Day 19 kayaking queen charlotte sounds, stingrays, road to Kaikoura

Jan 19th

A gorgeous, sun beating down, blue sky day!
We were out of our bnb and down by the harbour by 8.15 to find we were the only ones on the kayaking trip (hurray). It meant we were on the water super fast and this time I had a left handed paddle too.

Setting off from harbour with a leftie paddle:-)

We had to stick to the right of the channel until we could get to a point where it was possible to see a long way in both directions so that we could get across the busy lane used by the two ferry companies. Our guide Vince said that at this point he's  normally just getting people onto the water and that he would need to re think our route. He commented he got quite excited when we'd requested a leftie paddle the day before as it meant he had someone who knew kayaking.  He was from Canada and working the season in Picton.  As we kayaked he showed us that we were paddling through hundreds of moon jellyfish. These don't  sting and we could pick them up. Jono managed to video them moving through the water.

There were moon jellyfish all around us, there is one in my hand

Yes Jono shot this.

They don't  sting and this one was released unharmed

We also saw starfish with bifurcated legs so they look like they have 10 instead of 5.
After an hour of swapping stories and kayaking along the sounds to the west we pulled into a small patch of sand for a good sized flapjack/cake/fruity thing and a drink. Vince commented  that he doesn't  appreciate  them as much as he used to as he eats them every trip, which can be twice a day, and sometimes  for breakfast  if there's some leftover  from the day before! We really  liked them.

Jono got enamoured of Vince's drainpipe-converted-to-a-drybox (seen next to the squash) and plans to make one for himself.

Setting off again

As we were well ahead of schedule we paddled over to the other side of the sound  and explored the northern bank which has more native bush than the south side and Vince told us about some of the flora and fauna around. Eventually  we crossed the sound again and were taken to search out some sting rays around the bay.

They hid in the shadows of the shallows. Once our boats moved close to them they moved. We saw 4 different ones and watched them swim lazily away. This really made the day for me.

Further round the bay we found eagle rays. These were very well camouflaged against the shallow sandy bottom but once we worked out what we needed to look  for we began to spot them. They would sit really quietly until the shadow of the kayak fell over them and then they shot off  incredibly fast leaving quite a wake behind them. I couldn't  believe how quickly they moved. Eagle rays have a much longer tail than sting rays and yes they have a sting in them too.

Our kayaking trip was over but we'd  covered as much in our 4 hour trip as people normally do in a full day trip. The driver who picked us up with our kayaks from Ngukuta Bay was from Ambleside in the lake district. She told us about a "run" she was going on which involved 600 km covered in 10 days. Sleep was optional and all equipment etc had to be carried. It was in groups of 4 of which at least one had to be female and could involve all sorts of activities. Last year there was a bungy jump and this year they had been told to bring a portable raft! They can only sleep in what they carry, (tents are compulsory equipment) and can't be helped  by anyone with food or accommodation. This competition moves around the world and the world championships takes place in Scotland.

It was a gorgeous day, really hot and sunny, we ate our packed lunch on the grass near the harbour and decided we were going to walk along the bay to Bob's Beach even though our car parking had less than an hour left on it. This was a 40 min walk according to the guide book  so we were going to have to move some. Jono stopped to take a photosphere of Picton harbour and suddenly  we were majorly short of time. It was now more of a forced hike through the trees on this little muddy track with the cicadas in full deafening song around us. We got to Bob's  Beach  at 2.20. Just 10 minutes before our car deadline with a 30 minute walk back. Jono took a quick snap and we belted it back as fast as possible.

Bob's beach

Hotfooting it back

Sheer cliff to the right

We got back at 2.36. Not bad!
The car was boiling. The leather seats were too hot to sit on and we got the ac going as fast as possible. Time to start the 2 hr journey south along the east coast to Kaikoura. This road had only reopened last month (day time only though) after the earthquakes in 2016 so we were lucky as the alternative  was over 5 hours on the road. Our satnav refused  to show the SH1 road, probably because it had been closed for so long, so we used our road map.
This is wine country and we moved past vineyard  after vineyard with some well known  names appearing on the signs next to them like  Brancott Estate . Most have open cellars so with a designated driver it's possible to visit quite a lot. Trips also run from Picton so people don't  have to drive.
Then we started to hit the roadworks, each one manned by a pair of smiling stop/go sign operators who everyone waved at to say thanks and they waved back. We waved alot on this trip. It really brought home the devastation as we slowed to 30 kph again and again because the road was still only single track in so many places. Where there were cliffs the raw exposed rock  was a contrast to the tree and plant covered sections that hadn't fallen.
We stopped at 'The Shack' a well known stopping point enroute where we paddled in the Pacific having picked our way across the stony beach. We'd  heard the sea bed had risen 2 metres in the quake and we could see the ridge in the beach. Locals told us the sea was further out than where it had been as well.

We carried on to Kaikoura and the roadworks increased. I couldn't  believe  how much had had to be repaired or replaced. Jono definitely drew the short  straw as just outside  Kaikoura where the roadworks meant the road was just a gravel track, was the seal colony. Lots and lots of seals basking on the rocks which I could see and shout excitedly  about but Jono couldn't  even try to glance at and there  was absolutely nowhere to pullover  and stop.
There was a bit of sorting out at our motel when we got there as the owner said we'd booked for the 20th and 22nd rather than the 19th and 20th. Jono said  that's what happened  when he booked accommodation  and he couldn't  be trusted. Really luckily they had a vacancy and she swapped our booking. If we had been 30 seconds  later it wouldn't  have been possible as she had to turn down the lady who entered straight behind us!
After settling in we walked the short distance to two recommended restaurants but both were fully booked. We took the car and grabbed a takeway from Tikis and ate it outside overlooking the sea from our motel instead. The portions were huge we could easily have fed 3 people from what we got and probably 4. I'd ordered the fish curry and the size and thickness of the fish steak in it was far more than I could have expected.
We did make sure we booked  in to The Pier for the next night though!

View as we sat and ate our takeaway.