Boots 'n All NY trip - Kayaking in Marlborough Sounds

[Anna Seccombe]

Kia ora koutou katoa!

The keen beans amongst you have probably been waiting to hear what the BnA New Year trip is going to be.  Well, the wait is over ... we've got it sorted!

We've going to go sea kayaking in Marlborough Sounds.  7 days, exploring isolated bays and inlets and seeing wildlife* in some of the more remote parts of the Sounds.

* Yeah, clearly we can't guarantee the wildlife eh.  Sorry about that!

Dates:

27 December - get yourself to Blenheim, then we'll get a shuttle up to Picton at ~ 6.30pm

28 December to 2 Jan - paddling from Picton(ish) through Pelorus Sound, and up to Tennyson Bay.  We'll be in double sea kayaks.

3 Jan - Finish, get back to Picton, possibly in time to fly out late afternoon

4 Jan - Fly home, or carry on to other adventures of your choosing

Cheaper flights are booking out quickly at the moment.  Feel free to discuss flights with us before you book, if you want more details.

Costs:

The biggest cost for this trip (other than your flights to get there) will be the kayak hire.  This will be approximately $250 per person.  Campsite/hut costs are between $6 and $12 per night.  We're still working on the shuttle costs for getting there and back, along with accommodation in Picton for the night before we start.

So, by a rough estimation, plan for about $400 all up, excluding food and flights.

The deposit for the trip will be $150, with the rest payable closer to the time.

Accommodation:

We'll mostly be tenting, but we've hoping to book a couple of nights at the Nydia hut (which has not only flush loos, but also ... hot showers?!)

We'll be in Picton the night before we start paddling.  Once we get off the water at the end of the week, we haven't sorted accommodation.  Once we see who signs up, and what your post-paddle plans are, we can see if we need to book anything more.

How hardcore will this be?

We don't plan on making this a suffer-fest, but as with any paddling trip, the weather and sea conditions can make a big difference to the difficulty.  Some Rule #5-ing may be involved.  We're not planning to paddle for 8 hours a day, every day.  This is a holiday, after all!  But if something happens which changes our plans and means we need to make up distance, we might need to put in a long day.

The most important thing is that you are confident swimming, and being in open water.  You should be familiar with paddling already.

Group size:

The DoC campsites in Pelorus Sound are all pretty small, so for that reason we're going to limit this trip to 10 people.  Get in quick if you want a spot!

Wanna come?

Sign up on the google form here:

https://forms.gle/4cJXGrtLzj8nBaQt7

Questions?

If you have any questions, hit us up!  We're still working out the finer details, so if you have any questions or comments, now is a great time to get in touch.

Cheers,

Anna, Kerrin and Kirsty