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Two bright magenta sea kayaks are
waiting on the little golden beach next to Devonport. We'll
certainly be visible on the sea! The harbour is an amazing emerald
green, and liquorice allsorts houses glow brightly in the warm
evening.
It's in a moment of peace, before my
swarthy guide, Jamie, from The Little Adventure Company, brings me
back to reality with a jolt. The capsize drill is a scary reminder
of the possibility of being upside down in the ocean. Somewhat
reassuringly he says he's only had one capsize in several years of
sea kayak tours. Apparently the gentleman concerned claimed falling
out was the high point of his trip, and he'd be dinning out on the
story back in Japan…. It takes all kinds.
Jamie has me into the kayak and off
in no time. This guy's organised. As we paddle gently along, Jamie
fleshes out the landmarks, with a history of Devonport. An innocent
Pohutakawa tree becomes 'the hanging tree'-scene of a blood curdling
19th Century drama, involving the aristocracy of the area. Devonport
was one of the first parts of Auckland to be settled and it's still
a well-to-do suburb. The gracious colonial villas lining the
foreshore are an architectural delight.
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Jamie tells me Devonport was a thriving
shipbuilding centre late last century. It comes to bustling life as
he describes it. Then, we glide past the oldest Sea Scout den in the
country, stretching elegantly into the harbour…. Ahead is North
Head, riddled with military tunnels. It's been the focus for
Auckland's' fear of invasion, for a long time.
The peninsula is wrapped in native
bush and utterly quiet. Up head looms the huge shape of Rangitoto (Rang-e-toe-toe),
covered in Pohitakawa forest. As Jamie says, it's a wilderness area,
minutes from the heart of New Zealand's biggest centre.
"There aren't many cities where
you can see a dormant volcano," says Jamie with the uncanny
ability to keep me on edge. He says overseas people are amazed at all
the different greens and the intensity of the colours.
We reach our destination, the popular,
yet amazingly natural Cheltenham beach. On Twilight Tours, Jamie
makes a barbecue here so people cam swim and relax before the return
journey. Paddling back Jamie describes the night paddles which he
runs when the moon is full. Quietly paddling with the sea dappled
with silver moonlight sounds heavenly.
We fall quiet on the paddle back. As
we turn around North Head into the golden sun, I feel like we are
heroes returning from a day of adventure. We paddle under a rickety
wooden jetty. A flock of sea terns sprays into the sky. As I glide
through the turquoise waves…I dream of my next magical little
adventure… perhaps a night paddle?
(This article is contributed by The
Little Adventure Co-Sea Kayaking Adventures - Editor. For more
interesting travel articles, please visit InfoHub
Specialty Travel Guide)
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