Abel Tasman Jan 09

The Abel Tasman and 30 Yakity Yaker’s

From a leaders perspective.

Jan 09

By Neil Thompson

 It all started at one of our Yakity Yak Club meetings when someone suggested a trip to the beautiful Abel Tasman. The date that was requested was in the middle of January and I thought that maybe we wouldn’t get too many takers because of people just having had, or still away, on holiday.

How wrong I was.

Within a week we had about 15 names on the list and still growing. The final number was capped at 30. Too many of course for one trip, purely for the fact that some of the camping areas down there just couldn’t accommodate that many people at once. I thought about the logistics of getting that many people and kayaks down there from Wellington. The trailer just isn’t that big. The simple answer was, “let’s make it into two separate trips, one after the other”. I guess I could make the sacrifice and stay down there for two trips.

Sacrifice, yeah right.

So the organization began. Transport, both ferry and vehicles. DOC camps, which, in the Abel Tasman must be booked. Who was hiring kayaks and how many of those could stay down there for the second trip. Vehicle storage and itinerary. The list went on, and I’m one of those guys who likes to plan for just about everything that may eventuate.

With that many people going it was probably inevitable the some would pull out for various reasons. So as some did it was a matter of re listing the trip to fill the gaps, which wasn’t hard to achieve.

Each trip was a 5 day, 4 night outing with a wide range of club members from some who hadn’t been away on an overnighter to some with a good amount of experience.

The first trip started on the morning of the 16^th Jan 09 and after loading 14 singles and one double onto the 4x4 wagon and trailor the night before, it was onto the ferry and down to Picton. The best way to get that many people and all of their gear to the launching spot in Marehau, the start of the National Park, was to rent a 12 seater van and a gear trailor in Picton. A great way for some people who haven’t met to get to know each other. Thankfully, everyone in the Wellington club is a top notch person and willing to socialize easily with like minded people. Am I sucking up too much?

 Seeing this story is more about what it is like to lead a trip I won’t go into to much detail about the trip itself. That alone could fill pages of the magazine. All I will say is that it was summer, the water was warm, and the white sandy beaches went on and on. Oh yeah, the seals and a very friendly dolphin that some people got to swim with (locally known as George) were unreal. This dolphin was very curious, probably hence the name. He hung around for ages. Every time I did a roll I stayed upside down for as long as I could and he would rush over to my kayak and look at me as if to say “what the heck are you doing human”. With a diving mask on my face it was an awesome experience being eyeball to eyeball at arms length from this amazing creature. 

Back to leading the trip. If you are well organized and know what you are doing things generally go along quite smoothly. If you’re not sure of something then the beauty of being in a club is, is that you ask someone. There are always things though that can alter your plans. The obvious being the weather. On the first trip the wind did play a part in slowing our travel and having to alter plans on the camp we were heading for. One being a spot in the Abel Tasman known as the Mad Mile, where, if the wind is blowing and because of shallow reefs in the area can become very rough. This was the case on this day and the decision was made to sit and wait at a nearby beach in sheltered waters. But seeing it is always good to get people out into choppier conditions and let them push their boundaries I took a group of volunteers around the point to have a play in the more testing conditions. The reaction afterwards was that of a satisfying accomplishment.

With the wind coming and going we eventually made it past the Mad Mile (still with conditions that tested some) and to a bay that wasn’t on our list of places to stay. The wind was now setting in and it was a case of making the decision to stay the night there. Even though you have to book campsites in the Abel Tasman, kayakers, for obvious safety reasons are able to camp in alternative camps if you can’t make your objective due to weather.

Decisions like these are a part of everyday life when leading trips and it is always better to be somewhere safe than going for it and getting caught out, especially with a large group of paddlers with varying degrees of ability. Sometimes you do get people in a group that disagree with your choice but they are probably only thinking about themselves and not considering the group as a whole. Never, as a leader, get persuaded to do what you think is the wrong thing. You can’t drown on shore.

At the end of a great 5 days out kayaking and camping it was time to take the first group back to Picton and put them on the ferry. After a night in the local camp ground and cleaning rental kayaks for the next group, as well as restocking my own supplies it was time to pick up the next crowd from the ferry. With all of the same plans as the first trip it was off again.

More sunshine and another excellent group of people the trip went without a hitch.

What I would like to say about organizing and leading a trip is that it is always different, and no matter how hard, or for how long you spend planning it, be prepared to change along the way. Safety is always paramount.

Seeing people out doing what they love and also helping those with little experience is one of the most rewarding things I get out of a trip. It’s very satisfying when people say they have had the time of their lives and can’t wait for the next trip.

I would also like to thank those more experienced paddlers on the trip for the help they gave with other people who may have needed help or encouragement along the way. This is invaluable and doesn’t go un noticed

Get into leading trips. It’s challenging, rewarding and a great way to have a holiday to somewhere you love to go all while doing it with a group of people who are out to have a good time. Speak to someone at Canoe and Kayak and find out how to become trip leader. They will point you in the right direction.