Day 16 - Abel Tasman Kayaking Tour

We all know we can never get enough of sports, and today, after a tiring day of travel, we dedicated a whole day to kayaking. Unfortunately, we had to wake up really early...before seven o'clock. Several chirping birds in the garden of our cottage woke me up at 6:00. It was so early that even the breakfast cafes were not open yet, except for one exception on the way to Abel Tasman National Park. There, as always, we had cereal and scrambled eggs in a slightly shabby atmosphere - but with free knitting needles. So, I knitted a few stitches. We were briefly instructed at the Kayak Hub and equipped with dry bags. Then, we got into the boat about 300m away from the sea on a side street - almost on dry land - and were then transported to the sea by a bulldog/tractor. It was quite spectacular. The motorboat took us to the coast (without the bulldog), where the kayaks were waiting for us on the beach. A larger kayak was reserved for us because of Norman. I can fit into almost anything. We were a group of 8 plus a guide, Australians, Germans, and a New Zealander. Kayaking is fun, and we even saw a blue penguin. It is the smallest species of penguins, only 30cm tall, like a water bottle, and it is a loner. In contrast to the larger species of penguins, which are known for the opposite: family ties, many penguins at once. Actually, you wouldn't expect penguins here in the warmth, but the blue one likes it here - even if it is mostly alone and swims and enjoys itself in the sea.

After paddling for what felt like 100 km and about 3 hours, seeing countless seals and their babies, and encountering beautiful lagoons, we landed on one of the many golden beaches at lunchtime. They are golden because of the iron-rich stones and mountains surrounding them, which turn into rust on the sand - as explained by our guide, Isaak. For the vegetarian, there were vegetarian sandwiches and power balls, fruits, and cakes... so it was perfect and satisfying. After lunch and a splash in the sea, I thought that paddling would be enough, but no, it continued. Another seal island, more sea, and more lagoon. But finally, we were back and picked up by the water taxi after a short wait and taken home. I almost forgot to mention: we also saw Rod Stewart. In the category: what is ... Rod Stewart doing these days? Well, he is currently a kayak guide and is not ashamed to paddle through Abel Tasman with a crowd of tourists. Very down-to-earth and likeable. He even sang "Do you think I am sexy" with me. And he took a photo with me (see above).

Everyone was in a good mood, the crew, satisfied paddlers, and other excursionists. After a 50-minute water taxi ride, we elegantly drove onto the trailer of the tractor, which pulled us out of the water and took us back to the starting point.

A successful but exhausting day. Tomorrow won't be as exciting because Norman has to work. I suspect it will either be just a car ride or golf. But there's also New Year's evening to look forward to... we'll see.