Kayaking: it feels like a big adventure for me! You see I was the girl who missed the bus for PE at school, even when they offered sailing. And believe me, in the East end of London in 1969 offering sailing was a big deal!
The only sport I have ever liked are tennis and swimming. And I am no good at tennis! I mean, I don’t even watch sport!
So it is with my heart in my mouth that we set off, over yet more bendy roads and mountain passes to Kahu Kayaks.
They start promptly, taking you to the beach, hauling the kayaks out on a tractor and off loading them. I think we are miles from the sea and worry briefly about having to carry my kayak. A safety briefing is direct and to the point because the tide is coming in. Over such a flat beach, the sea rushes up and before I have finished fiddling with the steering pedals, i am in the kayak and afloat!
When we had woken, it was disappointing to see it had rained through the night and not quite stopped yet. The sky as we got underway maintained its grey quality but the sun was warming it slightly. As we started moving, the grey cleared, the drizzle ceased and the blues began like a second dawn.
The sea was incredibly calm. The only waves we encountered were from passing motor boats. We were a group of 4 kayaks and it was fab!
We pulled up on a beach for morning coffee – how civilized! It was plunger/ filter coffee with warmed and whisked milk!
We cruised over to an island and saw 4 fur seals and 3 pups, the tiniest baby being really agile jumping on the rocks.
After three hours, we parked on the mainland and began our walk back. This was advertised as a 4 hour walk and we were very pleased that we did it in 3 and three quarters, including the fact that we stopped for lunch and for a short sit on a beach! Average sitting took up about three quarters of an hour so we walked it in three hours!!!
Despite the grey we were never cold. In fact, I think we did better for it being a little cooler and not burning in the sun.
Of course, that evening we suffered from muscles, both in legs and arms but I am really proud of us for doing this. And exceptionally proud of me for being so sporty!
Marion Retires 
I enjoyed your post. I’ve had one experience at Kayaking and loved it. Mine was in West Yellowstone, Wyoming, near Yellowstone National Park. Five minutes into the trip a mother moose and her two calfs came out of the woods and crossed the river right in front of us. My heart pounded. Next, I want to kayak in the tropical oceans. Keep enjoying life. John at wellnessinspirit.wordpress.com and boomergrandpas.wordpress.com.
Thank you for sharing your kayaking memories. Sounds really exciting. We were once on a boat in Africa when an male elephant stampeded across the river. The motor on our boat failed to start at the first pull. I was so frightened in one breath and so in awe of this magnificent animal.
As you can see, we actually escaped unharmed – so did the elephant!
I am keen to go kayaking again. I loved it!
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Retirement
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