Thursday, February 19: Fog in the morning, still warm, sunny after the fog had lifted, with increasing cloud cover during the day
Kayaking: 32.5 km
Tieke Kainga Marae (DOC, $32)
GPS Tour
Most of the partying crowd were up very early and gone correspondingly quickly. We waved goodbye to them from the hut, as it overlooks the river. We were among the last to leave just after 9:30. I made sure the camera was pointed in the right direction before loading the front dry bag onto the boat, and set it going. Roger & Jackie turned up and made a stop at the hut, and they gave us a push off.
We made pretty good progress throughout the morning, missing one stop that we just wanted to have a short break at (Mangawaiiti Campsite, damned river maps, damned signs) and continued on to the landing where the track to the Bridge to Nowhere starts from (Mangapurua). Lots of boats tied up at a very slippery limestone outcrop, which normally would have required some kayaking practice to get off and on at. Landing in the sheltered covelet, Pea tried to get out, couldn’t hold the boat with her left leg, and promptly the whole caboodle capsized. Managed to get Pea to hang onto the boat while others pulled us ashore. Got out myself, had the boat tied up by a helpful gent, then started on the process of baling the boat out.
GPS Tour
Someone had discovered the (bright blue) can with my glasses, but on inspecting the boat more carefully discovered that the camera had been lost. My priority was getting the boat free of water, so that we could get across the river and recover; knowing that the passage of time would not make it any easier for Pea to get back in the boat. That would mean abandoning the Bridge to Nowhere. For another day.
The loss of the A470 Ulla is a blow. First of all, the camera bag should have been secured by self-tightening knot to the deck strapping. Even if the camera had been damaged by the capsize, the case and the card would have been safe. Secondly, the card should have been replaced every day, not just when full or very full. Thirdly, the camera should have sunk directly to the bottom and remained there – like my glasses – not as I in my short-circuited mind thought that it had merrily floated down the Whanganui, and it should have been visible on the river ground, and could possibly have been salvaged immediately.
After most of the water had been removed from the boat, the next major task was getting Pea back in. As more boats had been arriving, ours was somewhere in the middle. First I had to get her down a small climbing wall, with footholds in the limestone, then across a number of boats onto ours. Then we set off for the other shore for a lunch of – for me – rice crackers, an apple, and about half of what remained of the chocolate. Water was running low. Managed to get the GPS tracker working again with some batteries from Michael’s kit – it, too, had been for a swim. Then we decided to make a push for Tieke, in the hope that we might get a powhiri. Twice a jetboat passed us leaving us bouncing around in a huge wake.
Brought up all of the stuff remaining, and laid claim to two bunks (here there are 18 beds in two rooms), and while Pea has been sussing out the place and has gone swimming, I have written the diary. Clothes were hung up on the line to dry, in the meantime, the group of schoolkids from Wellington High turned up, who had passed us just as the malheur was taking place.
Pea is rather subdued at the moment; I am considering one or more time lapses to save the day. If I choose a sunset I will have to start soon.
Chatted with two of the teachers from WHS, one of whom is a dedicated Outdoor Experience teacher, Rebecca and Richard (from Kent and Guernsey) who have been accompanying us since yesterday, and a single woman kayaker, Andrea, a middle-school teacher from near Tübingen. Dinner was everything that was left, a sort of fried rice with cabbage, carrot, and whatever condiments were about. Rice didn’t work so well. A possum turned up in the dark, and I offered it asylum, but it wasn’t interested.
