DAY 99...Going, going...

The day it started well, on the water before 7am, out and over all of the smallish foaming waves.  I had a cockpit full of water which I emptied in no time thanks to my Venturi.  It was time to strap in and settle into another serious days paddling.  The southerly was back and it seemed stronger than predicted but I paddled on and slowly got to the four km mark.  Then a rain storm and the wind picked up some more, it was unpleasant and nasty enough to make me to question my reasons for being on the water today, the why's and what for's were in my head and I decided to be clever, (boxing clever it has been called) I turned back!  I surfed back to the beach I had come from.  None of the weather forecast's matched and nothing was agreeing so I canned my days paddling.  As I surfed into the beach I grumbled at myself.  It is laughable now as when on the water I did turn back towards my destination a couple of times as I thought to myself, "Ahhh it will be okay," but every time my answer was no!  I hit dry land and then frowned for the next two hours about the random strong southerly.

After a while we headed for a look down the coastline and it made me feel better looking at where I was to aim for and glad I had turned back, well sort of.  At midday I did talk about another attempt and then shut up.  I found things to do and kept busy for the day. I watched surfers enjoy the winds and chatted, went to a local cafe for lunch and did some repair work with Jase on Cuzzie.

Tomorrow the NE winds return and I will be on the water early before MN changes her mind.  It is not a bad place to have been stopped for a day, not bad at all, white sand beach, nice people and peaceful.  As I drove back from our city errands at 4.30 pm the sea has flattened, the wind is dropping and I get that doubting feeling back in my belly.  Maybe, just maybe I had made the wrong decision this morning.  Bugger, I am quietly gutted, the weather torture continues.

Low tide tonight was at 1745 so we went off to walk the sandspit out to the island and try for Paua, after being warned by Paula not to take to long or we would get trapped.  OMG it was fun, up to our waists in water, into sand islands then over rocks, scared by sea lions and waded in large rock pools waist deep.  We did find one Paua but it was undersized.

My smiles today;
Ten points to MN today, you won the battle, she tricked me, congrats.
Walking low tide to the Taieri island to go foraging for seafood.
Kawakawa tea has won, no coffee anymore.
The dramatic but also pretty coastline I am on, deserves me to stop for a moment.
The rockpool wading and the cool as sand walkway at low tide, it is a must do.

My thoughts today:
There is always going to be tomorrow, it is another day.

Red

Off Paua hunting

Surveying the waves

DAY 98...Fantastic Day!

As I got up this morning I was welcomed by the most still and beautiful morning.  Ina, your home is gorgeous and it was brilliant to sleep in a big bed, I even had an electric blanket, luxury and bliss.

I got my paddling kit on, sat in the lounge and warmed up with a cup of tea looking out at the amazing harbour view from this cute little house.  I wanted to stay for longer, but, alas, it was not to be, sun and no wind were beckoning me to get on the water.  We had to wait until a little later today as to have enough water for me to get out of the inlet and over the waves.  At 745 am I was off and paddling.  I went past the young seals from yesterday and also was bellowed at by some bigger males (maybe sea lions) on the other beaches saying, "Bugger off, this is our patch."  I was up and over the sand bar and paddling towards the head land.  It was calmish apart from the backwash from the cliffs, it was an okay paddle from the inlet to Tomahawk Lagoon.  I chatted with Nat and said everything is ok, it had been slower than I had wanted but the waves and winds seemed to be changing.  

Our next checkpoint was to be at Brighton beach so off I headed, a couple of layers lighter and now with a tailwind.  The swell going my way, I picked up the pace and motored along.  I was enjoying today, yippee the coastline is beautiful and grand, changing all the time and keeping me wanting more.  17 km were nailed really quickly, in fact I got to Brighton before Nat and said lets just meet at the final destination.  She raced off to find a good landing spot as I weaved in and out of the waves towards the pull out.  Today was a pleasure and I am pleased and happy with everything.  The scenery, the water, just the day was good.  It was not a laborious day but it flowed.  As I set off this morning I said to Nat, "This is either going to be a great day of paddling or a miserable day,"  and it was great.

We had a time limit today as there was an airport run to do,Nat heading off for 10 days to do some real work and Jase arriving to be support crew.  So once off the water and packed up we speed to Dunedin airport.  (We didn't actually speed!)  I sit in the passenger seat drinking coconut water (thanks Hamish from Cathedral Cove Naturals I luv my coconut water) and eating, trying to get the layers of sunscreen and sea salt off me by rubbing in a layer of moisturiser as I am driven along the windy roads.  "Do you have your seat belt on?" is the comment from Nat.  "Yes," I say, well just about!

We arrive at the airport with plenty of time and sit waiting on the arrival of AirNz from Auckland.  Crew change over complete we head back to Taieri Motorcamp and this is when the smile on my face just gets bigger.  Paulafrom the campsite is gorgeous!  Thank you for your donation!  And Thank you for being so friendly, honest, real and just a great kiwi lady, it seems to be the norm.

As we setup and get dinner underway and ready to eat these two gorgeous girls come over to say hi.  They are doing an amazing journey and have just arrived at the same campsite, they are horse riding around the coastline of NZ.  This is something to admire!  They left Hawkes Bay in November 2014, Larissa and Kendall are doing this because it was a dream.  They are raising money for Legup Trust.  We chatted for a long time, so much in common and so in awe of each other, kindred spirits.  Check them out, horsingaroundaotearoa.co.nz.  I have promised them I will be there when they finish their journey and we are going to celebrate.  They have some truly amazing stories, go girls you rock.

Dinner eaten, kawakawa tea in my hand, I am so damn happy.  It has been one of those special days that make you want to keep going, thank you Otago you have made me smile,
the beaches, the people, the sunshine, I am coming back for sure.

My smiles today (this is not hard):
THE ENTIRE DAY, It has been a goodie!

My thoughts today:
Dreams do come true, you just have to ask yourself how badly you really want the dream to be real.  Larissa and Kendell, high five to you both.

Red, Cuzzie & Jase
 

How beautiful was the Otago Peninsular this morning?!

Surfing into Taiere Beach

DAY 97...Hello Dunedin :)

Today when we got up it was 7 degrees, holy crap, one day soon I will head to the water without my black leggings and thick jacket on and not grumble that I am cold.  Even Nat is not cold this morning and giving me the look of, really what is wrong with you?  A calm, tranquil boat ramp launch, not a wave in sight.  We waited till just before 6 am today, half an hour before sunrise.  It is light enough to see and I weave and wind my way around the rocks and the large kelp beds that are everywhere along this coast.  They look like large kelp gardens, at first I thought I could paddle around but that took far too much time so now I weave through them with my rudder up, all the time amazed at the length and size of each strand

I pick my way along the coastline heading towards Shag Point to my first checkin with Nat.  All good, albeit it was light southerlies which caused me to frown a little as I was hoping the northerlies would kick in.  The points of the headlands were a little like a typical washing machine.  Katiki beach took a way to get across due to this but I made it.  We chatted and I headed off for the next 21 km, keeping to the coast where possible, but looking over at the Dunedin headland every once and awhile.  At the 16km mark I called Nat as it was calm and I was going to change course and go for it across the open waters.  Enough of this coast hugging and it looked calm.  I was going for it, 21km head down and I turned.  I will try and answer all of your questions.  Yes there was an ocean swell.  Yes it was deep (it is the ocean) and yes, today there were sharks!  Three large ones sighted at different times along the way.  I did not stop to say hi and they just continued on their way, cruising on the surface.  There were also a couple of earlier sightings of Dolphins and plenty of seals when I was still coastal hugging.

As I got over towards the entrance of the harbour (thanks to Ed I kept an eye out for ships coming in and out) I skooted towards the harbour entrance rock wall and beached for 15 mins for a couple of reasons, one to put some charge into my phone and two to just stand and regroup for the next few kms.  I really wanted to quit at this point!  Not sure why but off I set, just another 10 km I promised my self.  Over the harbour entrance and past some beautiful cliffs, caves and seals.  I put my video camera on and I hope it looks as good as my view.

Around to harbour mouth and on to Papanui Inlet.  Over to the far corner of the beach to get to the mouth of the inlet and over the waves.  I cut the corner a bit early and braced on a wave onto the edge of the beach and inlet and then had a short water assisted portagefor a couple of meters into the deeper part of the inlet.  I paddled with some seals as I paddled towards Nat and the boat sheds.  This was pleasant end to a long 11 hour day.  There were some great moments today, some brilliant sights and a couple of moments when I got tired where I just wanted to stop but pushed along and made it.  We loaded T2 and ready to get on the road, coconut water in my hand to drink and Nat had got me some salty potato chips as a treat, Yippee.

We are staying with Ina from Yachtbot tonight, the biggest thank you to her and the wonderful bath, it was what I needed.  Now dinner is cooked and ready, we are spoilt for choice, everything and more, yumbo!

My smiles today:
Nailing a great distance.
Pushing that extra couple of bays, it was worth it.
Pictures of Sunflowers, care of Jackie W.
Meeting such great new people.
Playing with the seal pups in the inlet.
Dinner, now that made me really smile, thank you Ina.
Oh and I am officially in Dunedin, now that is pretty cool.

My thoughts today:
Where does that mental tough switch come from?  Some days it is there and other days it flicks on and off...ahhhh

Red

Smiles at the end of a long day

DAY 96...Progress :)

After drinking freshly brewed kawakawa tea, made from the freshly picked leaves from our wonderful hosts garden, we slept well last night.  It is something I am going to continue using, their shrub is going to be raided tonight before I leave their house.  What an amazing taste which I, for some crazy reason, have not stumbled on before today, especially the fresh leaves.  

Anyway back to my day, we got up and this camping area had to be one of the busiest freedom camping spots so far, there were small vans, cars and campervans everywhere, 40 plus I would have guessed.  We got up and then headed back to catchup with the family for showers and more kawakawa tea, then Nat was heading off to try surfing at the local beach.  Now if the surfer in the household is happy the surf is up then you know the kayaker is not going anywhere.  I went to watch Nat and help walk the dogs on the beach and throw them pinecones to chase.  There was also a surfing contest on one end of the beach and halfway down the surf life saving club was having small competition of racing their boats.  Always fun to watch as they catch and leap over the breaking waves, but not a place for a sea kayaker at present!

Nat enjoyed the surfing lesson from her aunt and was smiling for being out in the water, she warmed up in the sunshine back at the house, sheltered from the wind.  We had a plan so soon we headed off for me to start my afternoon paddle.  Hopefully it was going to happen and I could inch my way down the coast a little way once the southerlies had dropped and the swell went down a little more.

Back up the coast we whizzed and out onto the point that I had landed on, just south of Kakanui.  Low and behold, there were waves and a swell!  We sat and waited, and watched and waited.  Eventually I made a move, got dressed and we unloaded then stood on the windy beach and I started out at the waves.  My plan: nail this launch and you can do a small 18 km paddle to Moeraki harbour.  With a southerly wind and a 1.7m swell off I went.  It was slow but I was moving forward and I was okay with it for this short distance.  Soon it was done and dusted and I was on the boat ramp and chatting to Nat again.

Tomorrow the weather is looking good so fingers crossed a biggish paddle is planned, but let's just wait and see.  Dinner done, gear is drying and we are resting, me drinking my new found favourite, kawakawa tea.  Basically a good day today, I got on the water and moved south a little more.

My smiles today:
Nat going surfing.
Leaving out host's house with fresh laid eggs, kawakawa leaves and a full tummy, thank you for a lovely time.
Knowing that Ed (our host) is embarking on his own adventure soon with a group ride from Cape Reinga to the Bluff, (Tour Aotearoa) Go Ed!  Keep me posted, I will be tracking you.
The wind is dropping, that makes me smile.

My thoughts today:
Sticking to my promised plans and trying to judge each situation.  They say good judgement comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgement!  So I am learning.

Red

Really Nat, more photos?

DAY 95...More Dunedin

Rain, wind and cold.  Not as cold as previous days but cold enough to sit in my sleeping bag and turn our heater on for awhile.  Brekkie and indoor stuff done, I woke Nat about730 am with me wriggling about and she posted her cool Instagram pic of the day.  I tried today to get moving early.  I showered and got ready for a wetlands walk today and a guided tour of the nursery.  Glen was growing kowhai and other trees from seeds, there was a planted grass roof of the nursery, now this and all the seedlings they have a different stages of growth made for a very cool place!

Off we set on the walk, going out and about in the wetlands looking for birds and admiring the views.  What an amazing place and how massive this area covers, (Glen manages 315 of the 2000 hectare wetland) the work they have done so far is spectacular and their vision is huge, what a massive project.  We leave Glen to his digging of planting boxes and eat our left over dinner for our lunch, I luv left overs.

Into Dunedin we head to have some cups of hot tea and then go to check out possible beach landings on the coastline of Dunedin.  It is nice knowing in advance of options of landings along the way.  The Southerlies and swells are big so the beaches are all looking rather intimidating but by the end of this weekend the winds and weather changes so these options should be good.  Not much else achieved today except pre planning for the next couple of days and hoping for some water time and some distances further south.

Tonight I am again lucky that Nat has family we can stay with and dinner is on the table, steak and yummy salads are ready for us, all my favourites!  The biggest thank you to Ed, Jen Alice and Arlo.  Life is calm and I am focused and chomping a little at the bit to get on with it.  So is Nat, we are both keen to get further south.

My smiles today:
Just accepting MN at last for what she throws at me, thanks for the rest days.
Left overs for lunch, damn they were good
The Wetlands, what a special place..
Nats family & friends along the way have all been amazing.  Thank you.
Dunedin and your coastline, you are amazing.
Tuis in the flax, as well as bellbirds

My thought today:
Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the birds in the trees, the smiling faces, the ever moment.  Smell the rain, and feel the wind.  Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.

Red

Part of the Sinclair Wetlands

Tui in flax

DAY 94...Taking A Break

Today was going to be another lay day and we headed to a friends of Nats late last night to keep ourselves moving and motivated, rather than just sit and wait.  The Sinclair Wetlands here we come.  Yes it is a bit of a drive from where I last landed but, why not see the other parts of Otago when I can.  We arrived and were welcomed by Glen and Chantal, what a lovely location they have and how cool, they have saved us a powered site in the camping area with a big sign placed on the ground to welcome Team Red.

Cups of tea and stories shared, warm and cozzie in their house listening to the rain and wind outside.  At last we headed back to Cuzzie to eat a really late dinner and settle into our warm sleeping bags.  We had the heater on for awhile and I just lay there listening to the weather outside feeling warm and dry, I was also imagining this next section in my head.  Someone asked me the other day what is it that has been the biggest thing you had experienced you did not expect, well today I know what it is.  I thought it would have been warmer in Canterbury and Otago, so far it has not and I am glad of my warm sleeping bag.  Many thoughts run through my head some nights and tonight my mind was wide awake.  I lay checking out articles on the Internet and just generally reading sort of motivational info and thought provoking material.  It was late when I went to sleep well after midnight.

As per normal I woke early and waited for the weather to update and see what the cold strong southerly was doing, then I lay and waited on Nat to wake up.  She was tired from our long walk, and also all of the driving she had been doing.  Cuzzie has covered near on 10k on this trip and Nat has driven 80% of this.

The Sinclair Wetlands are stunning, it is an area that is being returned to all natural and all the local NZ natives are grown on site.  They plant out with the help of local and overseas volunteers working on the land and they are returning this farming land back to its original stunning look.  Great sunsets I have been told, also ridding the land of all the rodents and pests that where introduced and that kill the wildlife and birds.  Glen told me that a stout /ferret/weasel eats 4 birds a day and last year they caught 15.  When you do the maths that is a lot of dead native birds!  Go you guys, you are doing such a amazing thing in this stunning part of NZ and you enjoy your job.  I also met the coolest dog Pippi, a springer spaniel.  It brought back memories of my childhood and our spaniels on the farm, she is a darling.

We did a short trip into Dunedin today to grab an upgraded crew phone but I have a thing about spending time in a city I have not paddled into yet, a superstition, we all have little crazy notions!  Tonight is card games, Uno, and omg I was offered the chance to watch a TV program.  Honestly the last time I watched a program was the Rugby World Cup final in Hahei.  I thanked them but was just as happy cooking dinner, I have never been a TV addict.

Weather has calmed a little but it is still not suitable for paddling.  We are wetland hiking tomorrow and maybe checking rodent traps.  More Uno, more hot cups of peppermint tea and as I sit crossed legged on the floor I think to myself, I like being a gypsy a kayaker, I love seeing our country, NZ you are stunning, on and off the water.

My smiles today:
Pippi the spaniel chasing mice!
Cuzzie and her heater ..
Trusting totally in my basic inner instincts, it is a cool skill and I smile and trust it.
I smiled at solo me today .
A clean and a fresh look at my world on a cloudy cold and wet day.  I smile when I do this, Reds cleansing is a special skill.

My thoughts today:
Believing, trusting and feeling, we should all stop and listen to our inner self, it is never wrong.  Everything happens for a reason.  I love this saying.

Red

PS, the links are to two different websites with info on the wetlands.

If you look closely you will see the 'v' is being towed away by a small kayak

DAY 93...Exploring the Great Outdoors

Yippee, a bush hike.  We had a day plan, and it is not humid where we are, brilliant.  We are all rugged up in woollen leggings, sharkskin jackets, hiking shoes, hats and raincoats, such a great thing to do when it is windy, wet and yuk, get into the bush, trees and forget.  I am following my thoughts from last night, not thinking, not obsessing, I am just going with the flow.  Bring it on MN, I am embracing what you are giving me today.

Thanks to the team at the campsite for this great suggestion, we headed off to park up Cuzzie and go hiking.  Nat had the backpack, food, water, (coconut for me) and of course Nat with her faithful camera.  Herbert Forest, now this was going to be cool.  I had a good feeling and it stayed with us for the entire day.

We trekked into the forest and native bush, tt twisted and turned up and down.  There are cool caves, water falls, stream crossings, and native birds, we saw a Black South Island Robin on a fence post.  So many Tuis too.  We climbed up steep steps, slid down muddy clay sections to the streams, clambered down ropes to the creeks and even found a metal ladder youu needed to scale down to get across a stream.  We took some wrong turns, we walked along some mountain bike tracks, even clambering down the steep downhill section of the course, laughing at the fact all we could do was attempt to stay upright and on our feet let alone be on a mountain bike!

We sat on our jackets on the damp forest ground and ate chips and chocolate for lunch while looking up at the tree canopy above that was protecting us from the rain and most and the wind.  What an amazing find this has been.  Nat took some very cool pics of bright red mushrooms, trees, water features, flowers and dew on spiderwebs.  Having a creative mind and a camera you love meant she was on her knees taking up close pics and getting covered in mud, hook grass and bidybids! 

Six hours and 20km later we arrived back at Cuzzie and the car park, both with huge smiles on our faces.  We brewed up a large cup of masala chai tea and then for the first time all day saw another tramper and her gorgeous lab "Jason".  Now as I have said everyday on this journey we meet a new and cool person and today was no exception.  We meet and chatted, shared pics and agreed this was a cool place and we were told of some other places to go tramping while we where stuck on dry land.  Jason the lab continued to pick up Nats hiking socks and walk off with them, he also totally understood every word that was said about him.  Now that was a cool lab, we will surely met them again on a isolated track I am sure.

We are on another journey at the moment and will share this location with you tomorrow, the weather, swell and MN is against us.

Food needed, heater on and we are happy campers

My smiles today:
Having a plan for today, damn it was a good day and a fab plan.
Getting out in the rain the cold and still being full of smiles.
Feeling great as body and mind rejoiced at the outdoor activities today.  I luved it.
Where I am right now getting ready for bed, this location is cool and it is already making me smile.

My thoughts today:
Understanding and believing totally that each day has got to make you feel as if you have made the most of every moment.

Red, Nat and Cuzzie

Adventurers!

Raindrops on Foxgloves

DAY 92...Stayed put.

I tried to believe and remind myself that I would not be paddling today but I am a forever hopeful and forever thinking that the weather would have to changed to what I dreamed it would or should be.  I am not gifted with a magic wand and the weather was crap.  Some of you maybe in a heatwave at present, but down in my world there is a strong southerly blowing and I was going nowhere.  It was blowing and it was raining, with my head down I headed to the showers to stop looking at forecasts.  "Just deal with it," I said.  The shower was great until I stepped out of it to discover I had forgotten my towel!  Great start.  Try drying yourself with your head band!  It really was not the best option.  Half wet and with dripping hair I headed back to the warmth of Cuzzie.  I chatted with Nat, we decided to check out the beach anyway and then decide.  That did not take too long, as we pulled up and looked across the bay, it was not attractive.  Off we speed to do some errands and see some of the sights.  I am afraid though the dry land stop and being off the water after four continuous days was not feeling that good, it was putting me in a mood.

This enforced rest day for most would be welcomed I know and as it was put to me later on, "Red you have paddled over and above a marathon each day for four days, just enjoy the rest!"  I listened and agreed but did not absorb, in my mind I was thinking, I was just getting into a rhythm again, damn, damn, damn.

We whizzed along the roads and stopped to look at the Moeraki Boulders.  I was amazed at the size, shape and cool features of these ball shaped rocks on the beach.  Then we went for a long walk and climbed to the top of the points to look ahead at the weather and waves.  It was messy out on the ocean, torture!  The wind does some weird things to me and my brain, in some of the bays is was not as bad and the fishermen and yachts were all moored safely there.  Did that not tell me something?  Yep, but did I want to believe what I saw? 

Nat just drove, we headed on a road trip to keep me busy and away from water.  We ended up heading to get errands done in the nearby shops, we wandered for a little looking and getting rained on.  I was a terror today and needed to be banished to the top of a hill and made to run up and down the hills until I was wet and exhausted like they do in the army. (after Nat has read this she will have new ideas)

Errands done and stomachs feed we had two options, head to vist a friend of Nats or head back to the beach and re check to make sure the damn forecast was not lying.  I'm sure you can guess which option we chose!  At the beach it was worse than ever before.  Red, you now know that you should have shut up and gone visiting!  I was beaten down, at last.  Silent, gutted, we went looking for a campsite and that is when we both started to smile, it took along time today in the wind and the rain, but we made it!

We found a wonderful place with a big grassed area, trees, a stream, loads of free space, great owners and an outdoor spa bath!  This place rocks.  We got dinner sorted, cooked and then ate in the campsite lounge.  We chatted with Janene & Warren, Riverside Haven Lodge & Holiday Park,   now this place is special and at last I felt at ease and calm.  Sheeze what a day!  Doing not a lot just trying to keep my mind occupied.

Poor Nat had to suggest she look after my phone for most of the day as it was safer that way, she answered my messages and monitored me and my mind.  I know I constantly say this, but being the support crew on this trip is not an easy thing.  Being with each other 24/7 takes a special tolerance and today was a serious off the water challenge for her.

Support crew dread the off the water days, far more than throwing me at the ocean, but we made it through.  We sat in that spa after dinner and it was bliss, we were outside away from the wind in peaceful, beautiful surroundings.  Today I deserved the prize of a slap to the back of the head for being the crazy one, oops.

A couple of long phone calls done, (I was allowed my phone back) crew sorted for next week and calm restored in my head.  I sat and ate dark chocolate and crystallised ginger, it is yum.  Tomorrow is planned and I am okay with the plan.  Let' s just see what the day brings, first will be a hot cup of peppermint tea with lashings of honey, then we will be off.  There is no rain forecast but wind is predicted, so a 4/5 hour hike is planned.

My smiles today: 
The spa bath, it solved everything and improved the mood.
Talking with Mike about paddling and rolling, he did not know how much he improved my mood today.
Talking with others about our lives and the similar things we have been through, this journey each day connects me to others for a reason.
Smiling now at the craziness in me!
There are trout in the stream next to us, that is magic.
Vodafone and their very cool service this evening, they rocked!  I (finally) have a new crew phone.

My thoughts today:
Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess, just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best.

Red

PS:  It is easier said than done, as some days I struggle to breathe, and my team struggle to even make me drink water!

:PPS: Today I joined Mother Nature for awhile, I enjoyed being in her tears, the rain, and I wondered why.  We just connected.

Atop one of the mysterious boulders at Moeraki

The aliens hatching

DAY 91...Waitaki Rivermouth to Kakanui

Bed was so good last night, the paddle from yesterday had made me tired, sleep and rest was what the body needed so I curled up on my little bed and slept.  Because of all the water I had drunk (damn you guys) I had to stagger to the bathrooms at about midnight.  The only funny moment was when Nat thought it was time to get up for another days paddling, she quickly went back to sleep when I assured her she still had hours till the morning.

The river departure this morning was pretty cool.  A calm little lagoon to start from and then I raced with the river current towards the sea and the waves, waved to Nat then up and over the sand bar and out the other side.  Now that was a text-book morning!   Off I headed on this last section of this rough and tough coastline, in the end after 15 km I at last sighted Oamaru.  Nat had already said there was no point stopping and I was in agreement, make the most of this Northerly wind while it lasted as the Southerly is on its way!  As I got to the last section of the point of Oamaru I was so excited, I could see a sandy beach and green hills.  Thank goodness for that, my heart actually lifted and so did my mood.  I was now officially in Otago and had said goodbye to Canterbury, that is another milestone.

Nat chirped on and off every couple of hours on the mobile and VHF.  "How is it going?" and the going was actually good.  I was enjoying aiming at and crossing from bay to bay, going around rocks and over kelp and seeing some variation.  The winds and ocean where being kind, fairly calm and easy on me, also there was cloud cover and rain.  I like rain in the summer, it was only gently falling today and just kept me cool.  I do have this strange thought when it rains, it is as if Mother Nature is sad and the sky is crying!  A little like I felt like yesterday at times (I know weird, but I never said I was normal!)  While MN is a little sadder and not so powerful, I got my paddling head on and aimed to be finished and off the water earlier today.  I was keen to be smiling at the end of today, I felt great today and can only put it down to the change of scenery.  I felt as at last I was moving forward and  I dared to glance back and see the tougher coastline in the mist and haze far behind me.

There were dolphins today and they did their own thing again, not wanting to play with me and T2, they will come play again soon I am sure.  There was no one else on the water until I got to Kakanui and then it was one solo boat with a couple of guys fishing.  There was a very large loud splash behind me today, some rather large fish leaving the surface rather quickly.  I am not sure what it was but I suspect it was another big shark, but he was gone before I could sight him.

Missed seeing our wonderful hosts from Christchurch today, they where passing through Oamaru at about 8.30 am, checking with Nat on my location.  Sadly Gerard and Donna, we will have to catch up on the west coast.  I will try and be on time and in the right location!

As I rounded the corner to my final bay I smiled, a nice beach with a couple of nice waves and a small hill to get T2 up to load onto Cuzzie.  The day ended perfectly, Nat with her camera at the ready (Mr Caffyn I blame you for this!) while T2 and I surfed in on a perfect wave straight at her feet.  I landed, we unloaded everything and stowed it away.  Nat commented, "I should have made you paddle further, you have too much energy left!"

As I have said before some days it is easy and a great day but some days, it is like dragging a sea anchor behind you all day.

We had time today to drive back into Oamaru and get a replacement Lifeproof case for my mobile as after only three months this case was about to fail.  All SPARK could do was send it off to be accessed. As I didn't trust myself with just using one drybag on my mobile instead of the double bagging I normally do I purchased another, best to be safe.  One iphone was ruined on day one and that is enough for this trip.

Feed, watered and phone case sorted we wandered the streets of Oamaru, in and out of secondhand shops.  Nat got the bargain, a dress for $3.00.  I was not tempted today at all, the health food shops got my money today, fresh eggs, crystallized ginger and fresh tumeric, and also a couple of needed items from the local chemists for the first aid box.

We are are all set up in a cool little campsite tonight, Moeraki Boulders Kiwi Holiday Park, and I have been using my old hairdressing skills on Nat this evening.  Hairdressing skills, too too damn easy and something I will never forget.  Chichen, roast potatoes care of Nat tonight.  It is not hot and steamy today in our world, but you know what, today was fun on the water in the rain, I am not "made of sugar"!

My smiles today:
Still smiling at my 2000km.
Still smiling on my crazy portage out of the Waitaki river mouth yesterday.  There are some stories on that adventure.
Fantastic feeling when you nail an exit from a river mouth and even better when you surf a wave and nail it, so smiling today
So happy to feel energized and looking forward to the next stage of this little paddling adventure of mine.
The ability to see , feel and touch this amazing coastline we have, it is far more than I could have ever dreamed. 
I love ducks I have decided.  We have just had a visit from 9 ducklings and their mum at the campervan door.  This seriously is something we miss when we live n a huge city, ducks at my doorstep is way cool, it makes me smile.

My thoughts today:
I adore this dream I am in and it has given me new strength.  It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.  It takes confidence to talk about a dream and even more to pursue it. 

Red & Nat & Cuzzie, signing out for dinner, YIPPEE

PS.  Tim Taylor, I am seem to be following in your footsteps, I have landed in several places where the locals remember you fondly.

Red expertly surfing in a wave near Kakanui

The bravest duckling.  We shall name her Red2

DAY 90...Timaru to Waitaki River

I tried today to get as far down this coastline as possible and say it was all under my belt.  It would have been nice to say DONE and in Oamaru, but it was not to be...

The day started early and we launched from the calm Timaru Beach and the one thing that amazed me as we dragged T2 to the beach along the boardwalk, there were snails crawling across and also on the sand!  I have never seen snails on a sandy beach before in my life!  Oh well, something new everyday.

The coastline, it was a little bit like sea torture today, the waves crashing onto the steep stone beaches for the entire 9 hours I paddled.  It is not a coastline that I would like to have to paddle numerous times and I am pleased to have nearly got this section under my belt. It was not rough really, just tough going and it felt I was never getting anywhere.  Thank goodness for Garmin telling me I was moving forwards, but the kms took their time to clock up.

What did I see?  Lots of birdlife and hundreds of squarking seagulls, a few dolphins, but again they did not want to play and in the distance two other paddlers with sails/kites, yet on my kayak, just little old me, that was the scenery for me today.  I paddled on, I tried to zone out but today was hard.  If my view could have changed just a little that would have been nice but by the time I chatted with Nat at midday I was already saying I was over this day, there is no way I am going to push this all the way to Oamaru.  I wished her the best of luck trying to keep me on the water for another 7 hours.  Some days I sort of know when it is easy and when it is hard, today was hard for me.  I did manage to stay infront of the kite flying kayakers and as I came in at Waitaki River mouth about an hour later I saw them bravely paddling into a strong southerly headwind.  I silently wished them luck and thought maybe, just maybe I should of found some more strength to knock over another 25km.  It was not going to be.

Coming into the river mouth was an interesting experience.  It was bad enough timing the waves to get into the river mouth that once into the river mouth to then be hit by a huge outward current of the river was almost too much. Thank goodness for Nat, she charged down the steep stone cliffs and grabbed T2.  I clambered out and the boring day just got a little bit exciting as we then had to drag T2 a rather long way in and out of the river.  This was not something my legs or arms wanted to do after this paddle and there were a lot of stops and starts.  I was tired and this said it was a good call to stop for the day, 65 km was enough.  Along the way we did try and laugh, me and my numerous abrupt VHF chats and mobile discussions, (we both drained our batteries today) I was grumpy and rather short.  Nat was wishing there was a video camera of the events on the river bank, it was not fun at the time but it all adds to the adventure.  The locals on the river mouth catching Kawhai just looked at us as if we were crazy folk!

We did have help and it was by a gorgeous local, Rex.  He walked down the river especially to give me a huge hug of congratulations for making it across the bar and for missing the rogue waves on the way in.  He carried T2 with Nat up the big hill to the carpark, totally gorgeous and a real lovely local.

What more can be said today, yesterday was a high for hitting a new milestone and today, well I am glad the day is over.

My smiles today:
Getting in from my days paddling, that was the best moment today (until I saw how far away Cuzzie was!).
Meeting an amazing friendly local, Rex you where such a darling.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
My grumpy mood on the water, and yes to my mentor in Auckland I did drink lots of water, I was just grumpy and I now have to laugh at this horrid mood.
I smile as I am just about to go to sleep and that is going to be amazing.
Dearest Nat for saying I do not have to apologise to her ever, she loved today!  Well most of it (wait till she writes her version of this trip)

My thoughts today:
"It is going to be Tougher than you can ever imagine"  and some days it truly is.

Goodnight from Red & Nat, both part of this crazy Redznzjourney

Departing Caroline Bay

Early morning loud over Timaru

DAY 89...The 2 T's...Ashburton River to Timaru

Calm seas and hardly any wind makes for an enjoyable paddle, the presence and many dolphin sightings along the way and also a blue shark made for some entertainment.  The coastline did not vary much but as I was making good time and the seas were calm, it was enjoyable.  There where no whistling winds and no big swells so it was a day to enjoy as I paddled along, mostly only 20 metres off the shoreline as it was so calm, the dolphins were even in close as well.

As I ticked over the strokes and paddled towards checkpoint one and two, there was time to reflect and say a couple of thank you to the strangers that Nat had meet on the beach at Birdlings Flat.  They kindly made a cash donation for MHFNZ and we tucked this into the bucket we carry around with us for these donations.  It is always humbling when we are approached by people who have heard of this journey and the charity we are raising funds for.

Today there was a light rain falling for some of this trip and to be honest it was so nice to cool me down as even without the sun and under full cloud cover it was hot on the water.  It was pleasing to open my mouth and feel the rain on my tongue.  Further along the coastline Nat and I touched base, there was nothing to report and no concerns so she speed off to grab some items for the fridge and checkout the next VHF checkpoint.  At this stage I was clocking an average of 8.5km per hour which was damn pleasing,  always good in my world to get the first 20 km locked away quickly and not struggle from the start as this can make tough going.

Just before the next checkpoint Nat calls me to congratulate us on hitting the next milestone 2000 km!  YIPPEE!  This is cool, I have to say it has been tough on me, this last stage and the 2000 mark I have not dared think about too much.  It had (finally) arrived and it was calm and tranquil out on the water so I continued with my tradition & upheld my promise to the support crew.  2000 km is special and a well deserved hug to myself and the team, phew, just a couple more celebrations to get to now.

Then as though pre-ordered a cool blue tip shark came near to me.  Not as close as the North Island Bluey was, this guy cruised near me and then disappeared.  Shame, not fast enough with the Action Cam, damn, next time.

On I paddled, checking out the massive Timaru harbour and trying to locate the bay I needed to find Nat in.  There were a couple of large container ships coming and going into the docks so I did a wide berth from these.  I spent a couple of minutes just sitting looking at the landscape and getting my bearings right, the water had calmed and was like an oil slick.  I was wanting a little wind at least to assist with my final push to meet Nat, but it was no going to be.  Today I had not consumed enough food or water and was feeling a tad grumpy out in the harbour, so I washed back a chocolate bar and tried to consume all the water bladder before I got to shore, mostly so I did not get into trouble and told off.  I always confess my slackness once I get the five questions back on land, they go like this...

I was greeted with Nat in the water up to her knees trying to take more pics today, I had to laugh as a small wave got an unsuspecting Nat with a beauty, shorts totally saturated, she was concentrating on getting another 'after a long day of paddling' image of me.  

1: Have you drunk all your fluids?..... Ahhh no.
2: How much food have you eaten?..... Ahhh no, no quite.
3: Are you hungry?.... Ahhhh no, not yet.
4: What do you want to eat?.... Ahhhh not sure.
5: Do you want any water? ??? Then that is normally followed by, just drink something!

Once on the beach we dragged T2 and the gear up the beach and along a boardwalk, what a nice change from the surf beaches.  We unloaded, I ran over to some cold showers and washed away the days exercise and salt while Nat got ready for the drive to the campsite.  As we arrived she squealed with delight, "A Swimming Pool!"  Very soon we were at the pool on the loungers and Nat was doing hand stands in the pool.  Me I had seen enough water for one day and lay in the warmth of the late afternoon sun, we ate chips with avocado dip, and I tried to drink more water!

Back at the Cuzzie we got dinner ready and cracked open a bottle of LP Champagne to celebrate the 2 T's, Two Thousand Kms and Timaru.

My smiles today:
2ooo kms, YIPPEE
Dolphins & Sharks, YIPPEE
A glass of champagne, now that is nice.
Calm seas.
Always meeting a new local, that is a smile a day for sure.

My thoughts today:
 On how far I have come on this journey, in so many ways...maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything, maybe it is about unbecoming everything that isn't really you, so you can be who you where meant to be in the first place.  Now that is a great thought.

Red

Red in the early morning light

Cheers to 2000km!

DAY 88...Raikaia to past the Ashburton River.

The other day I was saying it was way too cold, well we all knew that this was going to change.  Last night I slept in only my sleeping bag liner as it was so warm, the summer is (finally) arriving.  This morning we were waiting on things to update and see if the gusting winds would be okay for me to paddle and it was looking great till about 1pm.  We got ready and headed the 20 mins back to the river mouth to launch and get on the water.  It was a beautiful morning and the dumping beaches were calm and flat.  I looked to the sky and did say thank you and launched onto this flat ocean, (I was only a little superstitious when I left Auckland, I am fully superstitious now) when I am given a nice day like this to paddle, there are a couple of people I always say thank you to as I get into my rhythm of the day and my paddle. 

As I slipped along this coast line it is a time to Zen on the long and straight coast, no one on the beaches and huge cliffs down to the beach, with very little access for people I guess, so it is a little special to see this part of the coastline by water.  On a windy, bad weather day this would not be the nicest section to be on as the trees on the hills are nearly bent in half and one side of them is completely bare of anything green, they have been tortured by numerous winds and storms.  Today they and the coastline are being baked dry by the hot sun shine.  The Dolphins came and went numerous times, but they never stayed for too long, just popped up to say hi and then, you are boring, and would leave, I was not their entertainment today.

As I get closer to my first checkpoint I see a lone soul sitting on the beach.  Nat was sunning herself and waiting, also there were dolphins just in front of her.  It turns out she had got into the wetsuit and waded in to see if they would come and play near her, but alas not today.  We checked on the next location and decided to keep pushing along past the next river mouth and try to get as far as we could before the winds arrived and I would call it a day.  I put my head down, concentrated on the paddling and aimed for the final destination.  It was getting hot on the water and I reapplied my sunblock a couple of times.  There was not much wind for the most part, I was paddling well and clocking up the kms, so the 1pm finish and off the water was looking good.  I was also drinking a lot more of my fluids today, (the team will be happy!) by the time I got off the water it was 31 degrees!  I always paddle with a few nerves when I know that the weather may be turning, but at least there was no swell which always helps.

As I looked along the coastline I started to think, where the heck is there any access for Nat and Cuzzie?  There was no cell phone coverage at all on this leg so I turned on my VHF early, half expecting to hear from Nat saying that I had to paddle another 20km or something yuk like that.  As I got to the other side of the river and was scanning the hills and beach, guess who turns up at the end of a road?  Brilliant, I sight Cuzzie and then Nat.  I've got to say, I like it when I see them, I am not sure about other paddlers but sometimes, just sometimes you can doubt your equipment and think maybe it is wrong, or more to the point have I got it wrong?!  Off the water I come, Nat has camera in hand, she can see a photo opportunity.  Today I am obliging and even keep my sunglasses off my face, normally that is a sure sign I am not impressed when I pull them on as the camera comes out, but today I just smiled.

It was hot once on the beach and we gradually unpacked T2 and got her on the roof racks.  We got the gear stowed away and went on our way back to the Ashburton campsite to find some shade and get some of the sea salt off us.  It has been an afternoon of of normal chores, washing, food, sun and also got a hilarious call from Jono & Ben from The Rock FM about my Cook Strait crossing.  They are looking at attempting it on a banana boat!  I am not even that brave, good luck to them both.

Tomorrow, well I am not sure, lets just see what happens.  Maybe the ocean and maybe not. Mother Nature is in control and never will I forget that.

My smiles today:
Dolphins again and how amazing they are.
To be able to get on the water the past few days, Canterbury Bight, you have shown me a beautiful side to your coastline, thank you.
The fab feedback from people on our Facebook & Instagram pages, and your lovely supportive comments on my Blogs.
To the company I work for, Veni Vidi Vici & the crew.  Thank you for allowing me to have an extended break from my office, V3 is helping me mentally for sure, and I smile.
It is windy now and I smile at this, as I am off the water and further down the coast.
The cyclist at the campsite biking the NZ roads, and you know what?  He said the NZ hills have been horrible! (I knew there was a reason for me to be paddling!)
I did look back today at Banls Peninsula in the hazzy distance, I will go back, she is beautiful and untamed.

My thoughts:
A little crazy in the heat, but mostly about being focused and looking at the horizon ahead, as around the next corner or bluff I am excited about what may be there for me to discover, a little like life I suppose.

Red

Red before...

Red after :)

DAY 87...Yippee, at last I've escaped!

The day was planned and we sort of lay in a little today, for me I was just damn disappointed with another day of no paddling and trying to kid myself it was going to be okay, I was starting to doubt it!  We got up, dressed and sort of packed for the Canyoning adventure then headed off towards Geraldine to meet the others at the designated pickup point.  As we zipped along I checked the weather app, we had made the call last night that it was a no go on the paddling and doubted it was to change much over night so I had not bothered to look a 6am.  When I looked at 830 it was calm, we could get a days paddling!  With twenty minutes to go for arriving at Canyoning and we had to do a massive U turn and then we had a two hour drive to get back to Te Oka Bay!  Thanks Mother Nature, you really did it to me this time.  We drove and we arrived, having to reverse on the dirt roads for the massive grader that was smoothing the roads.

By 11.30am I was on the water, it was going to be a late finish and it was going to be hot and sunny out on the water.  As I paddled and waved Nat good bye, I was waiting for the wind to pickup, annoy me and tell me I had got the forecast wrong, but it did not it.  I had a tail wind, a small swell and we cruised along in the afternoon heat, today we could have landed anywhere we liked on this coastline, it was so calm.  It was nothing like what we had seen on previous days and not like the stories from others on what this coastline was like for them.  During this 50km leg I was always hopeful it would not sneak up and the wind would change!  I only had a small area to surf across at the mouth of the Raikaia river and that was it.

Yes the dolphins came to say hi a couple of times and were also in really close to shore as I arrived and landed, even tempting Nat to nearly jump in and see if they would go swimming around her, but as fast as they appeared they disappeared again.

Today was about a massive change in our pre planned day, and it was worth the squeal of brakes and the abrupt change of plans.  The paddle was not difficult, but it is, as some know, very long and straight and can get a little same same as you go along.  It was nice to see fishermen and their friendly waves and even a group who cheered, thank you to them.

Nat and I did a couple of VHF checkins and I sent her a few Inreach locations and messages.  We were heading south and that felt good, it made me press on 10 kms further to get past the Raikaia river mouth, to make up any time on a calm day now is a must.

We are off the water, I have suffered a headache all day today, probably from no coffee.  The past six days off the water I have consumed way to much and am paying for it now with a damn caffeine withdrawal headache.  By the time I got off the water I nearly swallowed an entire packet of pain killers to get rid of the damn pain.  I am thinking my relationship with coffee must come to a sad ending!

Now fed and watered, I am off to the shower to wash off the salt and get ready for bed. It has been a good day and one that we did not expect.  MN, you nearly foxed us and we nearly missed this weather window.

Smiling today:
I paddled!
I saw dolphins.
It was sunny and hot.
I had a tailwind and a small swell for this paddle.
I had an easy beach landing and that is abnormal for this coastline.
Seeing Cuzzie cruise into view at the end of my paddling day.

My thoughts:
When I hear somebody sigh and say, "Life is hard," I am now tempted to ask, "Compared to what?"

Goodnight
Lynn, Nat & Cuzzie, AKA redznzjourney

PS: Nat has driven for as many hours as I have paddled today, poor her.  She was suffering from a headache as well (lack of coffee too). 

Waving Red off

Sunset at Rakaia Campsite

DAY 86... Airport & Horse riding.

We had a late night arrival at the campsite, I stayed awake for a few hours, it was well past midnight before I could convince myself to go to sleep.  Three of us in Cuzzie is always very cozy, Nat got the floor space on a seating cushion with Trish and I in our normal possies.  It did not matter the late hour that I fell to sleep I still awoke and started connecting with the outside world via the net and mobile bright and early.  The support crew rested and returned to sleep while I sat quietly, stayed in my sleeping bag and just day dreamed.  It was good for the team to sleep but soon Nat was awake and so was Trish.  We raced off to the showers before the massive campervan city awoke and engulfed the showers, in this campsite it felt like there were hundreds of white vans, this was a popular location.  After this we went for a breakfast in town, download from Trish to Nat and then we got Trish to the airport.  I waved her good bye, wished her all the best until we see her again.  She is back to muggy Auckland, off with the woollen leggings and the footwear of choice, Crocs.

We were then off to go horse riding, this may keep me entertained and mind of my water world for a while.  We got saddled up and on our way, Peel Forest Horse Trekking, they were great and we had fun.  Nat was on a horse called Foxy and mine was called Mack. They had done this trek many times and knew it with their eyes closed so it was not a hard or tough ride.  It was however a great change from anything either of us had done in a very long time.  The last time I was riding was on the family farm, riding a lot of the time bare back.  Today we even managed to get a trot going for a moment or two until the horses just said, nope, I ain't doing this anymore.  We went along the river and then into the forest, past fields of farmed deer and I was just amazed at the forest and the trees as we wandered along, it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

Tonight we are tucked in the Ashburton campsite and tomorrow we are on another adventure, far more to Nat and my line of fun, Canyoning!  Watch this space, Nat has the Action Cams ready for this next adventure, maybe my waves and sea water will seem calm, like a lake after tomorrow.  

The things I am experiencing are so varied and great, and it is very cool that I am able to do all of theses wacky other adventures on my lay days, it keeps me busy and stops me just tormenting myself.  At the campsite tonight there are large numbers of ducks on the lake and many ducks and geese, even a cool mum and ducklings that came to see us both while we sat outside, so tame and friendly it is unbelievable, a little slice of paradise.

So it is true I did smile today:
Nat is back... that is a smile.
Receiving a really cool email from a wonderful straight talking mentor, the blunt talking and supportive nature of it always returns a smile to my face.  Total respect sent your way.
Rekindling new skills, like riding a horse.
Steak and roasted kumera for dinner, damn good food.
Being able to sit outside on a rug and not be cold and wet, thanks Mother Nature, albeit we are miles away from the ocean.
Ducklings, they are so cute!

My thoughts:
Today has been a nice day, I am happy inside as well as on the outside.

From Red & Nat, AKA the redznzjourney team.

Mack, Nat, Red, Foxy and Freya

quack quack quack, honk honk honk

DAY 85...Off the Water Activities

We stayed overnight in our little farming campsite, the ducks nestled outside, the rain falling heavily on the roof and the wind blew just for a change.  We discussed the mornings plans and we did not even talk about the water, we were excited about the day.

In the morning off we headed with home made coffee in hand and gGoogle maps to direct us.  Due to our forward planning (which has jinxed us) we had to meet Nat in Ashburton!  We had flown her to Dunedin because we thought we would be there by now.  She has had to bus up halfway so we could pick her up.  We also planned to go horse riding today, but the weather had ruined this plan also and it was cancelled.  So instead, a road trip. We did some beach reconnaissance along the way and watched the rain fall heavily out of the sky.  It is wet and cold, not hot and muggy like other locations in NZ. (Thanks for all your messages telling me about your hot sunny days!)  I posted a weather report on Facebook just to show you I was not just sunbathing on the beach.

Back to our afternoon, it was lunch then waiting in Ashburton till Nat arrived and I said to Trish, "What the heck do we do?"  There is no room in Cuzzie for shopping and no need for anything extra, so we did girl stuff to pass the time of day.  A manicure, something a kayaker is not really proud of is their hands!  My hands are hard working sports hands, used everyday and they are not precious or dainty, they look like they have been well used.  It was a pleasant hour, then it had been enough sitting and no energy spent so we were off to the gym!  Damn it was good.  Trish spent an hour on the treadmill with her head phones on and running while I went into the gym with the free weights and the muscled men to lift weights and remind my muscles what they are missing out on.  After a beating I then went sprinting on the treadmill next to Trish.  One hour later we felt dam good.  If you are thinking about joining a gym do it!  But make sure you use it, $10 casual for us today, what an amazing rate, thanks gym people it was a great little space.

Once showered we were waiting in Cuzzie for Nat to arrive when I spot this amazing water feature in a park close to us.  Me and the water, I so wanted to just jump in the fountain, but alas as we got to the feature it turned off!  So what do you do?  I paddled for a little and then in the rain I practised my head stands, and when I toppled onto the wet cold grass just lay there and laughed.  Even today we have had fun.  The rain is great and I am so much a water freak, any excuse to get wet and I am there and wet before you can blink.  I was a nightmare as a child and still a nightmare now near water.

Wet, happy and laughing is the way we ended that little adventure and then ran towards the bus as Nat arrived.  It was bloody fantastic, she is back, that is great.  We had a yummy Indian dinner as we swapped stories and looked at weather apps.  We pondered options, I said bugger and blast a lot and off we headed back to get ready to throw Trish out at the airport.  Tomorrow is a sad day as I say goodbye to Trish, she heads back to Auckland.  We will try and continue South one day soon.  

Tomorrow, maybe horse riding, maybe something else.  If I am stuck for awhile I am on adventures!  Summer is coming soon (apparently) so it will turn in my favour, the power of being positive.

My smiles today:
My attempt at a live weather report from the beach.  Not a TVNZ presentation, yes Mike, truly a very bad hair moment!  You and only you could comment like that.
Playing and attempting head stands in the rain!
Lifting weights at a gym.  It has been 84 days since I have been near an indoor gym!  Now that will make others smile.
Having three of us around the dinner table all trying to talk at the same time!
Living a great dream.
Being told my lines on my face are less than when I started this journey, now that is surely a big smile, thanks Trish.

My thoughts today:
It is always the simple things in life that produce the marvellous moments.  
Like my head stands in the rain

Red

Manicure time

Gym time

DAY 84...Side step with Mother Nature

A side step with Mother Nature (MN) was most certainly needed.  This direct head on battle I was loosing and I decided last night there were way more things I could be doing and make MN think she was winning this battle, so MN I actually now do not care and have taken a stand down from this battle.  I will re-group and really, what you are going to throw at me over the next couple of days I do not care about.  I am off the water to enjoy myself.  The weather apps I have studied for to many days, the water, the wind and the swells.  I will quietly regroup and breathe and when you are not looking, I will be out on the water.

I do know that I need to pick my battles wisely and I am going to do that so my days on the water are fun.  If I have learnt one skill on this trip so far: be clever, be safe and be wiser every day.  Wisdom I am using on this section of the coastline.  For the paddlers out there who have asked me what are you going to do when you can not paddle, well here I go.  When my mind is racing and I can not fathom the forecasts or make them change I sit down and make a list of stuff I have wanted to do, apart from knit a scarf to prove to the team I can, I have taken a quick side step and a new look at the next few days.  I have a new thought pattern and it is stuff I have been wanting to do.  So thanks MN, I now have time to get to have a quirky afternoon with a quirky massage therapist, ride horses with Tricia and go canyoning and abseiling with Nat on her return.  YIPPEE!  My next few days are planned.

There has been time to use all of my donated products from L'Oreal and bring back the girl in me.  Red finger nails, red toenails and red hair.  It makes me laugh sitting in Cuzzie with the lid off the Pink crate, delving into the products we had been given to once in a while get out on the wet and yuk days to stave off cabin fever.  Thanks Tanya, Gary and the L'Oreal team, Monday so far has been fun care of your generous team!  if I could have painted Cuzzie's wing nuts on her wheels red I would have!  If she had hair it would be flaming red too.

 Cuzzie is leading the girls and we are on a small detour and it is time for the team to all smile and enjoy.  We are off, I am flying again, my personal sails of my kite have refilled with fresh air, so out of the valley we race.

Trish only has another day with me and then is returning to her other summer job at Citta design in Grey Lynn before Uni starts again.  She will be missed.  We are spending time together, we have survived the Blenhaim to Te Oka section of this journey and after 20+ years of friendship we are still mates!  Now that's special.  Nat returns tomorrow arvo and we are grabbing her from a bus station as I dared to think I would be in Dunedin by now and no way am I even close!  My crazy, fun-loving support person and young mate returning after four weeks away, look out you and I are going to try and go Canyoning and Abseiling.

Trish and I have spent a great afternoon together, sauna, massages and chatting to an amazing lady, Paru Clarke.  www.journeyessence.com  It was meant to be as she is also talking at a seminar on depression this weekend, as I say things always happen for a reason.  We talked and talked, it was enlightening and the haze and bad weather outside did not matter anymore.  There are other reasons, as you all know, for my paddling journey and today was about spreading the word for MHFNZ and the carers of depressed and the reasons so many suffer, some feeding their depression with drugs and alcohol and some just with their surroundings and life.  Our afternoon was a valuable time and we connected with a new friend and it will be a lifelong friendship.  I take my heart out to this lovely lady, she is funny, brilliant and has lived an amazing enormously exciting life, we chatted about living in camper vans for the rest of our lives, and still living a fab life.

I stumbled upon one of the coolest toilet seats I have seen since my Waiheke hippy days, blue resin with shells, way to pretty for a toilet seat!  We have been rating campsites, so now I am rating toilets!  See what happens when I am removed from the water?

We are now tucked up in a cute little campsite, one of only four camper vans for the night.  There are creeks, ducks and native bush.  It is raining, it is misty and we are eating antipasto platters of all the food we love with a massive bowl of popcorn to snack on.  Not bad a bad day, totally not a bad life, and no torment today.

I have many smiles today: 
Side stepping Mother Nature and saying I do not care and I will win soon in the tortoise and the hare scenario.
Feeling the excited about today, and finding a new zig for my day even with no sunshine in sight.
Ducks at the back step of Cuzzie, quaking and settling down for the night!
To a new adventurer I have been talking to via our website, inspiration from other corners of the world, now that is way cool.
Mark Thompson for commenting on every blog I have written on this journey, thanks Mark!
For kindred spirits who believe in my dream and my reasons, from far away in your corner of the world.
And for a support team that some days, are driven to pull their hair out.  I can not for the life of me understand their patience but from the bottom of my crazy heart, I say thank you to them, as the tough off the water days are when I seem to torment them the most!
For the cool cool support from total strangers on my Facebook page, my Instagram links and for the positive feedback and go girl comments, I owe you.

My thoughts today:
When the heck is summer truly coming to my part of the world!  Till it arrives, XL black leggings are my life saving clothing item, surely one day soon they will be too warm.

Good night from the Red team.

PS: Chatting with Marcus Lush on ZB radio after 8.30pm tonight, this will be fun. (interview starts at 9.15 listen here)

Ducks on our doorstep

'Girly' Pink Crate and important supplies

DAY 83...Rain, Low Cloud, Cold...a big stand still.

The ending to last night:
I was pacing, we had a table conversation with each other and then this ended with a speaker phone conversation with our poor team mediator back in Auckland.  This is not an envious job or title within the Redz NZ Journey team, this only happens when there is a split decision on the next days paddling.  Yes or no on my departure and I am needing someone to rationalise with me.  We make the mobile call, it is always a head strong moment in me that is causing this and the team being more level headed, sometimes I must be disliked!  

24 hours later it is now funny, but try and picture this, last night as we sit in 8 degrees, rather cold, in the dark at the campsite picnic table, under a sun umbrella to protect us from the rain.  We are next to the office trying to get coverage on our phones (2 degrees won the coverage battle) and I was talked down.  This person we call has a crazy mind and manner that puts me straight back on my seat with just a couple of straight talking words of reason and I have always promised to listen, so stand down I did.  I agreed with them and saw reason in their argument.  I was told, "Sleep in, have coffee and chocolate for breakfast," and he finished his phone call by reciting words from a Taylor Swift song, “Shake it Off!”  Do I need to say more?  I did laugh by the end and my frustration from the day was abating.

Bed was a safe place for me and I eventually went to sleep, to the joy of the support crew, who probably wanted to put a sedative in my cup of tea to have some peace from my 'what if's' and 'if I just left now's'...I was like a stuck record.

Sunday morning, the campsite was silent and quiet, well it was only 6am.  I wandered to the showers and probably it was just me with a bad excuse to re-check the weather updates, as I just happened to pass the office wifi, but no change.  No point arguing, I must focus on a day off the water.

Coffee and a shared sante bar first thing in the morning, totally not the best option for me in the world, but fun when you can do it, I am a little stingy with the chocolate bar sharing.  A bush walk, a wharf, a jetty walk, meeting a crazy white goose (I want to take him with us on the rest of our journey, he has attitude a plenty), then we were off to get some stable internet coverage and sit and do office and in Cuzzie.  We have a list of things to order and we have people to make New Year connections with for further south (when I get there).  We connected up to the world and progressed through the list, once my brain was well and truly fried via the laptop I was ready to head off onto a few tracks, streets and hills to bury my mind into some exercise.

Firstly we grabbed a camper van fridge lunch then headed to walk and burn off some of my energy, and my thoughts.  I was good to just walk and breathe, cabin fever is a bad thing some days.  As we drove on some of these steep hills poor Cuzzie was on such a lean the water tank over flow was leaking.  It did give us a bit of a fright as we thought we had a water tank leak.  There was a funny moment to this when both Trish and I are lying under our camper van, trying to locate the water over flow...a picture opportunity missed.

Cuzzie is keen to get off these hills, as I am to get further on my trip.

Eventually we got free, we walked, we talked, we looked in shops, we wandered into health food shops and then as this did not calm either of us we headed to a couple of sheltered beach tracks.  We got rained on, I played in puddles and generally just tried to understand why I was being so impatient with today.  As the wind got in my hair and blew the day away I started to feel better.  The rain and the fresh air was helping us both and the mood of the day was at last lifting, unlike the clouds and the weather on the hills which seemed to be getting closer to sea level.

We headed inside to a cafe for hot tea and honey and to sit on their couches as we sampled some of the cafes special chocolate range.  The tide was way out on some of the bays and I was at times tempted to see how deep I would sink into the mud flats if I rain out onto them, but I was not brave enough or really in the mood to be covered in smelly mud today.

Time to return to our campsite.  Time to reconnect to the power and get my head around a 

statement I made back in Auckland, if the weather is bad I will just have to wait for it to clear.  That was easy to say, I am telling you it is not so easy to put into practice.  Maybe, just maybe, a massage tomorrow, or a horse ride along the beach, or lets go fly that damn kite, or download the Taylor Swift song and drive with it blasting out of the speakers of Cuzzie.

My smiles today:
Both of us Lying under Cuzzie looking for the water over flow, now that was a sight, all that was showing was our black woollen leggings.
Talking with Nat about her return, her tan lines and her fun crazy cricket world.  I have warned her I am in Caged Tiger mood.
Hot coffee and a sante bar for a brekkie snack.
Standing in puddles washing my feet and crocs!
After a small mudflat walk Trish telling me she had a bad feeling about me climbing on things today.  No accidents on her watch with me!  She could just see me with a broken arm, but I climbed anyway.
Smiling at me and my frustrations.
Smiling at Mother Nature, she has today won.

My thoughts today:
To be totally honest, they are like the low lying clouds on the hills of this Peninsula.  A mixed bag of sun, rain, and haze.  BUT tomorrow is a new day.

Red

The Guard Goose

For all those northerners who keep telling us, 'oh but its nice here!'

DAY 82...And another day...

There were conflicting forecasts for today, a SE, so I was going with a group decision.  Support crew, said nah, unless you can convince us it is going to be a positive move, then you are not going paddle.  My inner gut feeling was only luke warm and I was listening to these energies, well I was trying to rationalise them, so to bed we went.  I only half sent poor Nat my blog, as the wifi and cell connections were a little bit of a nightmare.  Poor Nat, she is seriously itching to get back and sort me out!  I am sure I have given this young lady a couple of my grey hairs since she has been working remotely for me and trying to make fireworks explosions in Melbourne and also keep up to speed with the cricket she is following around the country. 

The day started with heavy rain on the roof of Cuzzie, the winds where calmish when it rained, from 1 am till about 5 am, it seemed calm enough, but as we are in a valley we were sheltered from the storm and winds and this lulls me into a false sense of security.  The weather apps were checked and it is again like a bad TV advert, me standing with two mobile phones on 2 different networks, juggling to get them to download at 6am the updated forecasts and then looking at the screens, trying to bewitch them into being fine, calm and a perfect forecast.

My magic skills have left me at the moment and it was paddles down, drink coffee and "Eat your brownie Red and stop looking at your app, it ain’t going to change."  "It is a SE," everyone local said, "You should not paddle in this!"  However me and my thoughts were saying, "Well really, can I not just try?"  Trish replied, “We have nowhere to pull you in if you decide to bail on this leg, and the coastline you have seen how bad it can be.  A minimum of 45 km needs to be behind you before we can safely land, so do you want to have a horrid day out there!?"  I tried to remember the advice I had been given from others who have blazed the trail before me and from the locals, so I sat back down and tried to shut up.  Later when Trish felt I would cope she mentioned I had only been off the water for one day, so maybe take a small chill pill.  Trish has known me for a very long time so managed to make me laugh at my caged tiger moments!

The tiger sat and watched the damp tent dwellers get up and start to depart for home, saddend to see them go.  It is only rain and they day was going to improve.  Quickly we ate, made a list of stuff to keep us busy, we marked a return spot for tonight and headed off to amuse me, to keep me away from time to think, to find the wind for me to get out my kite fly rig.  I may have time on my return to Auckland to get into returning to my other crazy obsessions on a kite surfing rig, well maybe, now that is a crazy hobbie.

We headed on a drive, we had missions to complete as my nature does not sit still well.  Too  entertain myself I sent crazy unflattering selfies to Nat while Tricia drove.  Firstly we went to locate some Nick Fient hand crafted earrings.  Why?  Why not?  I do sometimes have an urge for a purchase other than sports and kayak gear, but this item is heading directly back to Auckland to wait for my return.  I had seen them earlier on in the week and I think Tricia was pleased to just get my mind off the weather and my 'if’s' and 'maybe’s' for today.  We were needing to restock the cupboards for this next week (Nat is back soon and eats lots) so into Lyttleton Markets we drove, about 45mins from our camping ground.  It is an adventure and there was a cool as street market on from 10.00am till 1pm so in we swooped, we found bacon, salami and homemade sausages to buy, fresh produce and cool stall holders.  Helen 'The Rubbish Whisperer,' now she had some cool stuff to save us all from having to use plastic bags, she talked passionately about her products.  As we wandered along I flet that Lyttleton had a great vibe, all too soon we were stocked and climbing the steep hill back to Cuzzie to restock the fridge and the cupboards.  The only request from the returning Nat was please can we have plenty of steak and kumera!  LOL!  (I should have also asked for cheese!)

We then needed to find a local cafe to sit and take in this cool place.  We found a perfect location with handcut chips sprinkled with praprika, bbq aubergine covered in miso and huge pot of peppermint tea.  Then both of us started chatting to the next table, Dwayne & Kim from Cat House Films, what fun people.  Thanks for chatting and thanks for approving of my journey.

When we looked at the time we realised we had already used up a lot of this day, off we raced to get my paddling food sorted.  My home made Kumera Brownie was in need of replenishment.  We were kindly able to use Marcus’s oven at the campground to bake this.  While this cooked we got most other chores done.  The campsite has emptied out and only a few of us are left onsite tonight, the calmness has returned to this piece of perfect paradise.

We are still awaiting weather updates but we be heading to the campfire tonight, with the disco ball by the water hole and will toast marshmallows with new people.  This place, as mentioned before, has many unique spaces and they are even more enchanting at night.

My smiles today:
Being in Cuzzie warm and dry when so many around us were damp from the rain.  I have been a tent dweller for many years, so I have empthay.
Talking with genuine, passionate people about keeping NZ green and free of plastic, with us all eating healthy, clean and natural foods.  This is a passion for me.
Having support from many amazing, great paddlers
My honest and real mentors, who keep me real and honest on matters, my skills and my passions that made me want to attempt this journey.  I am always levelled when talking with them.
My smiles are massively big to all my true friends for their positive and continued support.
My support crew, again what a wonderful bunch!  You are always the first to congratulate me even when you are not with me.  Bloody hell this makes me really smile, and also softens me because of your tremendous support.
Liked minded paddlers doing what makes them smile.  Go all of you out there, and keep in touch, we will all keep smiling together.
Writing this blog daily reminds me to smile.  It also reminds me of another fantastic day and that my dream is a reality.

My Thoughts today:
The true and real meaning of others assumptions.
Negatives can be easily turned to positive energy and become your greatest powers.

Campfire, here I come!
Red, Cuzzie & Trish

PS: I sit at the outdoor kitchen table writing this blog, it is cold!  I am surrounded by many tourists, all of us trying to tether to mobiles or the wifi to send messages around the country and the world.

Discoball campfire area

DAY 81...Canterbury Winds

Firstly I need to update you on the later part of day 80, we ended our evening catching up with Peter, (NZ Kelp) he had seen Tricia waiting for my arrival at Wainui and exchanged details.  We were keen to chat so met for a coffee and a bowl of curly fries.  We talked about the journey, everyone's lives and it was nice to make another new friend, it seems this journey brings some to us each day.  This was a fantastic catchup and we all just chatted freely about numerous subjects.  We parted ways and I am everyday totally blown away by these inspiring younger people I come to be blessed to chat to, Peter you thanked me for being inspirational but you in your own right are an inspirational young man, and I surely know in my heart you will 'do it'.

We drove back to the campsite late, on the way it seemed that there were millions of flying insects about as we drove, it was like a hailstorm of little bugs hitting the windscreen.  I could even put my hand out of the window and catch them.  I was glad I was in Cuzzie and not on a motorbike.  At midnight we crawled into our sleeping bags and rested, what a long 20 plus hour day.

There were huge winds forecast for today, actually the biggest I had even seen predicted.  We watched the other campers hanging onto their tents as the huge gusts of wind blew.  We lay in bed till 7am then drank coffee, ate a Sante bar each and then went discovering the bush and hill tracks on the lands surrounding this amazing campsite.  It is hard to describe but I will try, the feelings in this valley are unique, calming, tranquil, like a blend of lavender and camomile, a place you can breathe deeply and I could disappear for a long time.

We walked, we discovered boardwalks, we discovered quirky seating lookouts to great sunset vantage points.  We stumbled upon a piano on a bush-clad hill top that was still working, (well sort of) how the heck did they get it to this location?  We walked up and past my slippery slide, there were tracks and quirkiness everywhere you turned and walked, this place is built with passion and humour and we both love it here.

We at last got to the hilltop and sat in a swinging chair looking out at the hillsides, it was like being in a timeless utopia.  In the end our stomachs broke the peacefulness and demanded real food.  We quickly descended to cook food for lunch, sat in the sun and started looking at tomorrow's options to move further south to the stone, barren surf beaches.  Coffee drunk, maps and distance charts we planned and plotted, now we wait on the storms to pass.  Maybe tomorrow or maybe gap it for a massive day on Sunday, we will keep you posted.  For now we are back in our unique, special slice of NZ, Little River Campsite.  No mobile coverage and only a snippet of wifi.

My smiles today:
Learning about a cool young man's dreams.  Gaining inspiration from his unique energy
The suggestion I should maybe go Cerock dancing.  Thanks for the challenge but that is a 2017 challenge for sure, at least I know where to head and ask for lessons.
Playing a piano out in the bush.
Sitting in a swing seat on top off the most amazing setting, I am coming back to this peninsula and would recommend you all to visit.  Come say hi to Marcus at The Little River Campsite, true uniqueness.

My thoughts today:
Learning to listen to my instincts, my Inner Voice.  This natural skill often gets dulled and doubted by today's life styles, but it is always right.  I am listening more each day.

I am enjoying my journey and Mike Scanlan you have nailed it, the new word to describe this adventure is 'Redz Odyssey'.


Red

Bush Panio

Forest Swing

DAY 80...Finally Around the Banks Peninsula

We had a plan to beat Mother Nature today and calm the pacing tiger in me.  There was a weather window big enough for me to get to my last point of the peninsula before the push to Timaru and further south could begin.  Of course Mother Nature and her wind patterns where heading into very light winds from 1am, an early morning paddle was needed to push and complete this section.  Alarm set we headed to bed and at the crazy hour of 2.39am we were up I got ready.  Tricia, bless her soul, rolled out of bed and started packing Cuzzie.  I need to give you some history on Trish and her working career.  She was an Air NZ flight attendant for ten years so she is used to short sleeps and crazy hours, cat napping is a great skill of hers.  She is up and it was like she was back on an airplane.  The blanket was rolled and folded neatly, sleeping bag packed away, tray tables in the upright position, everything tidy and ready for Cuzzie to takeoff!  My breakfast and hot drink would have been delivered on a trolley if she had one.  It was my first smile of the day, another cool crew member for Redz NZ journey.

We were soon on the road to the Wainui boat ramp, Trish is talking to Cuzzie like her new pet and asking if she had enjoyed her days rest and apologising in the next breath for the crazy roads she was going to be taking her on to track me as I gapped it to Te Oka.  I am sharing this journey with such a damn crazy but cool group of people, thanks guys for having my back and believing in my dream.

Anyway I have diverged, back to my paddling.  Off I went, lights blazing on the back of T2 into the dark of Akaroa Harbour at 3.50am!  Gingerly I paddled as I got used to the dark.  I focused on the horizon, a bright gap which showed white in between two massive, black, dark cliffs, but I knew where I was going.   I had 10km to knock out before I was out of the harbour and heading on the outside of the peninsula and my first touch base with Tricia.  It was a peaceful zen paddle, no waves, no wind, no sound, just me and the lap of water on my paddles as they dipped into the ocean...bliss

The Inreach satellite unit was being used for communication today, supplied to us by Shane from Maprogress (I hoped I had practised my new skills enough) so at the point I got into the real paddling and then found a calmish spot to send my message.  I waited until it was sent and within a minute I had a reply.  Tricia will be happy I thought, T2 & Red were on track and in contact with her crew, Air Cuzzie and the captain are happy, I was on the flight path and radar!

Life got a little harder on the water now, I was into the washing machine ocean.  I paddled gently and picked my way through the crazy ocean.  We had timed this well, the sun was due to pop up, I could see my way clearly and I was well under way.  The dolphins were with me as soon as there was light and the sunrise was brilliant, an orange fireball.  The dolphins played and then they went and then just as I started to wonder, "Where are they?" a new set of fins were seen.  Pretty special times.  There were patches on this paddle that were more of a challenge than I thought this weather forecast was going to deliver but today the challenges where okay.  This is how I feel about the weather, I had not told the weather gods I was leaving and I think maybe they were a little grumpy I was out and about so early, well that is how I like to look at it, it entertains me to make them out to be a big grumpy sleeping giant sort of character.

Checkin two and three went with no hitches and there were replies to my new unit with a weather update saying, "Best you make sure you are off the water by 830 am and at your destination as the wind is going to hammer you otherwise."  I was ahead of schedule so enjoyed the last section.  As I rounded the point into this little bay I scanned for Cuzzie, no sign.  I did a vhf and no reply.  I checked my distances and triple checked I was in the right bay (as I have been wrong before) but Garmin, Navionics and my new tracker all said I was correct.  This was weird, maybe Air Cuzzie had under estimated the roads.  I landed on the rocky beach, jumped out and dragged her up the beach.  I got changed into my warm clothes as the wind was now blowing intensely, I unpacked my vhf and called again.  It turns out I had slipped into the bay without her seeing me and we had missed each other's earlier vhf calls.  Soon they were pulling up next to me, we laughed and shared our stories of this morning, I had tears running down my face of the land crews antics this morning, she sure has a story or two to tell!  We loaded up and my day of paddling was complete, all by 9.00am and we had the day to go and discover new things, the positive of an early morning pre dawn start on the water.

Off we headed up some crazy hills and dirt roads, again I was laughing as Tricia who is in control of Cuzzie because she hates heights!  Yep a flight attendant who did not mind flying, but hates cliffs.  She stares ahead, chatting and encouraging Cuzzie up the hills.  I thought we could just about take off like Thelma and Louise at one stage as we swing around these narrow winding cliff roads.  I actually took an iPhone video of this road trip and the views, it felt like a reality tv show, 'The Worlds Most Dangerous Roads!'  We made it back to tar-seal and swung into Little River Cafe for a well deserved coffee.  We sat in the courtyard in the sunshine, laughed and congratulated ourselves on completing this section.  

The rest of our story this morning is still amazing.  The campsite we have located is actually in the top 2 and has knocked a couple of others off the leaders board of campsites.  Little River Campground, please go check it out, Marcus this place is totally awesome, a different and unique destination.  Thanks so much for supporting our journey with the free stay.  This place is a true little piece of paradise.  I am surely liking them on Facebook and leaving a 10/10 comment for their website.  They have an open outdoor kitchen setup, a scary slippery slide, a watering hole, massive trees and native bush walks...the list is endless!  We are on some adventures for sure.  I am on the water slide at 4pm when it opens and then racing off to have a chat with Peter about Kelp and how they can turn it into products for the NZ market place.

My smiles and giggles today:
Tricia, Air Cuzzie and their stories today.
The Little River Campground, you rock.
Nailing at last this peninsula!  So untamed and beautiful.
Eating the most yummy leftovers for lunch, reheated Mexican.
More dolphins.  I said hello and thank you to them for their company.
Tricia who now calls all the stray sheep that run in front of us and Cuzzie in a crazy frenzy  'Doris's'.

Yes today has been a fun day and it is not over just yet.

My thoughts today:
Enjoy what ever you do, smile even when you are truly being tested, and if all else fails be like Tricia and talk to Cuzzie or a 'Doris' or two.  We are all crazy and slightly insane, it makes life fun.

Big hugs
Red and the crazy team

Ford, Red, Lena and the beaut Kombi Van

Fireball Sunrise