Steve Smith
Steve hails from the UK and although a keen diver; had never experienced kayaking before arriving in NZ 6½ years ago. A chance meeting with Pete Townend 6 years ago resulted in a job in Canoe & Kayak’s distribution centre where Steve was responsible for Canoe & Kayak’s marketing.
Steve’s background is in the corporate world (marketing) and he found himself going back to corporate land, coming full circle four years later as manager at Canoe & Kayak Manukau. His passion for kayaking can now be indulged on a daily basis.
Steve’s married to Gini and has two future kayakers in Thomas (4) and Alex (4 months).
Phil Linklater
Interest in kayaking: I used to look from the shoreline at those long, sleek machines gliding silently & seemingly effortlessly through the water and wondered, really wondered.
I became motivated enough to purchase a kayak after my first visit to Maxine’s wee bach on the water at Tauranga Bay near Whangaroa. Maxine had a Tui which I tried out in the estuary and became hooked! James Fitness kindly sorted me out with a suitable rig back in 2003 and I have kayaked [mostly in the waters of Northland], ever since.
In Auckland we enjoy putting in at a beach and taking lunch with us to a deserted spot. A refreshing skinny dip followed by a nice spinach and salmon salad and a glass of crisp Sauvignon. Blanc - aaah! Such an easy thing to do with a kayak.
Our favourite trip takes only 15 minutes one way. We paddle down the estuary and out to the Arrows Rocks. There are fossils embedded in the rocks which are distinctively red and green – unlike any other formation in the general area. There is abundant life in the many pools here and there and kina seem to specialize in hiding under self made ‘hats’ of rocks and shells! We can spend hours at the Arrows.
A highlight has been paddling for well over an hour with Orca as two adults and 4 calves [?], made their way slowly down the coast toward the Cavalli’s and no doubt further south. We were pretty chuffed to see our article and photos published in the Kayak magazine.
We also have a couple of sit on tops based at the bach. Mostly these are available for visitors to use or we have a special long line set up which we set just off the beach. After a leisurely 15 – 20 minute paddle we are usually rewarded with a couple of good sized fish.
Kayaking adds another dimension to life at the beach.
Background:
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Mostly Corporate B2B sales and marketing and new business development. Helped create the world’s first cardboard tray for export of Kiwifruit and much later to the development and introduction of the plastic vege crates now so common in NZ.
Current:
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Life and business coaching. Passion for Personal Growth and helping individuals and business owners make lasting beneficial change in their lives.
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Part time at C & K Manukau.
