Rain, Rain Go Away...

Our start to the South Island has been a bit frustrating. We have been here over a week now and it has rained at some point every day. Five of the days have been absolute monsoons. We did, however, get out and do a three day kayak trip around Abel Tasman National Park.

For working on Mt. Ruapehu we got a special with a company called the Sea Kayak Company. We got a three day "freedom rental" for the price of a two day. Basically, it meant we had kayaks for three days and could go wherever the hell we wanted. We booked campsites along the coast of Abel Tasman for two nights and headed out.

Day one was pretty good. We started off with a bit of sunshine but it quickly turned to cloud and later showers. We got the hang of the kayaks pretty quick and made it to our first campsite much earlier than we anticipated. We head a bit of choppy water during a stretch called "The Mad Mile" where the headwinds pick up a bit. Overall though, it was a good day.

Split Apple Rock, Abel Tasman National Park

Day two was a bit different. There is an island which is notorious for having a large seal colony on it. It's a couple of bays past where we were scheduled to camp for the second night. We were told by our instructor on day one that the water can get choppy out there at times when it gets windy. So, we set out early on Tuesday morning to try and see some seals and get back in time for a relaxing afternoon on the beach. We kayaked for a couple of hours and again got to our destination much quicker than expected. The waters were really calm and it made for an easy trip.

Tonga island was really cool. There were seals just hanging out on rocks and then every now and then you'd see one in the water playing around. They just roll back and forth like an otter. It was really cool when one would all of a sudden go under your kayak and then surface. Every now and then a penguin would pop up too. It reminds you that you are a far way from Missouri when you see it.

Seals on Tonga Island, Abel Tasman National Park

After we saw the seals we decided to head back to the campsite. This is when the weather took a turn and things got down right scary. The winds started whipping around the point of the island and it got really dangerous. The problem we had was that we were trying to cut across to the mainland. Our kayaks needed to go at an angle and we couldn't keep the noses of them into the wind to ride over the waves. It got to the point where the waves started intensifying and they started cresting right over the top of us. The waves were topping three meters (about 10 ft.) and really rolling. Then, of course, it started pouring down rain. We started to get tossed around like plastic bathtub toys. Our rudders became useless at this point and they only way to stay afloat was to try like hell to paddle and hit the waves head on. We really thought we were going to capsize the damn things. It was the second time we entered "survival mode" in New Zealand.

Luckily, about a gruelling hour later we made it to the beach exhausted and happy to be on land. We were very fortunate not to flip one of them over. There were a few casualties but none of us. We lost a spare boat paddle, water pump, water bottle, and flip flop along the way. We were soaked head to toe and made a nice big fire the rest of the day to unwind. We were then told by the conservation officer at the campsite that the waves got too big for the water taxis to run. Glad we were out there crashing along the coast in hunks of plastic.

Day three was pretty uneventful. We had a long way to go to get back to our car so we headed out early. The mighty Tasman Sea was calm so we made pretty good time. It was tough though because our entire bodies ached head to toe from the day before. Blistered hands and all though we finished the trip and have some seal photos to show for it. Worth it.

Mother Nature tries her hardest to keep us down but we keep coming out alright in the end.

Another victory for the three of us.

Heading out soon to move down the west coast. From here it's the Pancake Rocks, Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers, and a brewery tour of one of our favorite NZ beers.

And the dream continues...

A crazy sunrise in Motueka this morning right before a rain shower. The video doesn't really capture how intense the colors were but it was the coolest thing to wake up to.