Kayaking with seals

Trip Start Feb 11, 2008
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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

It was an early start as we had to make sure we were at the kayak place by 08:30. When we arrived we met our guide, Darryl, and six others who would be doing the trip with us. Darryl was a friendly, laid back, no worries kind of guy with shaggy blonde hair, and a sun weathered face. He seemed an adventurous guy with lots of stories to tell. We got kitted out with life jackets and waterproof camera bags and then boarded the boat, which was then driven a few minutes down the road to the boat ramp. We were taken on a 30 minute boat ride to our drop off point, Onethauti Beach at the centre of the Tonga Island Marine Reserve. Along with kayaks, paddles, lunch and other equipment, the driver dropped us off on the beach. Darryl gave us a briefing on how to kayak, do and don'ts etc, then we were set. I opted to navigate in the front, while Mike was the skipper, steering and operating the rudder. We paddled up to Shag Harbour, which has the largest seal colony along that stretch. It was a beautiful day and the tide was just right for seal spotting. It wasn't long before we saw a few seals swimming and playfully jumping through the water. As we ventured further into the cove, we saw plenty more, most of them were nine month old pups and full of energy! They were so friendly and enjoyed swimming alongside our kayaks, scratching their backs on the rudders and coming up to sniff our outstretched hands. One seal attempted to jump onto our kayak but slipped back into the water. Darryl said that these seals are particularly friendly because it's what they're used to (people) as they've been in this environment since birth. Typically, seals would run a mile if they came into contact with humans. We were also very lucky to have been given the opportunity to go to Shag Harbour as often the tide is too low. After lots of photos, it was time to get moving again. The seals were so cute and entertaining, rolling around in the water, affectionately playing with each other, that I just could have watched them all day!
We headed to Tonga Island, which is a marine reserve. Here, we saw lots of birds and some more seals. Along the way, we passed a few small beaches, which are completely deserted. The scenery is beautiful, the beaches set against a backdrop of bush and forest.
We stopped for lunch at a beach called Mosquitoe Bay. Despite its name, we didn't see any mossies fortunately! It was a beautiful beach, only accessible by kayak/boat. Like the others, it was also deserted and it felt like were on The Beach in Thailand again. Darryl warmed up some potatoe soup and we sat enjoying our food, while the afternoon sun was warming our damp bodies.
After lunch, Mike and I swapped so that I was now in charge of steering. It was more difficult than I thought it would be and it took me a while to get the hang of it. But after veering off in random directions several times, I finally mastered it. We passed a few more beautiful beaches, some with holiday homes on them, which only the rich could afford. We got to Anchorage, our last stop, at about 15:30, which at that point I was relieved about because my shoulders and arms had just about had it from all that paddling! The water taxi was waiting for us to take us back to Marahau. It took a while to load on all the kayaks, meanwhile I was freezing as I sat on the boat in soaking wet trousers. Although the sun was beaming, it being Spring, there was still a sharp chill in the air. When the boat got moving, I was even colder as the wind was blowing my wet clothes onto my skin.
When we got back to Marahau, a fruit juice was waiting for us. It was a fun, if exhausting day out and worth seeing the seals. I must be a real sucker for punishment because when we got back to camp, I decided to go for an hour run - well, I have got a half marathon in Nov to think about! It was a lovely run, along the Abel Tasman track just before sunset. I ran past a beach called Coquille Bay, before turning around to head back. A perfect end to a perfect day!
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