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CoffeeWaffle
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Thursday, 30 September 2004
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I went to Rabbit Island after work today. It was a grey and blustery afternoon. A stiff north-west wind was blowing in on the beach. The low tide was due at around 5.30pm. Rabbit Island is only open to the public during daylight hours so tonight the gates would close at 6.30pm. That gave me a window of a couple of hours from about 4 o'clock to go buggy.
Off all the kite buggying scenarios, this has to be my favourite conditions. A storm blowing in with rain on the way. When a northerly front like this rolls in theres generally a good blow for 6-12 hours before the rain hits. Thats the time. The beach is usually deserted so no need to limit speed. In the breeze we had today a 3 meter kite was more than enough. I flew my 3.0m Flexifoil Blade II, a fast, punchy and powerful little ram-air foil. If the c-quads I usually fly were cars, they would be family sedans. Big, safe, powerful, but predictable. The Blade would be a formula one race car. Awesome performance, if you can handle it! The wind was right on the edge of its safe range. The occasional gust would try to pick me up off the buggy. I was travelling up and down the beach at about 45 kph before my speedo stopped working because of the rainwater. I'm sure I hit 60+ once or twice during gusts. The only other life form I saw in the whole 9 kilometres of beach was one guy on a blokart. He packed up and left though, just after I blew past him for the third time (whooping and yahooing and I went). Usually a blokart can go faster than a kite buggy; today I think it came down to the sanity of the pilot.
I packed up and left just before the gates closed. Sand down my pants, face numb from cold, and a grin from ear to ear.
7:34:24 PM 
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Monday, 27 September 2004
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Photos from Saturday at Wharariki Beach...
Awwwwwwww.... A seal pup stops for a look at the humans on the beach. There was a group of three or four pups playing in the shallow tidal pools while the parents watched from several hundred meters aways on the rocky shelves of the islands. These pups were really bold and playful. One of them thought it was great sport to come rocketing out of the water and land belly down on the beach as close to the humans as he could, there by giving them a fright and making them leap back. Again and again he did it. Others were chasing each other from the water to the beach and back to the water, in a never ending loop of joyful fun.
I took this picture with a 55mm lens so you photographers out there can imagine how close I was able to get to these guys. There are more pictures of the seal pups in the photo album I've published on the kite club site and some prints too.
Wharariki's coastline is extraordinary (print).
This is the area where the seal pups were playing at low tide.
My kite buggy in the foreground and one of the more stubborn parts of the coast, that seems to have found immunity to erosion.
Craig in his Big-foot buggy.
The advantage of those Bigfoot buggy wheels is, given enough wind, you can play in the softer sand of dunes like these, with out the fear of getting stuck.
Theres heaps more pictures in the NKC photo gallery and I've made some prints available.
Next time I visit Wharariki won't be far away, and I'm going to make point of getting to the beach by sunrise to photograph it. It could be quite a challenge getting there in the dark if there isn't any moon. But thats another adventure, for another day.
Ok.... the thirteen dollar question... whats it gonna be for Wallpaper Wednesday this week?
8:49:31 PM
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Sunday, 26 September 2004
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"Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."
John Howard Payne
I'm back after an awesome weekend. I'm tired and struggling to stay awake long enough to finish this post. I have flown kites on no less than four different beaches, kite buggyied on two of them, camped two nights in my camper-van, and even went for a paddle in my kayak!
I have heaps of photos to post, especially of Wharariki Beach which is a kite buggyiers paradise. Tonight I'll post the first few and spread the rest out over the next couple of days...
Friday evening I arrived in Pakawau just before sunset. I set up camp under a pink sky at the Pakawau Beach Camp.
From driving to camping in 2 minutes flat.
Saturday morning this was the view of Pakawau beach from my campsite. Note the toi-toi flowers indicating the offshore breeze; note the best for kite buggying. Wharariki Beach is about 20 minutes drive, plus twenty minute walk from here. Why go all that way if theres a perfectly good beach at Pakawau? Because Wharariki is spectacular. Tune in tomorrow for pictures of this wild place, and a good kiting yarn. : )
must sleep now...
9:00:07 PM
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Thursday, 23 September 2004
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Its been a strange week at work. It's week 1 of 2 of the school holidays so the College I work at is pretty much deserted, apart from a few tradesmen and teachers on training courses. They leave me alone in my little office and I plod away. I've been keeping srange hours too, arriving early in the morning so I can take long lunch breaks or go to the beach at 2pm.
Left-field-thought-of-the-day...
While having McD's for lunch today I found myself wondering what they do to the ice in their drinks to keep it from melting. Then I wondered if the same technology could be employed to keep the polar ice caps from melting, thus combating the effects of golbal warming.
Now thats what I call a brain fart.
This weekend is shaping up to be a big one. I'm planning to kite buggy on Wharariki Beach on Saturday. At least one other kite buggy pilot is planning to be there, and an email has been sent to the Nelson Kite Club inviting anyone to join us. I'll be camping at Pakawau Beach Camp on Friday night and then heading to Wharariki (10 minute drive away) mid-morning on Saturday. You can drive to within a kilometer or two from the beach and then a walking track is the only way in from there. It means lugging kites and buggy all the way along the track, through farmland and bush. The beach though, will be worth every bit of the effort... if the wind is right. Fingers crossed for a strong onshore breeze. If the weather is good and looks like continuing I'll probably stay over there on Saturday night too, and have another go on Sunday. Kaycee is booked in for a weekend at my parents (where I'm sure she will be more than comfortable).
Heres a shot of Wharariki from the last time I was there. This weekend, unlike this picture, the tide will be low and there will be even more beach to buggy.
8:43:56 PM
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Sunday, 12 September 2004
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Today, for the first time in many months, we got wind, on the monthly Nelson Kite Club Rabbit Island event. Woo hoo! I've just got home and I'm all buggyed out.
A nice northerly breeze was blowing when I arrived at the beach just after midday. I was the first one with a kite in the air, and the last on to leave just before sunset. The breeze stayed pretty steady all afternoon and was perfect for my 8.5m c-quad. Four other kite-buggiers showed up during the afternoon along with a handful of other kite fliers. One club member turned up with a newly acquired sand yacht, which was rigged on the beach. It looked rather large and cumbersome next to a kite buggy but this thing is made for some big speeds that a kite buggy could never reach. There wasn't quite enough wind for it today but the guys still got it rolling using a 8.5m c-quad instead of its mast and sail, just for fun.
Roy launches his 8.5m raspberry flavoured c-quad. Thats my kite buggy in the foreground.
The sand yacht Equinoxe and its proud new owner. I think it's a very aesthetically pleasing vehicle and I'd love to try it out in a good strong wind. I'm told it is easily capable of speeds in excess of 100kph! 8D
Of course with this bright orange beauty sitting in the middle of the beach, with four or five kite buggiers cruising past it, back and forth, it wasn't long before someone suggested it....
And what do-ya know, it worked! (but it doesn't look to comfortable being the power guy.)
Kite buggying is always more fun when there's someone to chase.
I think I played to hard...
9:21:49 PM
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Thursday, 9 September 2004
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I needed to go grocery shopping this afternoon, but when I finished work a smooth, steady northerly breeze was blowing so I went for a kite buggy on Neale Park instead. I guess I'm having cereal for dinner tonight. The sacrifices we make...
I got this little windsock for the radio aerial on my camper-van, so I don't look so much like a loopy in a rental (not sure if thats working, but I like it anyway). Today it was spinning happily while parked at the sports field, and doubled as a indicator of the direction of the shifting wind. As you can imagine, on the road at 100kph its really spinning! I wonder if it will last to Northland and back on my upcoming road-trip (only 45 more sleeps).
6:58:10 PM
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Wednesday, 1 September 2004
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Underwater kite flying - Video 317kb.
(Since I pinched this little clip from the DVD I bought the other day, I thought I should at least link to Prism, who made it, so you can all visit their site and think about buying one for their cool kites.)
9:35:57 PM
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© Copyright
2006
Murray Neill
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Last update:
13/11/2006; 8:07:38 p.m.
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