Day 80, Feb 15 2010
Despite a sore back, the result of the unavoidably uneven ground of my campsite, I was excited. The view below me was in stark contrast to the one I’d observed the previous day. The water was calm and offered no clue to its previous agitated state.
The view below me was in stark contrast to the one I'd obsevred the previous day.
My day reached an early high when in a single instantaneous moment of intuitive insight I worked out that by wearing my watch on the outside of the long-sleeved top I wear to keep New Zealand’s unforgiving ultra-violet rays at bay, I could read the time without having to stop and pull back the sleeve. Absolutely brilliant… and it had taken me less than three months to work this out.
My day reached an early high when in a single instantaneous moment of intuitive insight I worked out that by wearing my watch on the outside of the long-sleeved top I wear to keep New Zealand’s unforgiving ultra-violet rays at bay, I could read the time without having to stop and pull back the sleeve. Absolutely brilliant… and it had taken me less than three months to work this out.
The only thing that could spoil today would be the Karori Rips. An infamous rip so strong that -
“In April 2008, a resource consent was granted to Neptune Power for the installation of a $10 million experimental underwater tidal stream turbine capable of producing one megawatt. The turbine has been designed in Britain, and will be built in New Zealand. It will be 14 metres in diameter and constructed of carbon fibre. It will be placed in eighty metres of water, 4.5 kilometres due south of Sinclair Head, in waters known as the “Karori Rip”. Power from the turbine will be brought ashore at Vector's Island Bay substation. The turbine is a pilot, and will be sited in slower tides for testing. Neptune hopes to generate power from the unit by 2010. The company claims there is enough tidal movement in Cook Strait to generate 12 GW of power, more than one-and-a-half times New Zealand's current requirements.”
As it was I noticed only a minor ripple on the water’s surface and I made sure that I stayed close to shore just in case. It was with a sense of irony that I noted the massive wind turbines on the hills, whilst wondering to myself whether the blades would have been spinning faster during the previous day’s blow or whether they simply change gears whilst maintaining similar revolutions from an outsider’s perspective?
I passed the impressive 65m high Karori Rock with later investigations revealing -
“This lighthouse went into service on October 20, 1915. It was established due to the loss of the SS Penguin in 1909. The tower took over a year to build under difficult conditions. The original light was a 500mm drum lens, illuminated by Acetone-acetylene equipment. It was originally planned to place a watched light on nearby Tongue Point, where there was space for keepers' houses, but the development of acetylene gas-powered automatic lights was so satisfactory that Karori Rock Light was established instead. It was one of New Zealand's earliest automatic lighthouses. It was always difficult to service due to severe weather.
SS Penguin was a New Zealand 824 ton inter-island ferry steamer that sank off Cape Terawhiti near the entrance to Wellington Harbour in poor weather on 12 February 1909, and subsequently exploded as cold sea water flooded into the red-hot boiler room. Of the 105 passengers and crew on board, only 30 survived the sinking. This was New Zealand's worst maritime disaster of the 20th century. The ship struck Thoms Rock, near the mouth to Karori Stream in Cook Strait before sinking. Although women and children were loaded into the lifeboats first, these foundered quickly in the rough seas. Only one woman survived, and no children. Other survivors drifted for hours on rafts before reaching safety.”
SS Penguin was a New Zealand 824 ton inter-island ferry steamer that sank off Cape Terawhiti near the entrance to Wellington Harbour in poor weather on 12 February 1909, and subsequently exploded as cold sea water flooded into the red-hot boiler room. Of the 105 passengers and crew on board, only 30 survived the sinking. This was New Zealand's worst maritime disaster of the 20th century. The ship struck Thoms Rock, near the mouth to Karori Stream in Cook Strait before sinking. Although women and children were loaded into the lifeboats first, these foundered quickly in the rough seas. Only one woman survived, and no children. Other survivors drifted for hours on rafts before reaching safety.”
Karori Rock
Conditions were glassy and I was feeling wonderful. Whether it was the epiphany arising from the wristwatch or something deeper I’m uncertain however I was reminded of my high spirits on the very first day when I first launched the kayak from Ferg’s.
What was certain was that the water was appreciably warmer here than when I paddled around Cape Palliser and the air too had lost it’s bite. Furthermore my compass was now pointing northwards and with every stroke I knew that I was heading towards, and not away, from where I’d started. This in itself was extremely motivating. At the time I thought up various phrases such as ‘last leg’, ‘final furlong’, ‘home stretch’, ‘down hill’, ‘bell lap’ to describe my progress up the west coast.
About to turn north...
My goal for the day was simply to reach Makara Beach. This had been my goal yesterday before the winds foiled my plans. As such I had just 25kms to paddle which was itself a similar distance to that which I’d covered the previous day. A good way to ease myself back into the swing of things.
My goal for the day was simply to reach Makara Beach. This had been my goal yesterday before the winds foiled my plans. As such I had just 25kms to paddle which was itself a similar distance to that which I’d covered the previous day. A good way to ease myself back into the swing of things.
Someone's 'secret' bach (beach cottage) nestled into the base of the rock face.
By 1:00pm I had paddled up the small estuary in the far corner of the north facing bay. It was a very different picture to that which I’d observed just two days before when Norm from the Foreshore Motor Lodge had kindly driven me for an ‘inspection’. On that day it was stormy with 130km/h winds blowing directly into the bay!
I spied a perfect camping spot in between a couple of boatsheds. It offered protection from a strengthening sou-wester and a grassy level spot to pitch the tent. The big bonus however was that there would be no trudging back and forth laden with gear.
I spied a perfect spot!
With the tent pitched I ignited the stove a cooked a celebratory meal of noodles and rice.
