Sea Kayaking - Canoe & Kayak

ISSUE FORTYnine • 2009 25
In wind and rain we drove up the coast to
Lake Rotoroa, pausing to catch up with Paul
Caffyn at Punakaiki.
New Year’s Day, sheltering from the rain
under a tarpaulin, was quiet. We fought off
even more sandfl ies and went to bed early.
Then, fi rst thing, still in pouring rain, we were
paddling to Sabine Hut where we found
Richard Cowan and several trampers. We
tramped with them to a picturesque gorge,
hiked up an even steeper ridgeline and greatly
enjoyed the surroundings.
The next morning we returned to Rotoroa,
drove to Picton and grabbed a vacancy on a
ferry leaving in 15 minutes, 24 hours earlier
than our booking. Not having showered for
a few days we thoughtfully avoided crowded
places! We were home in Palmerston North
the next day.
Dennis on Lake Monowai
Our sorties amid fantastic scenery had
ranged from 13 to 34 km and the people we
met had shared great stories. Thanks to our
wives and families for letting us disappear,
Dennis’ sister-in-law, Janet, for the use of
her house on the way down and back, and
to Paul Caffyn for the paddling ideas, it was
a marvellous holiday.
Ignore the sandfl ies
Lake Ellery campsite
Seven tips for surviving the sandflies.
by Dennis Hynes
Managing sandflies is a must for anyone hoping to enjoy the
outdoors, especially in the South Island’s Nelson lakes, the
Westcoast and Fiordland.
Don’t get out of the air conditioned car - not much chance then of
enjoying the outdoors so.
When kayaking, keep paddling (the little suckers are ready for you as
soon as you stop).
Just ignore them. (We tried that for all of 30 seconds)- see photo
Give up on shorts and tank tops. Cover every mm of exposed skin with
clothes thick enough to stop them biting through – leave paddle gloves
on. Hats with neck & ear fl aps work well when combined with a decent
insect repellent sprayed onto the fl aps. Gauze headnets are good for
stopping the sandfl ies, but remember to lift the front up when imbibing
medicinal potions post dinner.
Spread plenty of decent insect repellent on any exposed skin. Insect
repellents are not all born equal. The only ones that really work are those
with Dietthyltoluamide. Unfortunately they tend to have the most health
warnings (shades of thalidamide).
Spray the insides of tents, huts with insect spray just before you go to
bed. Keep zips done up & check for defects in the gauze. They will fi nd
any opening. At times sand fl ies banging against the tent sides sounds
like persistent rain.
Instead of cursing them, give thanks that they have kept humans from
commercialising some of our most pristine settings. Without the sandfl ies,
the Nelson lakes would no doubt be built out with holiday homes, much
like the Rotorua Lakes. Instead the tourists climb out of their buses, start
waving their arms around like madmen, take a few photos and move on.
Heaven!