beaut day

Thursday 30 March- out for a paddle with Matt at lunch (40 min); noted always a bit rough off Thorne Bay- Milford area

Saturday 1 April -beaut day- no wind to speak of and rangi channel was flat as; HT at 0930 and got onto the water at 0950- paddled from takapuna to rangitoto- fantastic day; 35 minutes to get over; spent 25 minutes paddling around and out to lighthouse, then paddled back (25 min return time); spent another 30 min tootling around the beacj before heading in- fantastic (will post photos later)

March 23

Just a short paddle off takapuna beach for lunch with my buddy Matt; he is in a multisport boat (weighs about 18 kg less than the tassie) so needless to say was a bit quicker! thats all right, different boats for different reasons...

A Beginner

Kayaking!

I am starting this weblog to keep track of my time kayaking. I had always wanted to kayak, particularly since moving to New Zealand, but never made the time to do so. I finally got some experience paddling a sit-on-top for a few years before some rat-bag stole it from my home. Anyway, after wanting to for years and paddling different boats, I finally came across a good used kayak with all the accessories for sale, bit the bullet (have been saving for this for over a year) and got it! A plastic fantastic 2003 Tasman Express seakayak, 5.3 m long, 29 kg. It is not a boat that you will win a flat-out sprint in, way to heavy for that. It will, however, ‘get you home if the sea gets rough’ as a local kayak guru told me. That was the kicker for me in choosing a tassie over any other boat.

Anyway this blog is for me to record my experiences right after they happen. Just to start the record:

Trial Kayaking:
spent 12 h paddling kayaks hired from Fergs in Okahu Bay, Auckland.
spent 2 h paddling kayaks -test driving- from Canoe & Kayak North Shore
Purchased mid February
Trips (in Waitemata Harbour, Auckland unless otherwise noted):
1. Manuka Reserve, Hellyers Creek to above the Greenhithe Bridge. (2 hours)
2. Mairangi Bay (45 min)
3. Takapuna Beach on a Saturday morning to B bouy return (1 h)
4. Takapuna Beach north to Milford –at lunchtime -aaahhhh(40 min)
5. Takapuna Beach at lunchtime (30 min)
6. Murrays Bay north to Rothesay Bay (45 min) 19/03/06

Will put up more as things happen

Total so far: 19h 40 min