When: Wednesday 1 Oct 2014
4 hours easy paddling
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| Launching at Wenderholm |
The day was sunny, but the winds were a bit wild. This cancelled out kayaking on the ocean so
we decided to head up the Puhoi River.
This is a popular kayaking spot and is a sheltered and easy paddle. I invited my mum along for the day, her
second paddle ever. This is a great
kayak to take beginners on.
When kayaking a river, it is important to get the tides
right. If you can travel with the tide
it will make your journey much more pleasant.
We had a 1pm high tide so it made sense to travel on the incoming tide, up the river from Wenderholm
to Puhoi Village, have lunch while the tide turned and then travel back down
the river.
So, we launched at Wenderholm.
It is an easy launching spot with a good boat ramp in a sheltered spot
at the northern end of the park. There are
plenty of places to park a trailer.
Heading up the river there are beautiful spots of bush along
the banks. If you paddle the river in Spring then you will see a great display of Kowhai trees in flower. We were just a week or two late to see them
in all their glory, but they were still beautiful. A highlight of the day was the number of ducks on the river, with
trails of ducklings swimming along behind them.
Very cute!
Shirley demonstrates how relaxing it is to paddle with the
tide. Let the river's flow do the work for you! The only downside of the Puhoi River is that at points it runs
alongside State Highway 1. This means a
bit of traffic noise. However, the river
weaves away from the road most of the time so the traffic is only your
companion for short sections of the journey.
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| Puhoi Village |
After about 2 hours easy paddling we arrived in Puhoi. This township is well worth a look. Settled
in 1863 by Bohemian settlers, it has some fantastic historic buildings and
beautiful trees. You can find out more
at: www.puhoinz.com
We found a grass bank which was an easy spot to pull the
kayaks out of the water. Time for lunch
and an explore.
We recommend a stroll around Puhoi and an ice cream before
heading back home.
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| Mum and I head under SH1 |
On the way home the wind was in our favour and it was time for some sailing!
Our route there and back again:
 |
| About 40mins drive from Auckland heading north |
What we did well:
1) We used the tide to help us in both directions.
2) We discover that a good strong umbrella will work as a sail for a double kayak.
What we learned:
1) Don’t leave chocolate on the top of your kayak as you paddle… Sunshine + Chocolate = chocolatey puddle...
2) Watch out for sand banks! On a low tide the river mouth gets quite shallow and it is important to stick to the deepest parts of the river. Shirley found this out the hard way, as she ground to a halt and had to get out of her kayak and pull it across the sand bank to deeper water. We were laughing so much we forgot to take a photo!
1) We used the tide to help us in both directions.
2) We discover that a good strong umbrella will work as a sail for a double kayak.
What we learned:
1) Don’t leave chocolate on the top of your kayak as you paddle… Sunshine + Chocolate = chocolatey puddle...
2) Watch out for sand banks! On a low tide the river mouth gets quite shallow and it is important to stick to the deepest parts of the river. Shirley found this out the hard way, as she ground to a halt and had to get out of her kayak and pull it across the sand bank to deeper water. We were laughing so much we forgot to take a photo!
Loved the ice-cream and umbrella shots. Good on you.
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