Kayaking from Puhoi to Wenderholm by Joanna








This was the trip we were supposed to do yesterday, but the operators were away doing a charity event, so we backtracked to do this part of the Te Araroa. 

The Puhoi Kayaking business is very well run, and we were in the water in no time. The river section was just short of 8km and mostly easy to paddle down. A couple of places the wind came up and the waves were stronger than expected, but we decided at the end it was the right balance of boring and terrifying. 

We went back to Peter's for lunch and then Christine and I had a nap while the others read or finished a jigsaw puzzle, 

Peter then loaded us up in the van and we set off for Gulf Harbour. Peter had a small bag of bait and we stood on the edge of the jetty while he threw pieces of fish in. Soon we were delighted to see huge snapper, kahawai, and a massive eagle ray lazily swimming along. This was fantastic, and we joked that the money spent on the glass bottom boat would have been better spent buying bait and chucking it in the canal. We walked around the posh houses and band rotunda, imagining ourselves sipping champagne while we listened to the melodies wafting across the water.  





Peter drove us around a couple of other entrancing little bays, where we watched people fishing and walking their dogs. One of the beaches was where Gordon did some of his navy training, and where Jenny slid down a bank when she was 15, so lots of memories. 





After a mostly restful and completely delightful day, we headed back to Peters for roast veges for dinner and an early night. 

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