We are staying in a most delightful B&B, and so had a wonderful sleep in a big comfy bed. Probably the opposite of the rest of my group up in the mountains! We were picked up by our guide, Kiernan at 9AM, and had a 40 minute drive to the spot where we put into Kenepuru Sound for our day on the water.
The Marlborough Sounds are really 4 separate sounds, 3 of which connect, and the largest of them, the Queen Charlotte, is separate. Together the coastline of all these waterways make up 20% of NZ’s coastline! Lots of curves and inlets and little bays. Not many islands, just lots of peninsulas. Our plan was to paddle around the Kenepuru Sound, beach for lunch at a place called Ferndale, and then head back to our starting point.
The sun was shining full on, and there was little wind at first, so it was an easy and slow cruise around the various bays. The wind picked up mid morning, and made it a bit of a hard go, as it was a head wind. We got a bit wet and worked pretty hard at paddling and after turning a corner had the wind at our back so we basically floated into the spot for lunch. Along the way we saw several types of cormorants and oyster catchers, but didn’t spot any sting rays today. We also passed by a shipwreck, which had been a Navy training vessel, the Amorura, originally built in Scotland. It’s now just part of the landscape, rusted iron and old wood and barnacles. It was fun to be able to kayak around and through it.
We had packed sandwiches for lunch so enjoyed some time sitting on the beach and resting before heading off again. Our guide had noted that the wind had shifted and picked up, so knew that it was going to be a tough paddle back, but even he said it was rougher than almost any guided paddle he’d done. The waves were 2-3 feet and breaking over the front of the kayak, and then it would rise up like we were surfing. It was difficult to keep the paddle in the water because of the swells. We paddled in this wind for about 45 minutes and were so relieved when it was over and we reached the shelter of the bay where we had started. Talk about an Active Adventure!
We got back to our accommodation by 3:30, and had some time to relax. I walked down to the water to watch the tide go out. The tidal range on some of the Sounds is as much as 3-6 meters! So there are mudflats for about 1/2 mile from the shore in low tide. It’s an interesting sight.
Tomorrow we have a morning of paddling before reconnecting with our group for the final days of activities.
