Kayaking and Camping in the Marlborough Sounds

K: Well, I have graduated from car camping to real outdoor camping. We just finished a 3-day camping trip in the Marlborough Sounds, all gear packed in the kayaks including tent, sleeping bags, clothes, food and cooking gear. We did have a guide so we didn't have to arrange the logistics ourselves. The Marlborough region covers the northern end of the Southern Island of New Zealand and is a maze of islands and waterways. It is also the region that produces some of New Zealand's Sauvignon Blanc. The Queen Charlotte Track runs the length of the sound and is one of the most widely trafficked tramping tracks in the country.

We kayaked nearly 20 miles over the 3 days which brought us near the outersound and the Cook Strait. The scenery, as the photos show, is just stunning with numerous islands and bays and wildlife everywhere. Stopping for lunch on the first day, we paddled into a small beach with one very large seal perched right in the middle. He did allow us to share his beach with us, only snorting at us from time to time. He was literally five feet away from me as I ate a sandwich. We were also fortunate enough to paddle next to seals playing in the open water, seemingly oblivious to our bright yellow kayaks. We also saw dolphins, thousands of moon jellyfish (not dangerous), and various birds.

It was a great three days with a bit of a test on day two. To get to our campsite in Cannibal Bay we had to paddle straight into a 30 knot wind for about an hour. Let's just say that is an arm workout unlike any other.

Our guide Cole from Marlborough Sounds Adventure Company was terrific and cooked us french toast for breakfast each day as well as very tasty dinners. If you are ever in the Marlborough region, we would highly recommend this tour!





























V: It was quite an adventure, indeed, paddling almost three-quarters length of the Marlborough Sounds, from Picton up towards the Queen Charlotte Sound.

I must confess that the second day's wind was really the toughest paddling conditions I've ever been in, and I was so proud of Karen just sticking with it, and paddling hard, and we made it to shore, safe and dry!

That pesky bird in the photo above, next to the red gear bag, is a Weka, a fearless, cheeky little guy, who just pop out of the bush if you sit down to eat, or just place some item of clothing on the ground. They will come over to investigate, and more likely than not, attempt to take any item they can away with them, if you leave something unattended. Our guide mentioned losing a red pair of underwear, a spoon, and a plate to a Weka on previous trips. Just -- whoosh -- on the ground one second, and then snatched by a Weka and gone into the dense bush the next. I think our only casualty was a carton of milk which was snatched from the picnic table and drunk dry.

Paua, a cross between a scallop and an oyster, which lives in a beautiful iridescent shell and attaches itself to rocks, is the item held by Karen in one of the photos, and featured as the black-rimmed rock in the other 'still life' photo. Cole, our guide, found some in the bay, and cooked them up, and I tasted it. Not bad at all. In fact, we saw it listed on a menu board at a take-away Fish and Chips shop in Picton. So there we are, getting our food from the sea on this trip!

Captain James Cook, that intrepid British navigator, came back five times to Resolution Bay, where we ended our trip. He apparently liked best this spot in New Zealand, for resupplying his ship's stores, and leaving his invalided sailors to get healthy. We could see why he liked that spot along the Marlborough Sounds. A monument to him is noted in the photos, with the cannon in front.

And, good grief, how did we both manage to sunburn our lower lips? Ouch, a little. We are on the hunt for some zinc oxide now.