The kayak and much of the gear had been carried to the beach the previous afternoon and hidden in the dunes. The job this morning was not a large one as we removed all trace from our home of the previous two nights. It was not a difficult task to slide the kayak over the dunes and vegetation down to the water's edge.
Whilst preparing to depart we met a beachcomber. Alexandra was collecting driftwood in a sack on her back. She recounted how she had once saved a dolphin that had beached itself and how they had connected just before it swam away to safety. se offered me a quick hug and wished me a safe voyage before I pushed off and she resumed her walk along the shore.
It was 9:00am and with the wind over my left shoulder the conditions alowed us to make a bee-line for nearly 4 hours covering approx 30km at an average of 8km/h. We stopped for a quick meal of fried rice cooked on the beach before moving on once more.
Rounding the headland we began to make our way up Mercury Bay towards our destination of Whitianga. Somewhat frustratingly the wind here was funneling into our faces and it was extremely tough work for nearly another 20km. I had thought that I was in for a 40km paddle this day, however it turned out to be just shy of 50km according to the GPS. A new best and certainly not something I would have expected this early into the adventure. I do believe that even Gonzo has been impressed!
I am not yet sure whether a headwind is half a psychological battle however te extra effort required seems extraordinary for a result that delivers more up and down movement than forward movement, or when it is the latter, it is generally into walls of chop. The end result seems to be a lot of work for minimal result! Suffice to say that there was not much energy left in reserve when just before 6:00pm we pulled up on the beach next to the first accommodation we could find.
The kayak finds a home just off the beach.
The campsite turned out to be away from the beach so we checked into the comfortable Beachfront Resort with all the conveniences. After sleeping in a toilet block for the previous two nights - not to mention the night on the beach - I decided that we deserved some level of comfort.
I may just let you go on alone Gynes.
After two steak burgers with egg, bacon and cheese and a serving of kumura chips I fell asleep.
