ISSUE 4 5 Trans Taupo Race Results - Canoe & Kayak

Who says the West Coast is always rough?by Vincent RoweHere’s some of the shots I took along the way on a truly sublime wind free day between Piha andWhakaruro Bay (just south of Karekare) on Christmas Eve ‘07, when it was the calmest it had been allyear - many said.A closer look at the island off Mercer Bay (the island and beach arevisible from the tracks at the end of Te Ahu Ahu Rd, Te Ahu AhuRd’s off to the left at the top of the Piha hill before going down tothe beach) in almost glassy conditions.This is what the other side of Panatahi Island looks like - this is theisland off Whakaruro Bay (the next one south of Karekare),approx 20metres high, which often has fur seals basking. Three of them werethere and two casually checked me out while i checked them out(swimming within three feet of my kayak), however due to paddlingand coordinating getting my hands dry and using the camera, only gota video clip of one of them in the water and a shot of another lazilyrolling in front of me, which just appears as a swirly ripple .Mercer Bay on the way back in better light, this is the beach which the recent TelstraClear ad was shot at (everything went in by helicopter), in this shot it’s clearer why nota lot of people go down there - mainly just the locals know about how to get down tothe beach ‘cos the track’s not listed on any maps, it must be dry for at least 4 days prior,to fully explore the caves and natural tunnels it must be a king low tide of at least 4.2metres (ideally between 11.00 am and 5.00 pm), which only happens 2 or 3 times a year,it’s 820 vertical feet from the car park at the end of Te Ahu Ahu Rd down to the beachand it’s blinkin’ steep (four sections of rope for the not so sure footed)! Last year therewere no suitable tides or days to fully explore there by foot.Just south of The Gapat Piha, with the TennisCourts on the right.Parked at my favourite beach - Mercer Bay which is just north of Karekare onthe west coast, although inaccessible from the land due to 500+ foot cliffsOne day I’ll get back out there when the high tide’s later in the day (it was 11.00 am when these were shot) and it’s calm like this, toget better shots of the cliffs and dozens of caves along this section of coast with sunshine on and in them.