November 3

Well, I can personally check sea kayaking off my life list, since we all got to to experience the epic adventure with our trusting guide Hayden. It was incredible being out in the early morning on the ocean, with no worries of a shark coming to devour our kayak, and being able to have such an awesome opportunity to see the coves and little islands dotting the horizon.

Jodie and Valena went in one kayak together leaving Danielle and myself in the other one. We started on our way against the wind but our busting biceps were no match for the wind and waves. We made a slight detour into stingray bay and all got to see wild stingrays in their natural habitat and they were amazing!! In 1992, Hahei created a marine reserve nine square kilometers and since that time the marine life has increased 1600%!!! It's amazing when nature is left alone without human interference, the ability to flourish and sustain life. It's like it can revert to being "untouched".

We arrived at Cathedral Cove in time to see the sun breaking through and for Dan to have her first swim in the ocean. The water is not cold, only refreshing! Our handy guide Hayden took our orders for coffee, hot chocolate or mochachino and we busied ourselves in writing on the beach and hanging out with Hayden. After a lovely coffee break with cookies (that were so good dipped in hot chocolate), we headed back into our canoes and headed out into the ocean to have an upclose view of two islands. We donned some very colorful jackets that definitely added some flair to our wetsuit outfit! But the wind was nippy so we were so glad for them on the way back.

Hayden not only was an amazing guide but he took Valena's camera and was our unofficial photographer for the trip and he got some amazing shots! We really lucked out having him! We reached the islands to find a little cave that we had to "paddle hard into" and felt a sense of huge accomplishment coming out the other side! Every rock we passed, Hayden had a tale to tell us about the Maori, early explorers and legends. What a handy guide! We even got to name a rock. We chose elbow (in Maori it is tuke) since Hayden told us most rock formations were named after body parts. We were sad to see the shore get closer and closer because that meant we were finished and no one wanted to end the kayaking!

This was a fantastic day on the water and even though it didn't seem like it, we got a lot of sun (since there is a massive hole in the ozone layer above NZ) and we all looked a little toasty afterwards!

Luv B