The grow their sheep big here in NZ
Mex food! Ian, Steve, Andy, Andy, and Kiwi Chris.
Saturday was Andy B's birthday, so Wendy baked (ok, bought) him a cake. And there were extra rounds of beer at the pub.
Andy: The weather was lousy today (if you consider 70 knot winds + driving rain lousy), so we took another rest/rain day. This weather had better improve! It feels like California in winter and it is SUPPOSED to be summer down here. The good news? All this heavy rain and wind is keeping the carnivorous sand flies at bay. Have we mentioned that sand flies suck yet?? On some days, there are a swarm of sand flies biting our face as we kayak down the river - yes, they follow us through the rapids!
Before you come to the West Coast of NZ just remember two things as you're flipping through those glossy travel brochures... rain & sand flies.
It wasFriday night, and we craved Mexican food (which doesn't exist down here), so we pulled together a dinner party at the cottage we're renting. Andy Bradfield (a kayaking friend from the U.S.) has joined us for a few days, and we've also hooked up with a Kiwi kayaker named Chris.
Chris seemed rather suspicious of the Mexican food....
Andy: If yesterday's weather was bad, today was even worse. Hard to believe, but the wind continues to rip and now its freezing too!!! We could see the snow line on the mountains and it is only two thousand feed above us. Brrr.
So what to do on a freezing cold "summer" day?? Go kayaking of course. We all pulled out the winter gear (hoods, gloves, extra clothing etc.) and headed over to the Arahura river for a mellow class 2/3 run through Milltown Gorge. Air temp - low 40s. Water temp - low 40s. Brrrrr.
At some points, it was hard to tell if we were kayaking rapids or whitecaps since the wind was blowing so hard across the river.
Later, Chris the Kiwi takes us to a local Hokitka pub for some true NZ pubbing and pool.
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The grow their sheep big here in NZ
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Mex food! Ian, Steve, Andy, Andy, and Kiwi Chris.
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Saturday was Andy B's birthday, so Wendy baked (ok, bought) him a cake. And there were extra rounds of beer at the pub.
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