Pelorous Sound

Time to get back to some kind of timeline on posts. After transiting down the Tasman on the west coast of the North Island, we arrived in Queen Charlotte Sound (first time we were there). After our arrival, we rented a car to explore the area including the Marlborough wine region and neighboring sounds. We decided it would be fun to explore part of the neighboring Pelorous Sound by kayak.

The trip was beautiful – here are some shots of both Queen Charlotte and Pelorous.

The kayaking was an interesting experience – after a bit of instruction, we geared up. Joe had a solo kayak and Deb and were in a tandem.

Problem was, I didn’t fit. The kayaks have pedals that you use to steer the boat with a small rudder. They couldn’t be extended far enough forward for me to get my feet on them. The result was that I got the front seat and Deb got the back and the steering duties. The second problem was the equipment – the spray shield and life jacket smelled like some kid had peed on them and they had been put away wet. Oh well.

The views from the water were great.

We chose about a 3 hour trip. As the afternoon wore on, the wind came up. We had been told that it is best to be off the water when the winds get to 20 knots. How true. Deb and I found it very difficult to make headway and no matter which way we seemed to go, the winds seemed to be against us.

There was an out via a small portage that we decided to take to get back to the boat livery. It was then that I discovered that getting in to a kayak is much easier then getting out. The opening was simply too small for me to extricate myself. Deb and Joe thought it was hilarious as I struggled like a beached whale.

And no, I won’t post any pictures of the beached whale routine.

Lessons learned – buy a kayak that I actually can fit in – get my own spray shield and life jacket that don’t stink.

Then it was off to Havelock as it was their big annual event – the Green Lipped Mussel Festival. The crowds were ridiculous and the event ended in an hour so we passed and headed back to the boat (but bought some mussels on the way).

Best