Cruising past Nugget Point

Paddling soon!

It's looking like I will be hitting the seas again on monday!  so fingers crossed for 2 weeks of good weather haha.  Still no takers for joining me.. I guess the ozzys are too soft..

Early morning start from Kaka Point

The current forecast- just incase anyone thinks I'm slack for not being on the water..

Issued by MetService at: 4:54pm Monday 1 Oct 2012

Forecast: *** GALE WARNING IN FORCE ***

Valid to: Midnight Tuesday 2 Oct 2012

Southwest 25 knots, becoming westerly 35 knots in the morning,rising to 45 knots for a time Tuesday evening. Sea becoming high for a time. Southwest swell 2 metres developing. Northeast swell 1 metre offshore. Fair visibility in showers.

Outlook following 3 days: Westerly 40 knots, changing Wednesday night southwest 25 knots. Tending Thursday evening northerly 25 knots and rising early Friday 35 knots. Changing late Friday westerly 40 knots. Sea very rough at times. Moderate southwest swell,becoming heavy on Wednesday.

The Southern Scenic Route, Taieri Mouth to Bluff

Thought I'd put up a wee update on my paddle down from the Taieri to Bluff.  I was pretty excited about having more than one day off in a row but as it turned out it wasn't to be.  I only had one last day of NE before it was going to turn SW, so I dragged myself out of bed early and got back into it.  Eddy and his parents Barbara and Arthur came out to see me off.  I'm just gutted I couldn't have stayed longer.  I have met so many amazing people along the way who have in some ways all become a piece of this journey.  It's great to spend time with people with such a fresh and childish outlook on life (I mean that in a good way!!) So thanks :)

Me, Eddy, Arthur and Barbara White

Sunrise at the Taieri Mouth

I made good time down to Kaka Point, about 55km down the coast.  The 2ft high surf proved too much for me though and I took a roll!! the first roll I have taken since the West Coast, amateur!! I'm certain it was because my mum was there to meet me, the same thing happened the last time I saw her at Bruce Bay.  I must be intimidated by her stalker camera lens, nothing quite like installing her faith in my abilities haha.

The next day I paddled past Nugget Point, and for the next 12hrs pushed into a south westerly, a lovely Southland day in the rain and wind.  I arrived at Tautuku late in the day where I encountered a bunch of drunken loose units from Fonterra.. my advice is if you ever see a milk tanker, stay well clear!! It turns out Osama bin Laden is actually alive and drunk at Tautuku.. it was an entertaining evening, and I really was thankful for their hospitality.  One of the guys who they called Beagle used to commercially fish along the south coast, so he pointed out a bunch of good landing places on my maps- it's always good to get some local knowledge.  I had a hot shower and dried my paddling gear out over the fire as I listened to a couple of drunken fools having a sing along, pretty hilarious really.  They cooked a feed for dinner and it really was nice to sleep inside on a rainy night.  It was quite the experience.

A beautiful day in Southland

From Tautuku I paddled another long day and camped just past the lighthouse on Waipapa Point in view of Bluff and Stewart Island.  It was a clear night and I made a sweet fire on the beach and stayed up late, cooking some food over the fire and watching the stars.  It was a bit of a shame to blast through the Catlins but the weather was okay, and my mission was to get to Bluff before the weather turned.

Waipapa Point lighthouse in the distance

The next morning I got up late to try and get the tides right for the crossing to Bluff.  I practically straight lined it from Waipapa to Bluff, which put me way offshore for most of the day but it seemed worth it, a short cut is always good.  The hardest part of my day was getting into the harbour, there was quite a current and with so much kelp I could hardly paddle! Eventually I made it and just as I was pulling up on a beach I saw a lady running down the street waving at me.  She came down onto the beach and said "you must be Tara!" It was Meri Leask from Bluff Fisherman's Radio, the legend I had heard so much about.  I'd thought about talking to Meri before we set off on our trip but I decided it was best to wait till we had almost paddled the whole way round the island before we told her our intensions.  To the normal person, the idea of paddling a kayak up the Fiordland Coast does seem a bit daft.  But as it turned out she didn't give me a hard time at all, conveniently she had just gotten a message about a guy SWIMMING down the Fiordland Coast!! That was a few days ago and he made it as far as Sutherland Sound but got rescued today I just read on the net! haha.  I must have looked perfectly normal after this guy.  Meri really was lovely, and I left my boat at her place before heading into Invercargill with my folks.

It's looking like I'll be spending the week here as 35K Westerlys don't sound too much fun, maybe for kite flying but not for kayaking..  So from here my next stop will be Riverton, then across Te Waewae Bay to Port Craig before I shoot off round Puysegur Point into Preservation Inlet.  I'm excited about getting back into Fiordland, it's such a magical place.  At this stage I'm not real excited about finishing though, that means finding a job and living in the real world again.. so if anyones got a job for me, let me know! anywhere, UK, Canada, USA, Australia..

Will put up a post before I head off again, but at this stage its not looking nice for at least a week.. at least the days are longer now, a 6am start really doesn't seem that bad anymore!

:) Tara

Made it to Bluff this afternoon!!

Hi Everyone,

It's been a pretty huge week but I have finally managed to have a day on land while some strong NE winds blow through.  I have made it down to the Taieri Mouth, south of Otago Peninsula.  Here's and update on my latest adventures,

After a few weeks off from paddling I finally headed back to Akaroa last Friday, ready for a big push south.  I approached this next leg of my journey with caution, as this part of the coast deserves a lot of respect with its reputation for lack of landings, dumping surf and steep gravel beaches.  Paul Caffyn had said to me that this part of the coast is home to some of the most violent bumper dumpers he's ever come across.  'Boat and body breaking violent dumpers' were his words.  Going solo, without a land crew to help me launch and land along this part of the coast was not going to be easy.  However, I was confident in my ability to land through the dumpers, and my main concern was more the possibility of not being able to launch again off the steep beaches.  It was looking like I'd have the weather window I needed to get down to Timaru, so I went for it.  

I set off on a grey rainy day, paddling about 50km from Akaroa before landing somewhere along from Birdling's Flat on the sand spit that separates Lake Ellesmere from the sea.  As it turned out my first landing went as perfect as could be and I got off the water just before dark and in the rain set up my tent in the dunes.  This had got to be one of the most bleak places I have ever camped in NZ, with nothing but gravel, sand and ocean as far as you can see.

South of the Rakaia Mouth this is all you can see for miles and miles

The next morning I set off early and had a brutal day paddling into a strong current flowing up the coast, as well as a head wind.  I was crawling, paddling about 2km an hour.  Approaching the channel of the Rakaia River I timed it between the sets and paddled into the mouth.  The only problem being that as soon as I got into the channel, the current was too strong to make headway.  Luckily I managed to tred-mill until the next set came through and I surfed a small wave in.  The forecast for the following way was for a 35K SW front to come through late morning so I decided to stay put for the day.  I had an entertaining afternoon as I sat inside my tent holding the poles as huge gusts and pounding rain tried to rip the tent to pieces.  Fun times.  

From the Rakaia I paddled about 50km down the coast and managed to pull off a dicey landing late in the day, right on high tide- not ideal for steep gravel beaches! I made a break through the dumpers and aimed for a tiny stream that cut at a 40 degree angle to the beach.. with a 2m high vertical gravel bank on one side.  Luckily it worked, and I didn't get slammed into the bank.. it was sketchy but I didn't have any other options.  I pitched my tent inside a mai mai and went to sleep contemplating how I was going to get off the beach!  I survived the break out early the next day without any drama, and put in another big days paddle all the way to Timaru.  Sim's sister came and found me and I stayed at her place for the night, thanks Naomi :) I ate a footlong subway and two large pizzas in the space of an hour, it was awesome.  

From Timaru I paddled about 50km south with a SW headwind for most of the day.  About 2 hours before dark I started looking for somewhere decent to land- there was nowhere, only nearly vertical gravel beaches with huge dumpers.. again high tide making them even worse.  I sprinted for the next few hours hoping to make it to the Waiho River where I was sure I could paddle into.  Right on dark I arrived only to discover the mouth wasn't open so my only option was to attempt a landing.  It went surprisingly sweet as, and I managed to ride up on the back of a big dumper and dig my paddle into the gravel before getting sucked back out again.  I called Sim's parents Paul and Gael, and they took me back to Waimate for the night for a feed and hot shower.  

Sim's dad after helping me launch from the Waiho River Mouth

As tempted as I was to spend a rest day there the forecast was good.. so I had to keep moving.  Paul helped me launch early the next morning and with a NE wind behind me I put in a huge 80km day all the way to Moeraki that day.  I was nearly dead by this stage but again the forecast was good!! So I pushed on, putting in another 65?km to the entrance of Otago Harbour.  I caught up with some friends Mike and Rosie who had my food stash, and declined their offer to head into town for a bed.  Unfortunately the forecast was again good, so I had to keep moving!!  So another early start and another huge day saw me arriving at the Taieri Mouth after another 65?km paddle.  Thankfully the forecast for today and tomorrow is not good!!  I'm staying with Eddy and his legendary parents which is awesome.  

Not sure when I will make a move from here, but if anyone wants to come for a paddle, get in touch! for some reason I haven't had any takers so far.. not sure why!?  Will get a post up when I decide to leave, its looking okay in a few days time.  

:) Tara

Another quick update to say I have made it down to Timaru this afternoon after a few big days on the water.  Paddling south tomorrow.. weather is good.. awesome!

Paddling south!

Just a quick note to say I'll be hitting the seas tomorrow.  Will hopefully get down to the Rakaia River mouth on Sunday and should be able to continue on south on Tuesday. 

Beautiful New Zealand weather

I thought I'd post this latest weather map up to show the folk up in the northern hemisphere what we're dealing with at the moment.. Tuesday is forecast for 40 knot south westerlies so I think I'll stay on land for a while..

recent happenings...

Our expedition has come to a turning point and Sim and I have decided to go our seperate ways, which means that I will be continuing on this journey alone.  Attempting to paddle around the South Island in winter was never going to be an easy undertaking, and although we started out about 3 months ago now, we have only managed to paddle about 37 of those days.  Exciting weather on the West Coast made progress slow, and on several occasions we were trapped onshore for a week at a time, as huge seas pounded the coast.

Paul Caffyn had said from the start that it was never going to be easy, and our lack of daylight hours in the middle of winter left very little room for error.  Luckly we managed to survive only 3 night surf landings, and at times like this, it's always a great peace of mind to know that you're not alone.. no matter how little it actually makes the situation any better!  It's been awesome to have shared a majority of this trip with Sim, who amazingly managed to conquer the entire west coast only taking 3 rolls.. that is if you exclude when he got 'Heaphy'd'.  I think its important to recognise Sim's achievement, having paddled nearly 3/4 of the way around the South Island in winter (that is if you include the Te Waewae Bay to Milford section we paddled last winter).  So a big thanks to Sim, you are a legend!

The South Island is getting pounded by some intense weather at the moment, and I'm afraid that its a mark of the beginning of the unsettled spring weather.  But I plan to head back up to Akaroa and get paddling south as soon as the seas die down.. hopefully I'll get some nice north easterlies!  People often ask me how long I expect it to take to get back to Milford- I really don't know, and I'm in no hurry as my focus at this stage is just completing the trip.  It's looking like Stewart Island is going to have to wait for another time, which I'm happy about.  So from here to Milford, progress will no doubt be slow, but I'm cool with that.

If anyone wants to come for a paddle, that would be awesome! flick me a message, my cell number is 0221987951

:) Tara