Kayak Hoteo River - paddling under kowhai blossoms

Who: Shirley and Annette in Ciao
When: 29 September 2012

The Hoteo River, about an hour north of Auckland city and feeding into the Kaipara Harbour, was beckoning. The kowhai trees were in bloom and from a previous boat trip, Annette knew that the banks were lined with them.

We got on the water at about 9am after parking at a boat club, just to the left of the road after the bridge over the river. There is a boat ramp, but we found it easier to carry Ciao down the jetty and lower her in from there.

We had timed the tides right, coming in on the incoming tide to return on the outgoing. Today was all about relaxing and enjoying the kowhai blossoms with the occasional paddle dip in the water to feel like we were doing something.

The river is wide and fast flowing, with farmland on either side and the bush of Mt Auckland in the distance. After about half an hour, we came to the tributary we were looking for on the right. As soon as we entered it, it felt like we were in another world. Banks closed in and farmland disappeared behind native bush, especially kowhai. Birds were in full song and it was a treat to drift along and take it all in.

Kowhai trees

Like yellow confetti raining down on us

Obligatory arty shot

 

As the branch narrowed, we pulled in to a rather muddy bank for lunch. We chose the spot because it was the first place we could find with an easy bank to get on - it must have been the easiest access there because it was covered in sheep poo. Not the nicest place to sit!

Sheep poo bank. Not a long stop.

After lunch, a short paddle brought us to a pontoon and more evidence of sheep - a bloated, very dead one bobbing in the stream. I remembered my dad's exploits, throwing stones at a bloated cow and making it explode, but we thought better of it with the sheep. Tempting though.

There was not much left to paddle after the pontoon. The stream soon became a creek and the bush gave way to paddocks again. We went as far as we could and turned around, upsetting a family of paradise ducks who quacked and squawked and swam right in front of us for a few minutes. Finally they realised that turning to the side was the solution, since we couldn't go anywhere else.

Turning back

Pontoon - not much paddling after this point. See the dead sheep in the background?

Back at the pontoon, we played Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer for a few minutes and Annette got her hand jammed between Ciao and the wood. Ouch.

Bliss

The tide had turned and it was time to drift back to the starting point. It was a muddy affair to get Ciao out of the water via the boat ramp, but very manageable.

View along the Hoteo, returning back to the start

Driving back to civilisation, we felt as if we'd been in an untouched land for a real escape. Fabulous.

Good shoes for the job. No other jobs though.

What we did well: Getting the season and tides just right for a relaxing drift under falling kowhai blossoms.

What we learned:
1) Sheep like easy access to water too.
2) Hands are not good buffers between boats and pontoons.

Regrets: Not throwing a stone and exploding that bloated sheep.

The route