Tag Archives: kayaking

On Kayaks and Cameras

After getting the kayaking under control, the next question that arose was, “How to photograph it?” I felt reminded a little of what Matt from Christchurch had said about horse riding and how it enhances viewing the countryside because you are no longer forced to look at the ground for most of the time. The horse is taking care of that. Now kayaking offers a very different landscape than most hiking because of the lack of obstacles. Nor do you really have to care where to place the paddle, and the view is mostly directed forward to the goal. True, sitting on a river means that you are at the lowest point on the landscape and much of the lower view is obstructed by the bank. But even banks can be pleasant to look at. Read more…

Ironman II: Kayaking

Get in your waka
Get in your waka. Leaving the university sports jetty. © 2014 by Christoph Tyblewski, used with kind permission

There is historical evidence for the use of kayaks from the tour of 1974/75, although in my naïveté I called them “canoes” or “dinghies” at the time. The diary entry for Tuesday, January 7, 1975 at Blackwood Bay commences:

“I slept in again, and later went out on a canoe.”

Lesser Circuit
Lesser Circuit, September 13
I say this because I had booked myself into the uni sports’ flat water paddling group, turned up on time, was given a boat, and then proceeded to make myself into a best example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. After a little more than 100 m of floundering about, I was ordered into the Canadian canoe that is reserved for the less skilled. But in the second week in the Canadian, I met Conny, so it wasn’t all that bad. She basically gave me a rundown of her life so far, which included a stint at Monash, as well as Russia and Japan, and my diary of the following night only had one topic. Read more…

Off to New Horizons

Cathedral Rock, Waimangu.
Cathedral Rock, Waimangu. Static. For the last time?

Nau mai, haere mai!

Time to start the blog up again.

Journey to Te Ika-a-Māui is the next project, a trip to the North Island of New Zealand, arriving on February 11 in the wee minutes of the morning and leaving on April 7, 2015. There is still a lot to see and do.

First and foremost on the programme are the remaining Great Walks of the North Island, the Whanganui River Journey and the Tongariro Northern Circuit. Twice on previous visits have I tried to go over the Tongariro Crossing, but to no avail. Having more time this time around and a better season for mountain climbing, this should be doable at some point. Read more…