Sea kayaking and other adventures

This morning we went sea kayaking for the first time. Our hosts, Helen and Derry, are kayakers and graciously let us take their kayak to sea! Matt and I have both done a little bit of lake and river kayaking, but this was our first time on the ocean. We paddled around two small islands near shore that are full of birds. Heaps of spotted shags hang out there and some are starting to make nests so we saw them fly right in front of us with beakfulls of nesting material. We also watched some terns diving into the water for fish.


We left our camera with Helen so she could take a picture of us.


Our Friendly hosts, Derry & Helen

Shortly after our little kayaking trip, Helen & Derry headed out for a two-day kayaking trip. We've had an excellent time exploring Golden Bay from their home. The weather has mostly been beautiful. Takaka, the nearest town with a grocery store, seems to have a lot of artists and hippies so it makes for interesting shops.

For the Glenview-ites reading the blog, you'll understand that I just had to follow a sign that said "The Grove, 1 km."



It turned out to be a beautiful little scenic reserve full of nikau palms (NZ's native palm), rata, and other native plants. We had a great time watching fantails flit around us looking for insects to eat. There were also awesome limestone formations. It would be an excellent place for kids to play all sorts of imaginitive games.


Where's Matt?

We also visited the incredibly clear Te Waikoropupu Springs (Pupu Springs for short). They said it is the clearest water in the world, second only to water under the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.


This picture hardly does it justice. People used to be able to dive or snorkel at certain times, but it is now closed to all human contact with the water. The springs are sacred to the Maori and they are trying to control the spread of a noxious algae, didymo. You can't touch the water, fish in it, or fill your water bottle from it let alone fall in it because didymo can reproduce itself from ONE CELL stuck to your damp bathing suit or shoes and take over a river.

Tomorrow we're leaving Golden Bay and heading towards Kaikoura. We're planning to spend tomorrow night in Picton and drive the rest of the way to Kaikoura on Wednesday. Whales, here we come!

Carrie