Sunday 13th March
As I went to bed last night I messaged the team about the weather and said should I paddle or do I go fishing in this bay. Go fishing was the decision. At 4am and 5am I sort of stirred but it wasn't until 7.20am that I got up and checked my messages. It looked calm out there, perhaps I could get out on the water and get another 17km further before the wind picked up. The swells looked small...
In a rush, I had a three hour window if I was lucky, I packed and jammed everything into T2 and one hour later was on the water. I held my breath, but it was as calm at 9.30 as it was at 7am. Off we glided, out of Welcome Bay towards Chalky Island, in between and out the other side. There were a couple of gusts but MN was not bothered by me today. I could see Landing Bay up ahead and pushed on. It became a bit of a battle at the very end as the wind gusts funnelled over the massive mountains but the 17km were nailed, and I was into the next bay.
Sandfly cream on, I messaged the support team to say I was there then landed on the beach to a welcoming party of hundreds of sandflies. My headscarf, jacket and baggy woollen leggings are great because they can't seem to bite through them, such bliss.
I reset my camp, put out the solar panel and looked around. Landing Bay is strewn with piles of seaweed, heaps of driftwood, empty Paua and other shells and is a totally different to beach to what I left. I am hoping for great foraging, there are lots of fantails and a couple of black robins. I have seen numerous deer footprints and I wish I knew more bird sounds as sitting in my tent sounds like the arrival sounds when you land and walk though the Auckland Airport Terminal, so many different bird songs, incredible.
Today was short and sweet, but I did move north, today has been a day of decamping and resetting up. Today was generally a rather random day, when it is such a short paddle I forget I have even been on the water. The views into Chalky Inlet are like postcards, the mountains huge and jaw droopingly beautiful. There are fishing boats about and a strange eerie clam now, very deceptive as the clouds race overtop of me and the hills behind me. Trust the weather forecast Red and enjoy a causal explore into a couple of the sounds while you wait for the wind to suit the next section.
As I sit in my tent with my little torch and write my blog I again have to pinch myself, what an incredible journey this is, and again today the landscapes took my breath away. Thank you, my dream is pretty real and awesome.
My smiles today:
The pace I packed T2 this morning.
The humour I have about the sandflies.
The cute fantails and robins, special.
My team, you are all incredible.
To Nat for jamming in so many potatoes!
My thoughts today:
Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, mirror what you admire.
Red