Day 13, Dec 10 2009

I would happily have stayed another day or two, but the promise was for fine conditions and I wanted to make the most of them. I would rest when the body demanded it and/or when the conditions dictated it.

With all the goodbyes I did not leave until 9:30am. Later than my preferred 8:00am meaning that my arrival time not allow me as much time to set up camp and prepare for the following day. I hoped to reach Waihi Beach which was coincidentally, another 40km paddle. 80km in two days.

Again I felt stiff and a bit sore for the first few hours. I was beginning to expect this although it did not make it any more pleasant. The sun was out again and it was burning down on me. I had always thought that Autralia’s sun was recognised as the worst in terms of its strength but I’ve since learned otherwise. New Zealand’s sun has a kick to it. I try to explain to people that it is not as warm in New Zealand as it is in Australia, but the sun is ‘hotter’ if you can understand that?

It is noticeably colder when the sun goes behind a cloud or when you stand in the shade. Conversely when the sun is on you it feels far warmer than the temperature would suggest. I suspect that New Zealand receives more cloudy days than Australia and I am now of the opinion that a cloudy day for paddling is far more preferable than a sunny day… I’ll have to adjust my dream of dolphins to be accompanied by grey skies! On this day I was forced to stop repeatedly and splash cold ocean water over myself and drench my hat to relieve the beating my crown was taking.

Another frustration that saw me let loose a loud expletive (and wake Gonzo from his dozing on the rear deck), was a second lost ‘flag’. A luminous green flag is screwed into a plug just behind the cockpit on a 4’ fibreglass pole and is intended to help other boats see me. I lost the first crossing the Hauraki Gulf. In hindsight I recalled a momentary clunk, but at the time thought I’d run over a piece of flotsam. On this occasion I simply forgot to screw it in properly. I put it in the plug when loading the kayak earlier in the morning but had my hands full. I even made a mental note at the time to come back to it but immediately forgot. At about NZ$50 each the expletive was flung loudly across the ocean’s surface. I doubt if anyone heard it apart from Gonzo.

At 11:45am I made my scheduled stop at Whangamata. I pulled the kayak up onto a sandy beach and asked a couple of German blondes to watch over it whilst I went inland in search of some shops and some fuel. My preferred choice of food at the moment when ‘eating out’ are hamburgers with egg, bacon and cheese. I call it the burger loading (think carbo loading), and seek it for the massive doses of protein that it promises.

Note: In truth I have discovered that peanuts deliver approx 25gm of protein per 100gm. This compares favourably with the far more expensive protein bars that are on the market, having noted that not many offer any more than 30gm of protein per 100gm. I keep a supply of peanuts and other assorted nuts as well as dried fruits in a large container within easy reach for snacks when paddling.

I located The Bluefish and was greeted by Curly. Curly may to some seem intimidating as she was a solid woman and showed this off to great effect because much of her skin was exposed so as to display a very large array of tattoos. These seemed to cover most of he body (those parts I could see), including her cheeks and forehead. I sensed a soft centre even though she’d just growled and frowned at three young punks who were having trouble communicating with her. When I asked for a burger with the works she immediately suggested the Surfburger and then further advised that one, and not the two I initially requested, would suffice. There may be some dispute over this as I may well have given two a good shot, however I can certainly attest that it was one of the best burgers I have ever tasted. I do not offer this lightly.

My belly placated (I actually bought a ham ad salad sandwich just down the road not wanting to upset Curly), I resumed my paddle. It is worth noting that whilst awaiting my hamburger I actually scouted the local campsite. I was seriously considering throwing it in for the day. The site was uninviting and I now had a gutful of fuel so I’d decided to push on.

I remained uncomfortable and began to notice that the lumbar support was not balanced and was causing my body to contort to compensate. I located a lovely small, and what I thought to be private beach, to make the necessary adjustments. Both I and the skinny dipping couple got a surprise. She and he ran out of the water and up the beach top their preferred end, whilst I pushed hard on the right rudder and pointed for the opposite end. In truth they looked pretty good… for a couple probably past 65yo!

I fixed the support quickly. In truth I not once averted my eyes from the thing. It was certainly awry and the difference to my comfort was immediate and profound. It was still another 22km to Waihi Beach which I covered in two hours. A slight 10 knot tailwind arrived for the last hour providing some useful runners meaning that I arrived a 4:15pm in a much better state than I’d been in 3 or 4 hours earlier. In offering this I am finding the last couple of hours of a days paddle tough, and find myself just wishing that I could be at its end. So it was a glorious bonus to discover that a camping ground was next to the beach and less than 150m from where I’d landed. I'd covered 42.33km with at an average of 8km/h.

I would stay at the Waihi Beach Top 10 Holiday Park for two nights. I grabbed a site close to the beach for obvious reasons. Away from the beach the place was like Disneyland. The facilities were amazing. By way of example the communal kitchen had no less than 10 washing up stations!