Sea Kayak

Tai Poutini Polytechnic Sea Kayak Rescue Day

Location           Lake Brunner                                    
Date                28/04/16                                                                 
Group               COE-1                     
Instructors       Rebecca Dryland, Roo Riley                                  
Flow                 Flat Water               
Grade              Lake                                                                       
Weather            Fine stable high pressure system                                        
Learning         Re-entry roll, Sweep and forward strokes, Deep water rescue,  self-rescue with a paddle float,

It’s a beautiful West Coast day and what better way is there to spend a day kayaking and swimming at Lake Brunner? We start with a warm up paddle and jig and jot around some shrubbery and trees growing in the lake. We then learn how to turn without using a rudder. To do this you need to lean/edge on the opposite side you wish to turn. We practice this for some time and then move onto back paddling. 

Now all warmed up its time for a rescue tutorial and to get wet. First up we practice rolling a sea kayak. To pass our assessments you need to roll a sea kayak three times in a row. I do this comfortably so I move onto practicing re-entry rolls and John Wayne rescues. 

First up I try a re-entry roll. I wet exit from my boat, swim up-side-down back into my boat then go for a roll. I'm so close to being up but I fail. I try another five rolls and fail again and again. By this stage I'm getting tired out of breath so I come out from under my boat and begin a John Wayne rescue. This is where you pull yourself up from the back of the boat and re-enter it. I seem to do well with this rescue, the key being keeping your balance. Once I've successfully practiced this a few times I move into practicing paddle float rescues. This is where you attach a paddle float to your paddle, place the paddle on the back of your kayak's cock pit and use this to lever and get yourself back into your boat. I get time to practice this a couple of times before its time to pack everything up and get back to Polytech.   

Tai Poutini Polytechnic Sea Kayak Week

Location          Able Tasman National Park             
Date               17/6/16 - 23/6/16

Group               COE-1                   
Instructors       Rebecca Dryland, Rob Duu Loo, Jess Matherson

Flow                 Flat Water              
Grade               Sheltered Coastal waters           

Weather            Fine stable high pressure system, Light winds. Rain Tuesday, Wednesday.

Learning           Leading a group, practicing skills and real life sea kayak experience, dealing with faulty gear, skill sharing and managing group health.

Day 1

We start the morning at Old MacDonald camp ground in Marahau. Before we head to Kaiteriteri we get the chance to be shown around and experience a few sea kayak businesses within the Abel Tasman. We roll down to the beautiful Kaiteriteri around midday and begin to prepare for our five day sea kayak journey. Gear is spread everywhere and at first glance I wonder how the heck we are going to fit everything into the sea kayaks. Slowly but surely all the gear begins to disappear into sea kayaks and a whole two hours later its all gone and everyone is ready to go. 

We paddle out of the beautiful golden sand cove and its a stunning blue bird day. We try and keep a pod formation but doing this with 13 kayakers is harder than it sounds. We paddle for around an hour before getting to split apple rock. Rachel gives us some interp about the rock and then we continue paddling to Anchorage bay. From here we cross a channel to Sandy bay and continue paddling past Fisherman's and Adele island. 

After traveling out and around a head land we head into Anchorage bay. The scene as we paddle in is amazing the sun has set and is bright orange, the ocean is still and were surrounded by gold sand. Once we head to shore it's all on. Dinner needs to be cooked, tents need to go up and kayaks need to be unloaded and stored off the beach. The temperature has dropped and being in wet gear is no fun. We hustle to get everything done and smash back a hot drink and some burritos. On reflection the day has been awesome and it's been a great introduction to sea kayaking. I don't like being cold but today has definitely been a good one and hopefully its a sign of what's about to come.     

Day 2

We start the day in Anchorage bay. We eat breakfast, pack up camp and get the kayaks ready. We plan to travel into Torrent Bay, up the river and check out Cleopatra's pool. For this to happen we need to time the tides right so we travel at high tide. From here the plan is to paddle to Barks Bay where we will camp the night. It's an overcast day and you can see the clouds rolling in. The tides line up perfectly and we make it to Cleopatra's pool. A few members of the group take the chance to go down a rock slide and into the pool. I'm trying to stay warm and dry so I pass up the opportunity. Everyone has a great time and its a beautiful spot.  

As time ticks by the tide gets lower. We head out before we get stuck with the low water level. From here we follow close into shore following the reefs and bays around to Bark Bay. Once at Bark bay we unload the kayaks, set up camp and get a couple of fires going. As well as having lunch we split up into groups to be assessed on sea kayak rescues. I'm in the group going third so once my tent is up I try and stay warm around the fire. It's pretty cold and it's not helping that there's a light shower keeping everything wet. Eventually its my groups turn to be assessed on our sea kayak rescues. Its the middle of winter and we're about to go swimming in the ocean. I roll my sea kayak just to get a feel of the water temperature. Its cold but I can handle it. The first drill we get is to preform three sea kayak rolls in a roll. I burst into it and preform them successfully. 

The next drill is to get yourself in a kayak in under three minutes. There I use the John Wayne technique and get there comfortably. The water is ice cold and no doubt everyone's core body temperatures are dropping. Rachel has a massive asthma attack out on the water and it's all on. Silas jumps out of his kayak so Rachel can jump out of the water onto his. Shes gets up onto Silas' kayak and puffs away on her inhaler. Silas and Rachel swap boats and eventually Rachel's breathing is under control. The tutors don't want Rachel back in the water so me, Holly and Silas continue with our assignments. Unfortunately I mess up my paddle float rescue as I didn't place the paddle in the right part of my kayak and then flipped the kayak back over. Again Rachel has another massive asthma attack. 

At this point Becs paddles Rachel back to shore.  We continue our assessments having to preform a deep water rescue we all complete this well with in the time of three minutes and that's our rescue assessment done and dusted. Bec's returns with the other instructors Rob and Jess and the next group moves in. I paddle back to shore enjoying being out on the water. As I pull my kayak up onto the beach Jazz passes on some information that Rachel has vomited and cant breathes. Jazz tries to get the tutors attention while i'll paddle out to let them know. Once I get to them I pass on the info to Becs and she paddles into manage the situation. 

Back at camp Jazz and Makayla monitors Rachel's and puts her in a sleeping bag to keep her warm. Rachel goes nuts on her inhaler while having multiply asthma attacks. Everyone's gets involves hot drinks are fired up and passed around, fires have been lighten and maintained, fly's and tarps have been set up and the whole time this is going on Rachel is being looked after.  After a considerable amount of time Becs with the advice of a medical professional who she had been liaising with on the phone makes the call to helicopter Rachel out of there. About 15 minutes later and the chopper arrives, lands on the beach and takes Rachel away with her. It's been a full on afternoon and evening and time flew. Not long after we have a debrief and close that chapter of our sea kayak trip. Everything was handled really well and knowing that there was still three days ahead its time to get our heads back in the game.

Day 3

With yesterdays assessments and dramas behind us we set off on a fine winters day. We begin our paddle passing Mosquito bay, Today i'm paddling a double kayak with Olivia. Its all going well and were cruising but early on shes stops paddling because her hands have swallow up and shes not feeling well. Shes looks sore and it's my chance to step up. The mission is to paddling the two of us, the weight of the kayak and all the gear. I'm up for the challenge and love it. I get my motor going and really dig deep. I manage to keep up with everyone and paddle like this for some time. Its a welcomed stop when we do stop for lunch and I sure have earned it. After lunch I swap partners in the double and paddle the rest of the way with Jazz. Along the way we see shags nesting in the cliffs, we pass exposed head lands and travel through beautiful golden sand bays. Its journey that covers a distance of around 20 kilometers and we don't arrive until late evening. The last headland we come around before Mutton cove is funneling the wind and it blows us like crazy. It's awesome to be out on the water in this environment and is a good experience to see what sea kayaking can really be like when the winds are tamed. We power through sticking closer together and end up in Mutton cove. As we set up camp we all stop to witness the moon rise. The moon shines bright orange over the ocean and it slowly rises into the night sky where it glows and shines over the water. What an epic way to close out the day. Every one is in awe of the day and has a sense of achievement.

Day 4

Today starts differently to most mornings set by Tai Poutini Polytechnic we are given the chance to sleep in, our take on a mornings paddle or go for a walk depending on what each person wants to do. Me and a small group take on the morning walk to separation point. Its a beautiful morning and when we get there the sun is just about to rise. Down bellow is jagged rocks, a light house and two seals swimming around. There is also a gannet sanctuary that has been set up by a project called Janszoon. Its a relaxing and peaceful way to start the morning but now back at Mutton cove its time to pack up, have breakfast and get ready to paddle. Today is going to be a huge paddle so we need to be on our game. I set off in the double with Silas. The challenge is set by the tutors no rudders can be down. To turn use good edging and stroke control. Silas and I are into it we are duck weaving and preforming all kinds of jots and turns around the rocky coast line. I'm absolutely loving sea kayaking  and taking every opportunity I am given. With a good amount of distance covered the tutors introduce us into towing another kayak. I jump straight into it, set up and start towing Jazz. Silas and I put our heads down and paddle hard. When we look back the whole groups bar two have jumped on the tow. We're now towing ten people who are all in a line holding onto the last persons kayak. We continue towing them for the best part of half a hour before everyone has a good laugh and drops off. This pretty much see us to our lunch stop where we refuel and re hydrate. After lunch me and Silas swap back into single kayaks. The doubles are great socially and have good banter, but the joy of being in a single is you're in your own space. We're making great progress and watching the distance dissipate as the day goes by. We have split the days up into segments where everyone gets assessed on how well they control and take charge of the group. I know my time is coming up soon but for now I enjoy being in the ocean just taking in the stunning scenery. Time goes by and the light is getting dim. We have one last stop and learn about tidal changes before I take on the team leader position. I'm given a brief by Becks and then get into my work.

I set the scene early making sure everyone is on the same page. The message is get your head torch out, make sure you keep hydrated and lets keep tight and preform as a group. I Then implement a plan to keep every one together. I call four boats at the front, five boaters in the middle and four at the back. It takes a little time setting up but when its put in place it works perfectly. As we set off everyone is feeling charged and we stay as a tight knitted fit. The sun has now completely gone and the shine of our head torches lights the way. I stay at the back of the pod monitoring and charging up the right flank if I need to pass on any navigational messages to the kayakers in the front. Its all going amazingly well and when we paddle through lime green floss fluorescence we all recognize that this is special and a once in a life time experience. We keep paddling and just before we head around to Te Pukatea bay it looks like we are going to have another moon rise. We raft up staring over the open ocean into the night sky. Once again the moon shines bright orange over the ocean and begins to rise. There is a tranquility and stillness tonight and this enhances as the moon gradually glows brighter and brighter over the still ocean waters. Once the moon has risen and we had stared at the night sky for awhile we paddle into Te Pukatea bay reflecting on the fact that we had seen the sun rise and the moon rise in the same day. I completely nailed the team leader roll and i'm really proud of my efforts. The day has been extraordinary and there's nothing more to say than bring on tomorrow. 

Day 5

With a deteriorating weather forecast and Rachel who required picking up from St Arnaud we decided to make today our last day out on the water. This morning starts with a gentle walk to Pitts head where we watch the sun rise. After this it's the normal morning hustle to get everything ready. Once everyone is ready the tutors inform us that we are going to be assessed on our kayak strokes. There's a pre made routine that we are to preform in pairs while being assessed by an individual tutor. Its a relax way to ease into the morning. I sit on the beach and watch the others until its my turn. I pair up with Silas and preform the routine. A hard forward paddle first then  apply the breaks. Now stopped it's time for a reverse paddle. With that done I move into a draw stroke, firstly drawing right then left. Now for the brace stroke i fall left then brace, then fall right then brace. So far so good but the sweep stroke has been catching people out and that's next. Me and Silas both start sweeping were coming round and have managed not to hit each other. Onto the final piece of the routine a carving figure of eight. We start nicely and carve out a circle, were close together and at one point our kayaks

knock in to each other. All in all it wasn't a bad effort and the tutors gives us the thumbs up. Once everyone has had a turn we make our way to watering cove then across to Adele island. Its here
we stop for lunch and go on a walk to find the protected and rare saddleback bird which we unfortunately don't spot or see. After lunch we begin our paddle back to Kaiteriteri and for those that are keen they do some more towing. Making the most of the trip I tow Ryan for a challenge. I tow Ryan almost all the way back to Kaiteriteri before giving Gat a blat for awhile. Its getting late and the tutors are trying to tick us off on there marking criteria. We park up at a bay and draw a surface pressure map of the weather we are currently experiencing. We are tested individually, then meet up for a debriefing of the trip. We all share some golden moments from the trip. It's been a great one and it is distantly a high light of the year. By the time we paddle around to Kaiteriteri its pitch black and getting cold. We are all itching to get to our camp site but in true Tai Poutini Polytechnic style there's still more challenges ahead. It's going to be our final challenge of our sea kayak time in polytec. We are to tow a sea kayaker, flip upside down and release our tow lines and then roll up if possible. I head out in the dark and get straight into it. I tow Gat and get up some speed. I then flip over and release the tow line. Its a little fiddly finding the release strap but i get there in the end. Now upside down I get into my roll position and roll up. 

SELF DIRECTED LEARNING

SDL Sea Kayak

Location            Flat water Lake Manhinapua                           
Date                 11/6/16

Group               Kat Burgess                                                    
Weather            Overcast, light breeze

Flow                  N/A                                                                  
Grade               Lake

Learning

Went for a light paddle and practiced strokes, re-entry rolls and farmer John self rescues

SDL Sea Kayak
Location           Flat water Hoki Pool                                         
Date                31/7/16

Group              Isaac Berbem                                                  
Weather          Overcast

Flow                N/A                                                                         
Grade              Flat water

Learning

Spent time in the Hokitika pool practicing re entry rolls, John Wayne rescues and paddle float self rescues .

SDL Sea Kayak

Location           Cobdan Surf                                                                
Date                26/8/16

Group              Simon, Becky, Phil Johnston                              
Weather          Overcast, light breeze

Flow                N/A                                                                             
Grade              Surf 

Learning
Reading surf, Edging and rolling.

SDL Sea Kayak
Location              Marlbrough Sounds, Queen Charlotte     

Duration              4 Days                                                   
Date                   29/8/16 - 1/9/16

Group                 Simon, Ryan, Isaac                               
Weather              Sunny, light NW breeze 

Flow                    N/A                                                              
Grade                  Sheltered Coastal Waters
Learning

Day 1

The mission is about to begin. With all the planning, packing and preparation for the trip done the day before all that's left to do is to go and  complete it.. The trip already has a good feeling about it. We have a really good weather forecast, we've got safety advice from a local sea kayak company and Jazz's grandma has hooked us up with free accommodation. By the time we put onto the water at Whatamango Bay its about 11am. The plan from here is to paddle across the sounds to Blumine island and set up camp. Its a great feeling being out on the water and everyone is pumped to be out here. As we come out of Whatamango bay and head across the sounds we notice a big boil up on the other sounds. We watch as a number of gannets dive bomb into the ocean and pluck out fish. It's something I have never seen and takes me in amazement. Once we are across the other side of the sounds we follow the head lands around. On the headlands we past a number of seals some swimming in the ocean and other just resting on the rocks What an introduction to the Marlborough sounds. We make some more ground before finding a walking track that goes up to a satellite dish. While Simon and I walk the track the other boys dive for and get paua from the rocks. We continue paddling and while we paddle two dolphins pop up right next to our kayaks. Wow!! What next? As we paddle I continually practice my nav ticking off and noting the bays as we go. We travel around West head to Bull head then onto Snakes point. From Snake point follow the head land around until we branch off and aim for Blumine island. Condition are perfect there's a gentle sea breeze and little to no swell. This make travel easy so we just cruise and soak at all in. We reach Blumine island at about 4.30 pm which gives us plenty of time to set up camp and chill out. Me and Simon walk a track to the historic world war two gun emplacements and enjoy the evening light as it glows over the sounds. We finish the walk with light from our head torches and when we get back to camp Ryan and Isaac have prepared and cooked up a paua fritter, delicious!! The rest of the evening is spent around a camp fire gazing at the stars and enjoy a mouth watering meal of spaghetti bolognese.    


Day 2 

Were up and ready for the day ahead. We start paddling around Blumine island and when we get to the edge of where we need to turn off Ryan and Simon throws out a fishing line. Snap!! Ryan's got one, he pulls up a blue cod. Were all pumped and it seems like we're going to be fishing for some time here but then a pod of about 30 dolphins swim by. That stops us in our tracks. As fast as we can we paddle over and join them. Its an amazing experience dolphins are popping up everywhere. I snap as many photos as I can. Then soak it all up. The dolphins stay around for almost one hour. Eventually we paddle off so we can do some more fishing. Ryan captures a few more blue cod before we paddle to long island where we park up on a nice cove for lunch. Its our standard lunch salami wraps with cheese and mayonnaise. The suns out and its as close as it can get to a blue bird day. Me and Simon take a stroll on the beach find some weird and strange stuff that has washed up here. After lunch we paddle to about half way up long island then head to Motuara island which has been

established as a bird sanctuary. Motuara island is beautiful, its covered in towering cliffs and the ocean is a dark green from the depth. We paddle through large sea weed and kelp. It has a completely different feel from what we had paddled so far. As we make our way around the island we pause for awhile to watch a seal swim around the kayaks. Its then time for some more fishing and while me and Isaac paddle out from a cave Simon has snagged one. While Ryan and Simon fish Isaac and I paddle around to the start of a walk on the island. Its a stunning walk with three hundred and sixty degree views up and down the Marlborough sounds. The walk is also blessed with a vibrant bird life and their song and tune to go along with it. The finial part of the day is a straight paddle across to cannibal cove. Its here we set up a fly to sleep under, prepare our fish and gaze at the stars. Once again it  has been an epics day paddling with more stories to tell than not. 


Day 3

I'm the first one up so I get the MSR cooker cranking and start on breakfast. Slowly everyone gets up and starts to get ready. We then paddle around to ship cove where captain cook landed in January 1770 and set up a base for his men. Its a beautiful sheltered cove that soaks in the morning sun with lush coastal forest as a backdrop. We all read the information panels and learn a bit of New Zealand history. It's an absolute blue bird day out there with very little swell. The team seems to have conflicting ideas of what they want the day to look like. Isaac and Ryan wants to chill and fish and me and Simon wants to do a big hard day and see as much of the Marlborough sounds as we can. We make the call to separate and meet at Ratimera bay. Once the call is made me and Simon are off. We first paddle across to Motuara island travelling along the edge of it then out to long island. As we travel around long island we are struck by the imposing cliff faces and pink rock. We also paddle into

cave like formation in the rocks exploring where ever our kayaks would take us. We paddle to the top of the island and then start coming back down the island on the eastern side. As we cross a notice a change in the currents. As we travel down the island the pushing water is offering us a helping hand pushing us the way we want to paddle. We charge down the eastern side of long island making great progress. On this side of the island it has taken a mush different form than the rugered and beaten up North Western side. It has rolling hills and lushes green grass and tree life growing on it. We can see a cool looking head land across from us about just over two kilometers away. We are quite exposed but with a positive wind and tide direction pushing us back into the sounds rather than out of it we make the call to go for it. As we cross we are really surprised with how much distance we have made so quickly. The other thing that strikes us is given that we are a little exposed the wind are stronger than what we had paddled in so far and the ocean is close to forming white caps. Its nothing we can't handle but this defiantly raises a few alert bells in our heads. Once we're across its a beautiful place to stop for lunch. Our lunch stop is quick and efficient and with in 20 minutes we are back on the water. Its a quick paddle out behind Clark point which offers shelter almost instantly. We then take on a two kilometer crossing to Pickergil island. This crossing takes awhile longer than the last but every island offers something different from the last. This island has shallower waters that gradually get deeper with distance The water are calm, clear and has a tropical blue colour. We then make our way around the island where we spot another seal. We seemed to have scared him because as we come in the seal

has bolted rapidly and there's no sigh of him. From here we continue to paddle around the island until we reach a point to veer off and cross to Blumine island. Its a ling crossing and it's really taken it out of the both of us. It's a welcome stop on the side of a sand beach when we do reach Blumine island. Ten to fifteen minutes pass and it's time to get back on the water. We start heading towards Patterns passage, this is a point the narrows between Blumine island and Arapaoa island. As we cross the passage there's a notable change in currents. We continue our way around the island until we reach the edge where there are a bunch of shags resting on the rocks. From here its another ocean crossing to the eastern side of the sounds. We paddle hard against the currents, the crossing seems to take an age but meter by meter we make it across. Our energy levels are running low so we rest up for a bit and smash some peanut butter wraps. Man oh man that tasted good and that has got us charging. We follow the headlands for awhile before doing a masive ark turn passing snakes point to bull head. Again in front of us is a seal swimming and playing in the ocean. I take a few snaps and continue on our way. We're getting close now and all that's left to do is paddle into Ruakaka bay and set up camp. As we come around the head land the winds are funneling through the valley creating a nasty head wind to paddle against. We fight the head wind and with some effort we paddle across to Ratimera bay. Its super satisfying arriving at camp knowing what we had achieved and conquered. We covered 40 kilometers of paddling, paddled around four islands and done multiply ocean crossing. We'd seen seals, paddle in cave like formations and seen rugger and jagged cliffs. It's been an amazing day paddling out on the water and its been made even better by the stunning bay and location we find ourselves in. 

Day 4
The alarm rings at 5.30am in the morning so that we are up early enough to see the sun rise out on the water. We also have a deteriorating weather forecast with strong winds coming in around mid day so the plan is to get off the water early. We had planned to put onto the water at 6.30 and we meet this target with ease. Travelling out of Ruakaka bay is a little choppy but its no where near as strong as it was yesterday. The wind direction blows out meaning we make quick progress. Once we hit the tip of the headland the ocean goes still with protection from the wind. We paddle peacefully for awhile before having to paddle out from the headland where a head wind rips through. The winds are by far the strongest they have been in the trip but we are still able to make advancements paddling in it. We paddle hard making distance before having to cross to the other side. We have a talk about staying a bit closer together for this crossing. We all take aim at a headland on the other side and begin the paddle. There's a few choppy waves and its a little rough, noticeably in the middle of the channel. Its still with in all of our comfort zones but with the wind and the choppy ocean it uses a bit of extra energy to get across.

Once across the other side we follow land around to Whatamango bay. Again like on the first day we see gannets plummeting from the sky at great speeds and diving into the ocean. It's real is something to witness the power of nature and the incredible idiosyncrasy of these birds. Coming around each head land is a roaring wind that takes some paddling to get past. Its around 10am when we arrive back at the car and although its been a short paddle it has a good hard paddle against a consistent head wind. It has been an extraordinary trip and the learning I have taken away over the last four days has been huge.