Be in to win a $500.00 gift VouCher - Canoe & Kayak

Very Kayakable by Simon GreigAfter four months of kayak withdrawal,and a five day high, two penguin litesordered from our reliable Canoe andKayak BOP Centre arrived in Rivertonon schedule. We, Karen and I, hadbrought the rest of our gear from Mt.Maunganui. We tested everything ona two hour kayak around the JacobsRiver Estuary. All systems go, Thepoggies a must to keep hands warm!Next day, at almost full tide, in great weather,no wind, mirrored views, we kayaked acrossthe Estuary, through The Narrows, and up thePourakino River.. Very kayakable. paddling theclear, slow flowing river, we passed whitebaitstands entered the serine native forest under abeech canopy. We landed amongst the trees for abite to eat but did not stay long. Kayak booties dohave some thermal properties, but icy soil doesget in. Back on the water for a leisurely kayakdown stream on the out going tide we were almoststranded taking a short-cut. According to the GPS,we had travelled 24 km.Two days later, Lake Monowai was ‘VeryKiwi Association of SeaKayakers N.Z. Inc.(KASK)KASK is a network of sea kayakersthroughout New ZealandKASK publishes a 200 pagesea kayaking handbook whichis free to new members: thehandbook contains all youneed to know about seakayaking: techniques andskills, resources, equipment,places to go etc.KASK publishes a bi-monthly newslettercontaining trip reports, events, book reviews,technique/equipment reviews and a ‘bugger’file. KASK holds national sea kayaking forums.kayakable’. Karen and I started about mid-day.The sun was shining and there was a gentlebreeze. The northern sides of the hills had nosnow. Except for the beech trees, it could havebeen a lake anywhere in New Zealand. Paddlingtowards the base of the V shaped lake the aweinspiring snow capped mountains were mirroredon the water. We were the only two on the lake.Often when we stopped to listen, we heard nativebirds, and trickling streams or waterfalls. That’sit. Serenity on water. The disposable camera didnot do it justice.We intended to kayak for 2 hours before turningback, but the perfect conditions persuaded usto continue to the end of the lake. We landed onthe quartz gravel beach for refreshments withoutinsect repellant, and the sand flies had beenwaiting for us! Surprisingly we did not get bitten.Maybe the garlic in the vegetable juice we had forbreakfast did the trick, or we did not stand still forlong enough. Who knows?Within minutes of starting back, what appeared tobe a bow wave from a large boat crossed the water.It preceded wind coming from the other side of theV. Astonishing! I had never seen a wave beforethe wind. Within ten minutes, it was gusting withwhite caps but it was still calm in the V ahead. Thepressure was on to get there before the wind gotstronger. We experienced the odd wind gust, but itwas mostly calm. It was a reminder of how quicklythe conditions can change.We had travelled 27 km according to the GPS. Theextra distance caused us to get off the water infading light. The temperature was dropping makingpoggies and woollen hats essential. We used ourhead torches to change and put the kayaks on theroof rack. We should have remembered that forsafety, allowing plenty of time to get off the wateris important in winter, even up north. Maybe theexperience had been more than ‘very kayakable’.It verged on being dangerously ‘too kayakable’,the condition in which a kayaker loses all senseof space and time.We are aware how difficult it can be for NorthIslanders to arrange a trip on a Southland/Fiordland lake. If any member is interested inhiring the kayaks and gear at the same rate asyour local Canoe and Kayak Centre, or even need akayak buddy, please contact us. We could come toa reasonable arrangement to pick you up from theairport and deliver you to your destination. Thiscould be the beginning of something new.Simon Greig and Karen Robertson:sfgreig@gmail.comKayaking calmness - Lake MonowaiWebsite:www.kask.co.nzAnnual subscription is $35.00.KaskPO Box 23, Runanga 7841,West Coast30 ISSUE FORTYthree • 2 0 0 7