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Adventure Coaching Blog
Being Ready
It was going to be a short Sunday afternoon paddle...
And then a miracle happened.
To give you a bit of context before I launch into this. I live at the southern end of the Southern Ocean. It is stormy here. It blows strongly many days of the year and we get used to harsh wind conditions for adventuring - be it in my sea kayak or in the mountains.
So, a calm day is not just rare, it is almost miraculous (OK, that is stretching the truth a wee bit, but it sure feels like that during El Nino).
So, I set off for an afternoon paddle and as I headed down the Waikanae River and out to sea I could see that it was calm - the forecast was for dying Northerly winds (and by the way, the very best wind forecasts down here are found at www.wind.co.nz and it is worth subscribing to get the additional data).
I had only planned to go for a short early spring paddle to begin to get my arms working after winter. Yeah Right.
 Calm waters
I sat in my boat and drunk in the bird song in the near-by forest and imagined I was hearing all sorts of rare native birds. Even the smell of the bush was amazing. It reminded me of being in the bush on the Milford Track, deep in Fiordland.
I then paddled up to the north end of the island (being very careful NOT to land as a permit is required and it is strictly policed) and took a look before paddling for home as the sun was setting. As I arrived at the Waikanae estuary there were Royal Spoonbills feeding in the water as I silently paddled past in the orange light of dusk.
Pure Magic.
Being Ready (having the safety equipment already on board) and being willing to go for it when the conditions are good is at the heart of amazing adventures.
Posted by Sarah Wilson on 6th September, 2009 | Comments
Tags: Adventure, Freedom
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