We Head North Up The Peninsula

We woke early and I carried the balance of my belongings the 2km along the town street to the container where my kayak had been stored by the waterside. On route we came across a kindly council worker who noted the equipment I was carrying and must have recognised Gonzo because he deduced that I was the Australian he’d heard interviewed on the Murray Deaker radio show on the previous Sunday. Coincidentally the woman in the local hardware store had also deduced who I was having also listened to the show. The gentleman was also a kayaker and suggested a good stop off spot just past Colville Bay which I thankfully noted and was to utilise later that day.


Loaded and ready to depart Coranambel.

The tide was in and I loaded the kayak. The proprietor of the holiday park arrived with a friend and they kindly bid me farewell and good luck before pushing off themselves in a wooden double for a training run. I love wooden boats and they were in enough to allow me to take a photo. I believe these guys are what are called multi-sport competitors and they were soon off at a good trot leaving me in their wake.



The guys! (see Gonzo's Honour Roll for more details)

It was 8:00am and the trip outwards was into a reasonable headwind and some chop with rain showers, but once I got going I made good time. On passing Colville Bay (at my estimate approximately 20km from our starting point), we kept an eye out for the suggested stopping point. I cannot recall if it was Gonzo or I that first spotted the creek running from the lagoon at the northern end of a long pebbly beach. It was only a couple of kilometres north of Colville Bay as promised and we made for it and made land at 12:30pm. With the tide out I was only able to drag the loaded kayak up a small way however it was secure and safe from the tide.


And it was every bit as magic in real life too!

I jumped out of my wet gear and collected some of the driftwood that littered the beach. It was everywhere and despite the recent rains was perfectly dry. I built a small fire and impressed Gonzo by lighting it with a single match in windy conditions. I did this by dipping the end of some nylon rope easily found amongst the driftwood, in my stove fuel. It took at the first attempt and burnt long and well enough to ignite the driftwood which burnt as well as any fuel. We heated ourselves by this and cooked a quick meal of rice.


Gonzo warming himself by the fire.

At 2:20pm, warmed and fed and with the sun beginning to show, we decided to push on towards the peninsula’s cape where I was aware of the location of 3 Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites. The wind had died and I had a comfortable paddle The peninsula has a spine of ranges with the highest peak being Moeheu with a height of 891m however it remained under the cover of clouds for the entire journey.

We then had a wonderful encounter with some dolphins who playfully escorted me for a short while whilst jumping out of the water and landing on their backs. It certainly gave me a spurt of energy and I lifted the pace for that short while.

We arrived at the second site, Port Jackson at 6:20pm having passed up on the first site and had covered close to 40km. The rain had returned but this did not stop a lovely woman coming down to greet me with a warm cup of freshly brewed tea. I gratefully accepted it before unloading the kayak and walking it up the beach and onto the grassy site.

I paid my $9 to the managers and sat my tent up nearby. I then spoke to a very kind German couple of a similar age to myself. They were in New Zealand for 6 months travelling around the country in a van and had their two young children with them. They turned out to be true adventurers being white water kayakers and hang-glider pilots. They offered me the use of their stove and anything else I might require before I excused myself for bed.