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CoffeeWaffle
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Sunday, 30 May 2004
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Yesterday morning I checked the local weather forecast to see if the weekends winds and tides would be good for kite buggying or kayaking. The tide is low (and beaches wide) at around midday, and the winds for the whole weekend were predicted to be solid 25 knot northerlies. Perfect conditions for kite buggying on Rabbit Island beach! So I pack up all my gear and head out there to arrive right on low tide. Now either the weather person is playing games with me or they had their map upside down. What little wind there was, was coming from the south-west! And it stayed like that all day. I stayed at the beach for a couple of hours hoping that the forecast was just a little late and the wind would swing around to the north. But alas it never happened. I flew my super-10 for a while, took a few photos, but no chance of buggying.
I finally gave up and headed home. When I got there I checked the forecast again. Suddenly the northerlies I saw this morning (predicted for the next two days), had changed to 'Gusty south-westerlies' for Saturday and Sunday. Its not fair! They promised me Northerlies! Whats going on at the meteorological Service? Playing practical jokes on kite buggyiers like that is just not funny! I want my money back. 
10:59:40 AM 
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Sunday, 23 May 2004
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The kite club AGM went ahead as planned but there was no wind to speak of afterwards so I shot away to go for a kayak around Nelsons Harbour. It was a nice change of scene...
 
6:42:02 PM
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Today is the Nelson Kite Club AGM. I'm planning to attend the meeting. We usually have a fly on Neale Park afterward the what little wind there is today is coming from the South-east which, around here, means its coming off the hills and will be inconsistent at best. I might just strap the Kayak to the roof of the car, go to the AGM, and keep my options open for afterward. Maybe Devon will be keen on a paddle around Haul-ashore Island or something.
10:11:47 AM
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Thursday, 20 May 2004
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This week is exactly one year since I bought my kayak. One year ago I was a total kayaking newbie. I have to say this is one purchase I will never regret.
To mark this occasion I have put together a video/slide-show of some of my favourite photos taken on kayaking trips in the past year. All of the photos in it were taken in and around the Nelson region with nothing more than a couple hours of drive from home... how lucky we are.
So without further ado, here it is (22MB video) . To those of you with slow internet connections (like me) I apologise for the size but I hope the wait will be worth it for you.
8:02:37 PM
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Sunday, 16 May 2004
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Lake Rotoroa is the largest of the two major lakes in the Nelson Lakes National Park. The other is Lake Rotoiti. In Maori roto means lake, iti means small, and roa means large (or long). So the English translations of their names are very literal descriptions of their size and shape.
Rotoroa is a long thin lake and it took us just over two hours to paddle most of its length (at our leisurely pace), and about twenty minute to cross its width to return along the other shoreline. The native bush here is untouched and the whole place feels unexplored and unspoilt. The water is so clear that watching the forest of underwater plant life drift by below (in the shallower water) is a sensation not unlike flying.
Only one thing could have made the day kayaking any better. A lot of insect repellent. We had to keep moving to avoid being devoured by hordes of ravenous sand-flys. The little bloodsuckers were everywhere and man were they hungry!
This place has a way clearing the mind. I feel like I've had a weekend now and am ready for the week. I took over 100 photos today... here are just a few of them.
 
 
btw... if you want desktop wallpaper, leave a comment and I'll email you a screen-sized copy of the picture you want. :]
9:30:35 PM
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I haven't been kayaking in almost a month! The colder weather makes me more reluctant to get wet. Today however, I am off to the Nelson Lakes to paddle the length of Lake Rotoroa. I've paddled Lake Rotoiti before but Rotoroa is the larger of the two and is reportedly more scenic (if that is possible). Should be some good photo opportunities so tune in later for some pictures.
I feels weird being up this early on a Sunday morning. Now I must get some coffee in me, get wrapped up warm, and hit the road for the hour and a halves drive to lake.
7:45:13 AM
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Saturday, 8 May 2004
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I finally got a good opportunity to buggy with my newest and largest power kite today. The 8.5m C-quad is a light-wind buggy kite and this afternoon at the Wakapuaka Sand Flats there was a perfect 10 knot north-wester.
This picture gives you a good idea of the size of this kite. I produces an enormous amount of power so a 10 knot breeze is perfect. Thats my neighbor Rawiri standing behind it.
 
The above two shots of me buggying were taken by Rawiri.
Tomorrows forecast is the same as todays so I'll probably be back out there about lunch-time for another go.
6:46:05 PM
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Tuesday, 4 May 2004
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... and here it is. The latest member of my growing power-kite family. The big-un. Looking striking in lime/yellow/green nylon, it's 8.5 square meters of Peter Lynn C-Quad. I bought this monster on trademe and finally got it out for a photo shoot on Sunday. Although I still haven't buggyied with it, it is a thing of beauty!
For the title of this post, I wanted to make that manly grunting noise, like Tim the-tool-man Taylor with a new power tool, but wasn't sure how to spell it! :]
8:11:53 PM
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Sunday, 2 May 2004
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Today was a club-day for the Nelson Kite Club at Rabbit Island Beach. We have one of these once a month and whenever I'm not kayaking, I'm there. Today I was hopeful for a good kite buggy session. The forecast was for northerly winds which are perfect for this north facing beach.
Low tide was due at around 1.30pm. I arrived there just before 1pm to find the whole island shrouded in a strange sea-mist. Visibility was down to little more than 100m in any direction and there was barely a breath of wind. Still I remained hopeful and set up my buggy. I dragged it and my newly acquired (but not yet flown) 8.5m2 C-Quad kite out onto the beach, ready for wind if it decided to show up. The guy I bought the C-Quad off must have been flying it with the brake-lines and main-lines around the wrong way. Hes lucky he didn't break anything, as the brake-lines are usually made of lighter line than the main-lines. With a little help, I got the lines around the right way and the lengths tuned, ready for another day.
A few other kite club members showed up but the wind was virtually non-existent. The sea-mist cleared into a balmy afternoon but the wind never got going enough to buggy. One good thing about kite buggying is that even on the days when theres not enough to wind to fly... at least you're at the beach :)
 
Above Left: My buggy on the beach. That strange mist in the trees was covering the whole island when I arrived. Above Right: Not even the mammoth 12.5m2 C-quad could generate enough pull to buggy with today. There was only just enough to get it off the ground when this I took this picture.
 
Above left: This is a 6 foot flexifoil with a special ultra-light spar. It is so light it can be flown in literally no wind, and even indoors, by just running in small circles. Ted managed to fly it 360o around himself today, proving there was indeed no wind. Above Right: Bill and Ted waiting for wind. At least we're at the beach!
I guess we-ve had the last of the summer afternoon sea breezes...
8:32:02 PM
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© Copyright
2006
Murray Neill
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Last update:
13/11/2006; 8:04:46 p.m.
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