Coromind - Issue 34 - October25 - Coromandel's Collaborative Magazine - Flipbook - Page 15
Finding Stillness Between the Swells
In November last year, a few of your local Haheitians
managed to 昀椀nally make a trip happen that had been on
the ‘Missions’ list for years – from the end of the road,
Fletcher Bay, back home to Hahei Beach, via sea kayaks.
We would carry everything we needed for 昀椀ve days and camp
along the way.
There is a string of idyllic beachfront campgrounds along the
east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, and plenty of coastline
inaccessible by road that we were about to explore.
The crew consisted of Ash, Ana and Lucrecia. Ash is an
experienced sea kayak guide, Ana has dabbled, and Lu will
get involved in any adventure that comes her way. We had a
few weeks before the busy summer season kicked o昀昀 where
none of us were too committed with work, and hoped a
weather window would fall within that time. Maps, advice and
gear were sourced from various local sources, SwellMap and
Windy were monitored, and it all fell into place. The stars had
aligned for the last week of November, and we had a perfect
昀椀ve-day window.
Planning to leave Monday afternoon, we laid out all our gear
in Ash’s lounge, organised food into separate meals, and
made a rough plan
of our route. By that
time, it was late and
dark, and we were
in danger of getting
frustrated with each
other before we had
even left Hahei.
Phones in 昀氀ight
mode for 昀椀ve days,
we entered our
own little world of
salt water, cups of
tea and sleeping
under the stars...
Departure
was
delayed until 6.30am
the next morning;
gear in the boot,
kayaks on the roof,
a few last-minute
calls
to
borrow
essential items we’d
forgotten, and on the
road north. We were
a little nervous about what we could 昀椀t, and didn’t want to
be too heavy in our kayaks, losing stability. Loaded up,
we dragged our kayaks down to the water at Fletcher Bay.
Ash pushed Lu and I out in our double kayak and we didn’t
wobble around too much, and he launched himself without
putting a hole in his lightweight kayak on the rocks.
A good start! Phones in 昀氀ight mode for 昀椀ve days, we entered
our own little world of salt water, cups of tea and sleeping
under the stars.
We only paddled a couple of hours the 昀椀rst day, knowing that
the DOC campsite at Stony Bay wasn’t too far around the
corner. We were all on the same page about the type of trip
this should be – not an athletic feat, but a chance to spend
time outside and see our backyard in a more intimate way. We
hoped to get back to Hahei in the time we had, but if we didn’t
feel like rushing, we wouldn’t.
Sheltered bays, only half a metre of swell, blue sky, and the
wind behind us. The 昀椀rst few days are a blur of co昀昀ee and
oats in the morning, weaving through rock gardens, snack
and swim breaks, rays of light through blue water, salami
wraps, wet bums, and pretty sophisticated camp dinners. We
had a couple of days when we decided not to paddle in the
afternoon, and just set up camp where we’d landed for lunch.
Sunbathing, reading, and naked bodysurfs in paradise were
far too tempting.
On our fourth day, we were all up for more of a challenge and
made a big push. We didn’t really know how far we were
capable of going in a day, so we just had to give it a crack and
have a couple of backup options along the route. Rain and
strong winds were arriving mid-morning Saturday, and we
wanted to get home before the weather packed in.
We pulled into camp happy with our eight-hour paddle,
while also feeling a little weathered. Old shoulder injuries
were protesting and skin was permanently damp from only
washing in salt water for a few days. Everything was just a
little bit wet and salty.
Our last morning brought grey skies and glassy seas to
cross the bay. The rain started and the wind picked up about
half way across, and after a couple of hours we pulled our
kayaks up the Wigmore Stream, cold and wet and satis昀椀ed.
We’d deal with the unpacking later; long, hot showers were
calling our names! Arriving almost to our doorsteps, it was at
the front of our minds how lucky we are to have adventures
like this, right here.
Words by
Ana Keelty
Coromind.nz | 14
