Way Down South
Trip Start
Aug 18, 2008
1
25
38
Trip End
Aug 16, 2009
Bluff,
South Island,
New Zealand
Thursday, February 5, 2009
We rented a sea kayak for a few days and set off to follow the coast around to a remote campsite, it was a fantastic day so we pack a tent, food, water and beer. On the way we met a penguin, fur seals and lots of Shags (the birds). It was all going well for a few hours until we turned the corner of the headland to find a full gale blowing. Not being the most capable at kayaking ( we were in a double kayak, which is also known as the "marriage tester") we decided to sit the wind out on a beach before the last pull. We made it in the end to what we thought was a remote beach. The first people we met was the nudist, they must have thought that they were the only ones on the beach. Later when we were having dinner on the beach enjoying the sounds of the sea and the taste of the red wine, a "party" boat turned up. It was some local workers out on their Christmas do, so much for our quite beach scene. They did offer us to join them and promised us beer, but it was a lame party and we never saw any beer!!! The last intruder to our Robinson Crusoe experience was a rude possum that kept us awake by eating our rubbish right out side the tent, Maja was very scared, not helped by us talking about the blairwhitch project!! All in all it was an amazing trip, The weather was better the next day so we had an easy paddle back with some stops for snorkeling along the way.
We have seen all the tourist attraction, that you should see on the way down and a few extra special ones, like getting really close to some little blue penguins. We were watching them come home at night, and when we decided to leave one walked right pass us, a little later 2 juvenile ones came out so close to us that we could have touched them, We also met a Hooker Sea lion, a huge male you didn't want to get to close to.
We are as far south on the south island as you can go, so are heading north on the west coast and stopping in to see some people we know along the way.
