />

correctly, and is the thickness right in vital places?<br />

It is fantastic to see a new project come to<br />

completion. The process is long, and patience is<br />

not every one’s virtue, but the first birth ............<br />

THE BEAST HERSELF<br />

So, once the fittings were complete - this was no<br />

easy task either - the ‘Dusky Bay Classic’ was ready<br />

to be paddled. Her hull design is smooth and fast<br />

on the water. The seats/backrests are<br />

comfortable, with ample thigh and foot room. The<br />

sturdy rudder is easy to lift and drop, and the<br />

footrests manoeuvre the boat effortlessly.<br />

So, we’re more than pleased with her! We hope<br />

you enjoy her too!<br />

And it’s onwards and upwards to the next project<br />

around here (but it won’t be quite so BIG!)<br />

Dusky Bay Classic<br />

Length<br />

544 cm<br />

Width<br />

74 cm<br />

Depth<br />

39 cm<br />

Weight<br />

44 kg<br />

Volume<br />

685 Litres<br />

Cockpit<br />

71 x 44 cm<br />

Accessories Paddles, lifejackets,<br />

spray decks<br />

Retail Price $2950<br />

Max<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 41


BOOK REVIEW<br />

Obscured by Waves<br />

South Island <strong>Kayak</strong> Odyssey<br />

By Paul Caffyn<br />

Ian dropped the parcel onto the bed and asked what was I<br />

getting from <strong>Kayak</strong> Dundee Press. As I ripped it open, I could<br />

hardly contain my glee; it was the reprint of Paul Caffyn’s<br />

first book about his South Island circumnavigation.<br />

All thoughts of getting out of my sickbed and doing chores<br />

vanished... Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code was cast aside...<br />

I snuggled down, I had ‘work’ to do.<br />

Half an hour later, I could tell I was definitely going to be ‘sick’ for the rest of<br />

the day. I was captivated, enthralled, engrossed with the descriptive writing<br />

“...the dark grey clouds in rolls and folds had ominously enveloped the<br />

mountains...little did we know what was waiting for us in Acheron Passage...”<br />

and nodding in agreement with the wisdom of “Although I sometimes<br />

describe the sea as angry or friendly, it is in truth unemotional and has no<br />

feelings; if we completed the trip the sea wouldn’t care; if we failed it would<br />

merely cast our bodies onto the boulders as if to be rid of us.”<br />

It was easy to be drawn into the adventures of Paul and Max Reynolds as<br />

they paddled from Te Waewae Bay to Jackson Bay, to picture a youthful Paul,<br />

his support crew and their antics: “We paddled through a dozen cans of beer<br />

that were bobbing in the chop and powered onto the shingle beach.”<br />

Passages such as “I glanced up over my shoulder and was horrified to see<br />

the face of an eight to nine foot dumper about to break on top of me. Then<br />

Isadora’s stern flicked up as though lifted by a giant hand. The bow dug in at<br />

the base of the wave and as it broke the wave hurled the kayak stern over<br />

bow...” had me wincing, shuddering, and shivering...imagining the cold, the<br />

fear, and definitely not wanting to paddle with Mr. Caffyn.<br />

Paul’s expedition may well have finished at Jackson Bay, but he was hooked,<br />

and couldn’t settle down. “During the four weeks of the Fiordland trip, Max<br />

and I fell into a very satisfying natural rhythm of life, rising with the dawn,<br />

bedding down at dusk, an intensified awareness of the environment, the<br />

tingling, excitement of discovery, the stomach churning of fear...”<br />

Finding no one else keen on accompanying him on a long paddle he set out<br />

solo, with a ground support crew from Jackson Bay to Greymouth, to Karamea,<br />

to Nelson.........<br />

I definitely needed another ‘sickday’, because I could not interrupt the story<br />

of this journey for anything as frivolous or unnecessary as housework. It is<br />

not often I can honestly say this: I did not want to put the book down.<br />

Each chapter is sprinkled throughout with historical tit bits. Maps plot each<br />

stage of the journey making it easy to follow. When registering distances,<br />

first the reader needs to either think in land miles (Paul paddles at 4mph) or<br />

multiply by 1.6 to get kilometres (10 miles = 16 km). To put the distances<br />

covered into perceptive, Paul paddled as much before lunch as most of us<br />

hope to achieve in a weekend, and then he did it again the next day and the<br />

day after that...!!<br />

The suspense, the thrills, the excitement, the fear, the intimacy with the<br />

author and his support crew is carried through to the end of the book. The<br />

details are never boring, just delightful: Paul Dale swam out to meet Paul<br />

and to encourage him to<br />

paddle a bit further<br />

“...attached by a piece of<br />

rope around his neck; a<br />

thermos of hot sweet tea, the<br />

next plastic-coated map of<br />

the coastline...and a bag of<br />

minties.”<br />

Is the book inspirational?<br />

Yes, for more youthful<br />

wannabe adventurers or those needing to break out of their existing unhappy<br />

mould. Does the book inspire me to follow in his footsteps? Personally no.<br />

But, I knew what I had to do. I had to read more about this remarkable man’s<br />

adventures, get a cheque in the post and secure his two other books still in<br />

print before the publicity from the release of this one drew attention to their<br />

scarcity and they sold out.<br />

Obscured By Waves is available from Boatbooks, Auckland or kayak shops,<br />

or directly from Paul Caffyn, RD1, Runanga 7854, West Coast for $35 inc. P&P.<br />

(100 hardback copies, numbered and autographed will be available at<br />

$50 inc. P&P.)<br />

And if you are quick, also available from Paul are - Cresting the Restless<br />

Waves (North Island circumnavigation) $30, The Dreamtime Voyage<br />

( Australia circumnavigation) $35, limp $45 hardback.<br />

Review by Ruth E. Henderson<br />

Paul Caffyn has been paddling since childhood, his first<br />

boat a 17' Canadian canoe. The South Island trip marked<br />

the start of a remarkable kayaking career. In the summer<br />

of 1979, Paul paddled around the North Island, and in<br />

August of that year, teamed back up with Max Reynolds for<br />

a crossing of Foveaux Strait and a circumnavigation of<br />

Stewart Island. Tragically, only months later, Max drowned<br />

in a flash flood while paddling in the Aorere River, near<br />

Collingwood.<br />

In 1980, Paul with Nigel Denis completed the first<br />

circumnavigation of Great Britain by kayak, which was<br />

followed by the big one in 1982, a solo paddle around<br />

Australia. Japan followed in 1985, and in 1991, Paul<br />

completed a 4,700 mile solo, unsupported paddle around<br />

Alaska from Prince Rupert to Inuvik. Teaming up with<br />

Conrad Edwards in 1997, they have since paddled around<br />

New Caledonia, along the west coast of Greenland and from<br />

Kuala Lumpur to Phuket.<br />

42 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


ACADIA 470<br />

A great fun family<br />

boat with plenty<br />

of freeboard<br />

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Excellent for<br />

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Paddles quickly<br />

and has<br />

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Dry storage<br />

compartment.<br />

ESCAPADE<br />

Great general<br />

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and having fun in<br />

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exploring and one of<br />

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Easy finance available from<br />

Conditions and<br />

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

Win<br />

For more information on any of these<br />

kayaks or equipment - fill in the form and<br />

receive an information pack and<br />

Go in the Draw to WIN....<br />

Prize drawn on 30 November 2005<br />

Name:<br />

Email:<br />

Address:<br />

Ph: home<br />

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mobile<br />

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booking<br />

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valued at $995<br />

Send form to: WIN A FISH N’ DIVE;<br />

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ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 43


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

TOURER<br />

This kayak has it<br />

all, even an<br />

adjustable leg<br />

length rudder<br />

system. The low<br />

profile hull of the<br />

Cobra Tourer cuts<br />

down on windage,<br />

enabling paddlers<br />

to maintain high<br />

speed and straight<br />

tracking with easy<br />

handling in all<br />

conditions. The<br />

integrated keel<br />

provides stability<br />

and efficiency.<br />

Length: 4.55 m, Weight: 22.68 kg,<br />

Width: 711 mm (x A hatch and tank straps incl.)<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $1498.<br />

FISH N’ DIVE<br />

The ultimate<br />

fishing/diving<br />

kayak. A large well<br />

is located in the<br />

stern and holds up<br />

to three tanks.<br />

There is one<br />

centrally located<br />

seat and a smaller<br />

companion seat<br />

near the bow. It can<br />

also be fitted with<br />

an optional motor<br />

bracket for an<br />

electric trolling or<br />

small outboard<br />

engine.<br />

Length: 3.81 m, Weight: 25.85 kg, Width: 914 mm<br />

(hatches & accessories not included)<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $1689.<br />

TORRENT<br />

FREEDOM<br />

Great for the surf<br />

and the river with<br />

awesome<br />

manoeuvrability.<br />

Excellent finish.<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $999.<br />

SQUIRT<br />

A Sit-on-Top for the<br />

family. Able to seat<br />

an adult and a small<br />

child. It is easy to<br />

paddle and is very<br />

stable. Easily carried<br />

by one adult or two<br />

kids.<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $609.<br />

SWING 470<br />

PLUS<br />

A fantastic two<br />

person cruising<br />

kayak which is stable<br />

and fast. It has plenty<br />

of storage and great<br />

features to make<br />

your adventures fun.<br />

Length: 3.12 m, Weight: 22.7 kg ,<br />

Width: 810 mm<br />

Length: 2.7m, Weight: 15 kg, Width: 780 mm<br />

COBRA<br />

STRIKE<br />

A Wave Ski which<br />

the whole family<br />

can enjoy.<br />

Fantastic in the<br />

surf, it‘s a fast and<br />

manoeuvrable<br />

sit-on-top.<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $999.<br />

THE PLAY<br />

is great for the<br />

paddler who<br />

wants a fun fast<br />

surf and flat<br />

water kayak.<br />

Kids love this<br />

Sit-on as it is not<br />

too wide for<br />

them to paddle<br />

and yet very<br />

stable.<br />

ESCAPEE<br />

Probably the<br />

closest you will<br />

come to finding<br />

one kayak that<br />

does it all. Surfing,<br />

fishing, snorkelling.<br />

Length: 2.92 m, Weight: 16 kg,<br />

Width: 685 mm<br />

Length: 3.10 m, Weight: 17.27 kg, Width: 710 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $775.<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $1749.<br />

Length: 4.75 m, Weight: 34 kg, Width: 840 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $1069.<br />

Length: 3.3 m, Weight: 23 kg , Width: 750 mm<br />

Easy finance available from<br />

Conditions and<br />

booking fee apply<br />

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

44 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


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

THE TANDEM<br />

‘two person’ is<br />

ideal for fishing,<br />

surfing and<br />

exploring. It has<br />

great hatches for<br />

storing your<br />

adventure<br />

equipment. Now<br />

available with<br />

three person<br />

option. It is often<br />

used by one<br />

person.<br />

DELTA<br />

DOUBLE<br />

Fun for the<br />

whole family at<br />

the beach or<br />

lake.<br />

Plenty of room<br />

and great<br />

stability.<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $1689.<br />

CONTOUR<br />

490<br />

This double Sea<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong> is an<br />

ideal day tourer<br />

with the easy<br />

ability to do<br />

those weekend<br />

camping<br />

expeditions. It<br />

handles well, is<br />

fun to paddle<br />

and has well<br />

appointed<br />

accessories.<br />

WANDERER<br />

EXCEL<br />

A stable fun<br />

kayak which is<br />

easy to handle.<br />

This is an<br />

enjoyable<br />

kayak for all<br />

the family.<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $1999.<br />

Length: 3.81 m, Weight: 25.90 kg,<br />

Width: 915 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $1729.<br />

Length: 4.2 m, Weight: 32 kg,<br />

Width: 830 mm<br />

Length: 4.87 m, Weight: 35 kg,<br />

Width: 800 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $3299.<br />

Length: 4.5 m , Weight: 34kg ,<br />

Width: 820 mm<br />

WHIZZ<br />

A great multipurpose<br />

family<br />

boat for big kids<br />

and small kids<br />

alike.<br />

Lots of fun this<br />

summer at the<br />

beach. (Hot<br />

surfer!)<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $739.<br />

SWING 400<br />

PLUS<br />

Flat water<br />

cruising, well<br />

appointed with<br />

gear storage<br />

inside. Also<br />

includes an<br />

optional extra<br />

pod that<br />

detaches, which<br />

is great for<br />

carrying your<br />

fishing gear to<br />

your favourite<br />

spot. The pod<br />

can also be used<br />

as a seat.<br />

TASMAN<br />

EXPRESS<br />

Responds to rough<br />

conditions. Its low<br />

profile and flared<br />

bow enable it to<br />

perform well in<br />

adverse conditions.<br />

It is designed to<br />

give the paddler<br />

maximum comfort,<br />

with adjustable<br />

footrests, backrest,<br />

side seat supports<br />

and optional thigh<br />

brace.<br />

Length: 2.5 m, Weight: 21 kg,<br />

Width: 770 mm<br />

Length: 4.01 m, Weight: 25 kg,<br />

Width: 780 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $1225.<br />

Length: 5.3 m, Std. Weight: 29 kg,<br />

Lightweight: 27 kg, Width: 610 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $2839.<br />

Give your specialist kayak shop a call and talk to<br />

one of our friendly team to help choose the best<br />

kayak for you.<br />

Easy finance available from<br />

Conditions and<br />

booking fee apply<br />

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

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 45


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

TORRES<br />

A fast and stable<br />

sea kayak<br />

capable of<br />

handling extreme<br />

expeditions.<br />

Huge storage and<br />

lots of leg room.<br />

Prices<br />

start at<br />

$4110.<br />

SEQUEL<br />

Fast, light,<br />

touring kayak<br />

suits beginners<br />

through to<br />

advanced<br />

paddlers. The<br />

hull design<br />

allows for great<br />

handling in<br />

rough water.<br />

Well appointed<br />

and ideally<br />

suitable for<br />

multisport<br />

training.<br />

Challenge 5<br />

Slightly larger<br />

volume than the<br />

Sequel and<br />

lighter at 22kg. A<br />

fast and stable<br />

touring sea kayak<br />

well appointed<br />

and featuring a<br />

great rudder/<br />

steering system.<br />

CONTOUR<br />

450<br />

This kayak is<br />

designed for day<br />

tripping and light<br />

overnight<br />

expeditions. It’s<br />

great fun to<br />

paddle and<br />

handles easily.<br />

Length: 3.43 m, Weight: 18.18 kg,<br />

Width: 790 mm<br />

Length: 5.6 m, Weight: 23kg kevlar carbon,<br />

Width: 600 mm<br />

Length: 4.93 m , Weight: 26kg,<br />

Width: 580 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $2649.<br />

Length: 5 m , Weight: 22kg, Width: 590 mm<br />

(Freight charges may apply)<br />

Prices start at<br />

$3310.<br />

Length: 4.5 m , Weight: 26kg ,<br />

Width: 640mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $2375.<br />

ECOBEZHIG<br />

540<br />

An enjoyable sea<br />

kayak, fast and<br />

nimble with huge<br />

storage, great<br />

features and the<br />

most comfortable<br />

seat your butt will<br />

ever meet.<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $3039.<br />

TASMAN<br />

EXPRESS<br />

KEVLAR<br />

As per the plastic<br />

model, the kevlar<br />

Tasman Express<br />

responds to<br />

rough conditions<br />

but its decreased<br />

weight, and<br />

increased<br />

stiffness, gives<br />

even better<br />

performance.<br />

PENGUIN<br />

Has all the<br />

features for<br />

multi-day<br />

kayaking with<br />

ease of handling<br />

in all weather<br />

conditions.<br />

With great<br />

manoeuvrability<br />

this kayak is<br />

suitable for<br />

paddlers from<br />

beginner to<br />

advanced.<br />

Length: 5.4 m, Weight: Std 26 kg ,<br />

Width: 590 mm<br />

Length: 5.3 m, Weight: 22 kg,<br />

Width: 610 mm<br />

Prices start at<br />

$3979.<br />

Length: 4.8 m, Weight: 25 kg,<br />

Width: 610 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $2549.<br />

Easy finance available from<br />

Conditions and<br />

booking fee apply<br />

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

46 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


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

CONTOUR<br />

480<br />

Is a roomy,<br />

manoeuvrable,<br />

easy to handle<br />

boat. A<br />

channelled hull<br />

provides<br />

outstanding<br />

tracking which<br />

helps keep you<br />

on course. Its<br />

upswept, flared<br />

bow makes<br />

crossing rough<br />

water a breeze.<br />

ECO NIIZH<br />

565 XLT<br />

This upgraded<br />

model is proving<br />

a hit with its new<br />

lighter weight<br />

and some<br />

excellent<br />

features. We<br />

now have a<br />

plastic double<br />

sea kayak that is<br />

great to use for<br />

all those<br />

amazing<br />

expeditions and<br />

adventures.<br />

Length: 4.8m, Weight: 27 kg,<br />

Width: 62 cm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $2499.<br />

Length: 5.64 m, Weight: 45 kg,<br />

Width: 760 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $4129.<br />

TUI EXCEL<br />

A versatile<br />

touring kayak for<br />

lake, river and<br />

sea. Stability,<br />

speed and easy<br />

tracking make for<br />

an enjoyable<br />

day’s paddling. A<br />

larger cockpit<br />

allows for easier<br />

entry and exit.<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $2049.<br />

ACADIA<br />

370<br />

Flat water<br />

cruising, well<br />

appointed, a<br />

nifty<br />

adjustable<br />

backrest, an<br />

access hatch<br />

in the back<br />

which is great<br />

for carrying<br />

your extra<br />

gear.<br />

Length: 4.4 m, Weight: Std 22kg,<br />

Width: 610 mm<br />

Length: 3.7 m, Weight: 20 kg,<br />

Width: 7675 mm<br />

SAVE with a<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Package Deal.<br />

Packages start at $1575.<br />

MULTISPORT AND RACING SEA KAYAKS<br />

KAYAKS<br />

SPECIFICATION<br />

KAYAKS<br />

SPECIFICATION<br />

Weight: 11kg<br />

Width: 450mm<br />

Length: 5.65m<br />

Price: $2995<br />

Weight:<br />

Width:<br />

Length:<br />

Price:<br />

16.5 kg<br />

500mm<br />

6.4 m<br />

$3495 kevlar<br />

& carbon<br />

$2995 fibreglass<br />

REBEL This new fast funky Ruahine <strong>Kayak</strong> is designed for paddlers of both<br />

genders up to 75kgs.<br />

At 5.65 metres long, the Rebel is half way between the length of the Swallow<br />

and the Opus or Firebolt and is faster than them all.<br />

OCEAN X This Racing Sea <strong>Kayak</strong> was designed specifically for the ‘Length<br />

of New Zealand Race’ and built around the safety criteria drawn up for that<br />

race. The Ocean X is also very suitable for kayak racing in the many<br />

harbours, estuaries and lakes of New Zealand and lends itself well to the<br />

kayak sections of many multisport races.<br />

Easy finance available from<br />

Conditions and<br />

booking fee apply<br />

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

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 47


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

MULTISPORT AND RACING SEA KAYAKS<br />

KAYAKS<br />

SPECIFICATION<br />

KAYAKS<br />

SPECIFICATION<br />

Weight: 12 kg<br />

Width: 455mm<br />

Length: 5.9m<br />

Price: $3045<br />

Weight: 14.5 kg<br />

Width: 540 mm<br />

Length: 4.94m<br />

Price: $2295<br />

FIREBOLT This new, very user friendly kayak with its excellent<br />

combination of speed and stability supercedes our very popular Opus. It is<br />

suitable not only for the intermediate / advanced paddler, but also for the<br />

busy, but keen ‘Weekend Warrior’.<br />

INTRIGUE This kayak is ideal for the beginner/entry level kayaker who is<br />

looking for a quick, light kayak with great stability. Very suitable for first<br />

time Coast to Coasters.<br />

Weight: 12 kg<br />

Width: 480mm<br />

Length: 5.4 m<br />

Price: $2795<br />

Weight:<br />

19.09 kg<br />

Width:<br />

585 mm<br />

Length:<br />

5.03 m<br />

Price: $1495<br />

SWALLOW The next step up from the entry level kayaks. Fast with good<br />

stability. Medium skill ability is required to enjoy racing this kayak. A very<br />

popular Coast to Coast kayak.<br />

THE ELIMINATOR is a fast stable racing<br />

and training ‘Sit -on’. It has an adjustable dry seat and a cool draining<br />

system. Ideal for the paddler wanting a good fitness work out.<br />

Weight: 16.5 kg to 19 kg<br />

depending on construction<br />

Width: 510 mm<br />

Length: 6.43 m<br />

Price: $2980 - $3330<br />

depending on construction<br />

Weight: 21 kg<br />

Width: 510 mm<br />

Length: 5.29 m<br />

Price: $1595<br />

Includes rudder foot plate<br />

and pedals as standard.<br />

MAXIMUS Fast ocean going Racing Sea <strong>Kayak</strong>. The broad bow allows<br />

this kayak to ride over waves like a surf ski without losing any speed and is<br />

easy to control while surfing. A low profile reduces buffeting by the wind in<br />

adverse conditions.<br />

SURF SKI An excellent training and competition surf ski, can be used with<br />

under-slung rudder or rear mounted rudder.<br />

Weight:<br />

26 kg Glass<br />

Kevlar/Carbon<br />

24kg Width:<br />

550mm<br />

Length:<br />

7m 7 m<br />

Price: $4995 Glass - $5495<br />

depending on $5495 construction<br />

Kevlar/Carbon<br />

Weight: 22 kg<br />

Width: 550mm<br />

Length: 5.15 m<br />

Price: $1495<br />

Includes multisport rudder<br />

and Ozo foot pedals and<br />

foam pillars fitted as<br />

standard.<br />

ADVENTURE DUET This lightweight, very fast and recently updated<br />

Adventure Racing double kayak continues to dominate adventure racing in<br />

NZ and is very suitable as a recreational double.<br />

VIPER This boat is designed as an entry level alternative to expensive<br />

composite crafts, has good stability and speed. Colours: Stone grey, Mango,<br />

White granite, Lime, Yellow.<br />

Easy finance available from<br />

Conditions and<br />

booking fee apply<br />

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

48 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


Directory: Things To Do<br />

TAUPO Maori Carvings Waikato River Discovery<br />

Mohaka Whanganui River Trips<br />

Half day guided trip to the rock carvings,<br />

Lake Taupo... only accessible by boat.<br />

$85 per person (bookings essential).<br />

Call freephone 0800 KAYAKN for<br />

details.<br />

2 hour guided kayak trip. Experience the<br />

magnificent upper reaches of the mighty<br />

Waikato River - soak in the geothermal<br />

hotsprings - take in the stunning<br />

environment... a perfect trip for all the family...<br />

Price: $40 adult $25 children Special<br />

group and family rates. Call freephone<br />

0800 KAYAKN for details.<br />

Need some excitement? Take a kayak down<br />

this wicked Grade II river run... this is a<br />

whole day of thrills and fantastic scenery<br />

down the Mohaka River.<br />

Price: $100 per person. Call freephone<br />

0800 KAYAKN for details.<br />

Phone: Taupo 07 378 1003,<br />

Hawke’s Bay 06 842 1305<br />

Interested in a great adventure on this<br />

Magnificent River?<br />

Give us a call and we will give you a<br />

memory of a lifetime.<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Taupo<br />

Price on application.<br />

0800 529256<br />

TAUPO Accommodation<br />

Waitara River Tours<br />

Mokau River<br />

Sugar Loaf Island<br />

Accommodation available to Yakity Yak club<br />

members and their families... Ideal for sport<br />

and school groups... Situated on the banks<br />

of the Waikato River our <strong>Kayak</strong>ers Lodge<br />

accommodates up to 12 people, is fully<br />

furnished, with plenty of parking and a quiet<br />

location.<br />

$25 per person per night.<br />

Phone: 0800 529256 for details<br />

For those who are slightly more adventurous at<br />

heart, this is a scenic trip with the excitement of<br />

grade two rapids. Midway down, we paddle<br />

under the historic Betran Rd Bridge where we<br />

will stop for a snack.<br />

Allow 2 hours paddle only. Priced at $50.<br />

Phone: 06 769 5506<br />

Enjoy this beautiful scenic river which<br />

winds through some of New Zealands<br />

lushest vegetation. Camping overnight and<br />

exploring some of New Zealands<br />

pioneering history. A true Kiwi experience.<br />

Two day trips $220.00 or<br />

one day $70.00.<br />

Phone 06 769 5506<br />

From Ngamutu Beach harbour we head out<br />

to the open sea to Nga Motu/Sugar Loaf<br />

Island Marine Reserve. View the Taranaki<br />

scenic, rugged coastline as we draw closer to<br />

the Sugar Loaf Islands. Enjoy the seal colony<br />

and experience the thrill of close up views of<br />

these fascinating marine mammals.<br />

Allow 3 hours subject to weather.<br />

$50.00 per person. Phone 06 769 5506<br />

Hawkes Bay Harbour Cruise<br />

Okura River Tours<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong> Hire<br />

A guided kayak trip round the safe waters of<br />

the Inner Harbour, while learning about the<br />

history of the area. During this stunning trip<br />

around the beautiful Napier Inner Harbour<br />

of Ahuriri, we stop to share a glass of fresh<br />

orange juice, local fruits and cheese platter.<br />

All this for $40 per person.<br />

Phone 06 842 1305<br />

Exploring Karepiro Bay and the Okura<br />

Marine Reserve. Enjoy this scenic trip with<br />

abundant wildlife and a stop at Dacre<br />

Cottage, the historic 1860 settlers house,<br />

which is only accessible by boat or a long<br />

walk.<br />

Okura River <strong>Kayak</strong> Hire Company<br />

Phone: 09 473 0036<br />

Taupo - Open for the summer and by<br />

appointment. Long Bay, Auckland - by<br />

appointment only. Have some paddling<br />

fun on the beach or let us run a Tour for<br />

you and your friends and explore these<br />

beautiful areas.<br />

Phone <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

on 0508 KAYAKNZ for details<br />

New Zealand <strong>Kayak</strong>ing Instructors<br />

Award Scheme<br />

Become a kayaking Instructor and Guide.<br />

Get into gear and get qualified!<br />

It’s fun and easy to do.<br />

Don’t delay phone 0508 5292569 now<br />

Paddle to the Pub<br />

Twilight Tours<br />

Customized Tours<br />

Join the Yakity Yak Club<br />

<strong>Kayak</strong>ing to a local pub is a unique way of<br />

spending an evening, bringing your group of<br />

friends together by completing a fun activity<br />

before dinner and making a memorable<br />

experience. These trips are available to<br />

Riverhead, Browns Bay and Devonport Pubs.<br />

COST: $59.00 each • GROUP DISCOUNTS<br />

AVAILABLE!<br />

Okura River <strong>Kayak</strong> Hire Company<br />

Phone: 09 473 0036<br />

Departs from one of The East Coast Bays<br />

beautiful beaches. Enjoy the scenic trip<br />

with the sun setting over the cliff tops as<br />

you paddle along the coast line.<br />

COST: $49.00 • Group discounts available!<br />

Okura River <strong>Kayak</strong> Hire Company<br />

Phone: 09 473 0036<br />

Mobile: 025 529 255<br />

• Work Functions • Schools<br />

• Clubs • Tourist groups<br />

Whether it’s an afternoon amble, a full<br />

days frolic or a wicked weekend<br />

adventure we can take you there.<br />

If there’s somewhere you’d like to paddle<br />

we can provide you with experienced<br />

guides, local knowledge, safe up to date<br />

equipment and a lot of fun.<br />

Contact your local store<br />

on 0508 KAYAKNZ<br />

Want to have fun, meet new people, have<br />

challenging and enjoyable trips, and learn<br />

new skills?<br />

PLUS get a regular email newsletter and<br />

this magazine! Also, get a discount on<br />

kayaking courses and purchases from<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> stores.<br />

Then, join us!<br />

Phone <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

on 0508 KAYAKNZ to find out more<br />

ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 49


Learn To <strong>Kayak</strong><br />

SEA KAYAKS, TOURING AND SIT-ON-TOPS<br />

WHITE WATER AND MULTISPORT<br />

Stage 1<br />

Stage 2<br />

Stage 1<br />

Stage 2<br />

SKILLS COURSE<br />

A comprehensive course designed to<br />

cover the skills required to become a<br />

technically correct and safe paddler. The<br />

course progresses so you develop<br />

techniques and confidence at an<br />

enjoyable pace with great end results.<br />

This course is run over a weekend or by<br />

request in the evenings.<br />

COST $295<br />

ESKIMO ROLLING<br />

This course covers the skills required to<br />

become a technically correct Eskimo<br />

Roller. You increase your confidence,<br />

allowing you to paddle in more<br />

challenging conditions. Being able to<br />

eskimo roll will make you a more<br />

competent, safe and capable paddler.<br />

Course: 4 evening sessions<br />

COST $200<br />

INTRO TO WHITE WATER<br />

A comprehensive course designed to<br />

cover the skills required to become a<br />

technically correct paddler. Starting off<br />

in a heated pool and progressing<br />

through flat water to moving water, it<br />

allows you to develop techniques and<br />

confidence at an enjoyable pace with<br />

great end results.<br />

Course: Weekend<br />

COST $349<br />

ESKIMO ROLLING<br />

This course covers the skills required to<br />

become a technically correct Eskimo<br />

Roller. This will increase your confidence,<br />

allowing you to paddle in more<br />

challenging conditions.<br />

Course: 4 evening sessions<br />

COST $200<br />

Stage 3<br />

Stage 4<br />

Stage 3<br />

Stage 4<br />

WEATHER & NAVIGATION<br />

Understanding the weather and ability to<br />

navigate in adverse conditions is vital<br />

when venturing into the outdoors. Learn<br />

to use charts and compasses and forecast<br />

the weather using maps and the clouds.<br />

Course: 4 evening sessions<br />

COST $150<br />

OCEANS COURSE<br />

An advanced course designed to build on<br />

your skills. Covering paddling technique,<br />

kayak control, rescues, preparation,<br />

planning and decision making.<br />

Course: Weekend/overnight.<br />

COST $350<br />

RIVER SKILLS<br />

On this course we continue to build on<br />

the skills gained on Stage One and Two<br />

Courses. Developing your skills,<br />

technique and confidence on the faster<br />

moving white water of the Waikato River<br />

and progressing on to a Sunday day trip<br />

on the Mohaka River. Includes, eddie<br />

turns, ferry gliding, rolling, surfing and<br />

building new skills in River Rescue<br />

techniques and River Reading.<br />

Course: Weekend • COST $349<br />

MULTISPORT<br />

During this course we build on the skills<br />

gained on the Stage One to Three Courses.<br />

Developing your moving water skills,<br />

technique and confidence in your Multi<br />

Sport <strong>Kayak</strong>. We start on the Mohaka River<br />

on Saturday and progress to the<br />

Whanganui on Sunday for some big water<br />

paddling. River racing competency letters<br />

are awarded to those who meet the<br />

standard and criteria as outlined on the<br />

Grade Two Competency Certificate. A copy<br />

is available from <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Shops.<br />

Course: Weekend • COST $349<br />

Stage 6<br />

Stage 5<br />

Stage 6<br />

Stage 5<br />

KAYAKING SURF COURSE<br />

Surfing is heaps of fun when you know<br />

how. We will spend the evenings starting<br />

off in small surf and building up to one<br />

and a half metre waves. We will use a<br />

range of sit-on-tops and kayaks to make<br />

it fun and easy to learn. Skills to be<br />

taught include surfing protocol, paddling<br />

out, direction control, tricks and safety<br />

Course: 4 evening sessions<br />

COST $349<br />

RESCUE COURSE<br />

You need rescue skills to look after<br />

yourself and your paddling buddies in<br />

adverse conditions. This course covers<br />

towing systems, capsized kayaks,<br />

T Rescues, paddle floats, stern deck<br />

carries, re-enter and roll.<br />

Programme One Evening<br />

Cost $60<br />

Win<br />

For more information on any of these<br />

courses or tours - fill in the form and<br />

receive an information pack and<br />

Go in the Draw to WIN....<br />

Prize drawn on 30 November 2005<br />

ADVANCED WHITEWATER<br />

This course is designed to sharpen your<br />

whitewater skills and start learning simple<br />

rodeo moves. We will focus on skills such<br />

as river reading, body position and<br />

rotation, advanced paddle technique,<br />

playing in holes and negotiating higher<br />

Grade 3 rapids. We recommend you are<br />

feeling comfortable on Grade 2+ rapids.<br />

Ideally you should already be paddling the<br />

mid section of Rangitaiki or equivalent.<br />

Course: Weekend • COST $349<br />

SEA KAYAK SKILLS COURSE<br />

valued at $295<br />

Name:<br />

Email:<br />

Address:<br />

RIVER RESCUE<br />

This course is designed to cover likely<br />

scenarios on white water rivers. The<br />

course is suitable for paddlers who feel<br />

comfortable on Grade One to Two rivers.<br />

The areas covered are rope skills, muscle<br />

techniques, team control, heads up, risk<br />

management and combat swimming. Also<br />

covering skills required in the following<br />

situations: entrapments, kayak wraps,<br />

swimming kayakers and their equipment.<br />

Course: Weekend • COST P.O.A.<br />

Ph: home<br />

work<br />

mobile<br />

Please send me info. on:<br />

Send form to: WIN A KAYAK COURSE; NZ <strong>Kayak</strong> Magazine,<br />

7/28 Anvil Rd, Silverdale. Phone (09) 421 0662.<br />

50 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005


ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005 51


DISCOVER ANOTHER WORLD<br />

CITY<br />

AUCKLAND<br />

DOMINION ROAD<br />

BALMORAL ROAD<br />

SANDRINGHAM ROAD<br />

502 Sandringham Rd<br />

Telephone: 09 815 2073<br />

Arenel Ltd<br />

T/A <strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Auckland<br />

SOUTH<br />

ST LUKES RD<br />

NORTH<br />

S.H.1<br />

TONGARIRO ST<br />

NUKUHAU<br />

SPA ROAD<br />

LAKE TERRACE<br />

TAUPO<br />

38 Nukuhau Street, Taupo<br />

Telephone: 07 378 1003<br />

Rees and Partners Limited<br />

Trading as <strong>Canoe</strong> and <strong>Kayak</strong> Taupo<br />

NORTH<br />

TARANAKI<br />

WAIWHAKAIHO RIVER<br />

DEVON ROAD<br />

SMART ROAD<br />

Unit 6, 631 Devon Road<br />

Waiwhakaiho, New Plymouth<br />

Telephone: 06 769 5506<br />

Peter & Bronnie van Lith<br />

Trading as <strong>Canoe</strong> and <strong>Kayak</strong> Taranaki<br />

HAWKE’S BAY<br />

TARADALE ROAD<br />

NIVEN STREET<br />

NORTH<br />

15 Niven Street<br />

Onekawa, Napier<br />

Telephone: 06 842 1305<br />

CSJ Limited<br />

Trading as <strong>Canoe</strong> and <strong>Kayak</strong> Hawke’s Bay<br />

NORTH SHORE<br />

SILVERDALE<br />

MANUKAU<br />

BAY OF PLENTY<br />

UPPER HIGHWAY (16)<br />

NORTHERN MOTORWAY<br />

NORTH<br />

CONSTELLATION DRIVE<br />

ASCENSION PL<br />

Unit 2/20 Constellation Drive,<br />

(Off Ascension Drive), Mairangi Bay,<br />

Auckland - Telephone: 09 479 1002<br />

Flood Howarth & Partners Limited<br />

Trading as <strong>Canoe</strong> and <strong>Kayak</strong> North Shore<br />

NORTH<br />

EAST COAST ROAD<br />

MAIN NORTH HIGHWAY<br />

TAVERN ROAD<br />

ANVIL RD<br />

FOUNDRY RD<br />

7/28 Anvil Road, Silverdale<br />

Please phone for opening hours<br />

Telephone: 09 421 0662<br />

<strong>Canoe</strong> & <strong>Kayak</strong> Limited<br />

Trading as <strong>Canoe</strong> and <strong>Kayak</strong> Distribution<br />

FIRST<br />

DRIVEWAY<br />

GREAT SOUTH RD<br />

TOYOYA<br />

BRONCOS<br />

WIRI STATION ROAD<br />

SOUTHERN MOTORAWAY<br />

NORTH<br />

710 Great South Road, Manukau<br />

Telephone: 09 262 0209<br />

J. K. Marine Limited<br />

Trading as <strong>Canoe</strong> and <strong>Kayak</strong> Manukau<br />

TO TAURANGA BRIDGE<br />

MACDONALD STREET<br />

MAUNGANUI ROAD<br />

LIQUORLAND<br />

HEWLETTS ROAD<br />

KFC<br />

3/5 Mac Donald Street<br />

Mount Maunganui (off Hewletts Rd)<br />

Telephone: 07 574 7415<br />

Jenanne Investment Limited<br />

Trading as <strong>Canoe</strong> and <strong>Kayak</strong> Bay of Plenty<br />

HAMILTON<br />

DUKE STREET<br />

KAHIKATEA DRIVE<br />

KILLARNEY ROAD<br />

SH1<br />

BYPASS<br />

NORTH<br />

GREENWOOD ST<br />

DUKE STREET<br />

KAHIKATEA DRIVE<br />

The Corner Greenwood St<br />

& Duke St, State Highway 1 bypass<br />

Telephone: 07 847 5565<br />

This shop is for sale<br />

WELLINGTON<br />

NORTH<br />

NGAURANGA GO RGE RD<br />

CENTENNIAL HIGHWAY<br />

STATE HIGHWAY 1<br />

MALVERN<br />

L V MARTIN<br />

2 Centennial Highway,<br />

Ngauranga, Wellington<br />

Telephone: 04 477 6911<br />

JOIN THE<br />

PHONE YOUR NEAREST<br />

CANOE & KAYAK SHOP<br />

Easy<br />

finance<br />

available.<br />

Conditions and<br />

booking fee apply<br />

www.canoeandkayak.co.nz<br />

52 ISSUE THIRTYthree • 2005

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