Our story begins with an early morning stretch and rise. Bernie, Iita and I all packed a dry pair of clothes, and dressed in some polypro and waterproof jackets and started out on our first of two Sea Kayaking day adventures. Our first destination was Mana Island. God blessed us with a cloudy yet windless day, a swell of .5 meters and warm waters. Since we had skirts on our Kayaks we stayed nice and dry. Iita caught a fish in the first 20 minutes of our journey, but unfortunately the guy was a bit too small. It was the only fish we caught the ENTIRE trip lol. It took us about 2 hours of paddling to reach Mana Island, what a workout! I did get a bit sea sick from the swell, but felt better once we hit land. The island only has rangers as its inhabitants, but has a boat launch and docking area.
There we sat down underneath the information board and had a lovely picnic! Warm veggie soup, cold chicken wings, a delicious cheesy bread, and timtams for dessert! Everything tastes sooo much better being outside and after a workout. After about an hour break we headed back out to sea. Heading back was easier with the swell going with us instead of against us. And I had a few lollies to keep me happy and ignore the pain in my abs and back. Sea sickness hit me mid way again and nothing sounded better than having my feet against hard dry land. no.. I did not throw up, but I think it wouldve made me feel better. It was the constant up down up down, I definitely had to stay looking forward toward the bay.
After another 2 hours we finally came back into our starting point. Exhausted we wobbily stood up after removing our skirts and pulled our kayaks in. After a nice change into dry clothes nothing hits the spot better than a cup of hot green lemon tea and a blueberry muffin. From there we arrived back at El Rancho for long hot showers and a good nights sleep.
Randomly I woke up at 2 a.m and just couldn't fall back asleep. I logged onto facebook, but then decided I'd rather be more productive and started reading 1 John to help me get relaxed again. The alarm buzzed not too much longer after I had fallen asleep again, or so it seemed. but luckily I did get about 9 hours of sleep!
Our Day 2 destination was Wellington harbor. We started our trip at 8 a.m to reach Wellington around 9. I didn't feel sore until I started paddling again and my muscles screamed at me for doing the same motion that had stung so much the day before. The wind was coming at us which made progress slow and strokes hard. The sea was choppy but luckily there was no swell. The harbor was awesome seeing the tall buildings and all the ships around. The fish were too smart for us, and were probably laughing as we trolled our little hooks behind our kayaks. We grounded for lunch in a what looked like a water ampatheatre with steps all around to sit on with the sea in the middle.
Today we had hot tomato soup, spiced bread, an egg sandwich, and ginger kisses which were delicious. The food here is different, but definitely growing on me. On our journey back we noticed the fountain had been turned on, shooting water 20 meters high. Iita and I paddled underneath it and were pounded by the falling salty water. Luckily the water wasn't toooo cold, but it was enough to refresh us for the journey home. We ate some "energy" chocolate, took a group photo, and then continued for another 45 minutes. All in all we paddled for a total of around 9 hours in two days. A trip I am definitely going to remember!
For all those who were worried... no... i was not eaten by a Manatee.
I am missing the changing colors of fall, peacoats, and scarves. Hope God is blessing your days!
N. E. W.
