As part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which a number of UHC students have been working towards, they spent four days kayaking in the Marlborough Sounds. Some of students have written about the different legs of the trip.

Preparation for the trip - Violette Billington

In preparation for the trip we attended multiple meetings that helped us prepare and plan for our four day kayaking trip. One of these meetings was a gear planning meeting where Mr Carew, our assessor, showed us some examples of the type of gear we would need to bring for our trip. This allowed us participants to get a good idea of the gear that we would need to bring in order to keep safe and have fun during the trip.

We also had a session where we practised the process of setting up tents, as we would be needing this skill on our trip! This allowed us to brush up on our knowledge of setting up tents and get an idea of the kind of tents that school could offer us to borrow if necessary.

Once the trip had been planned we had a meeting where we created a list of RAMS (risk assessments). This list was made up of all the things that could go wrong for different aspects of the kayaking trip. Some of these aspects included when we were on the ferry, when kayaking, at camp, cooking, water and hygiene and fires.

A couple of days before we headed off for our trip we met up for a gear check. This was when Mr Carew checked that we all had the equipment needed in order to make the trip possible and keep us safe. This was able to give us all confidence that we had the correct equipment needed for our trip in order to be safe and fun!

Trip over to Picton

The trip on the ferry over to Picton was a long, grey journey. We met up at the Bluebridge Ferry Terminal around 7:00am to be ready for an 8:15am departure. After checking ourselves and our bags in, we were ready to climb aboard the Bluebridge Ferry. When we made our way onto the ferry, we allocated a meeting place where we could keep any gear and meet up in case of getting lost. We then settled down to wait for the ferry to depart. During the ferry across, from Wellington to Picton we explored the different levels and rooms, as travelling on a Bluebridge ferry was a new experience for most of us. Along the way we were able to enjoy some of Mr Carew’s well-told stories about adventure and some of the ferry's finest cooking. The number of stories told would only increase during the trip! Then finally we made the last leg through the Marlborough Sounds, where we all admired the surroundings, and then finished our ferry crossing in the Bluebridge port.

Day One By - Picton to Whatamango Bay - Jasmine Candy

After arriving in Picton, we met our amazing guides, George and Andy, who would be joining us for the next three days. They took us through everything we needed to know for the trip. We loaded all our gear into the kayaks in waterproof bags and got dressed into some bright orange spray jackets along with a lifejacket and spray skirt. After that we wheeled the boats over to the water, then lifted them onto the beach in teams of four. We learnt how to adjust the seats and rudder foot pedals, use our spray skirts and also learnt how to get them off in the event that we capsized. Thankfully this was covered.

Once we set off we practised paddling round and got used to the steering before heading out of Picton harbour. On the way we stopped for a short snack and water break in a sheltered spot behind Mabel Island which was well-needed to fuel us for the rest of the paddle. It was a tough paddle with a head wind. It took us around an hour and a half to reach a point called the Wedge.

Our next challenge was to cross to the other side of the sound where we were planning on staying the night at Mistletoe Bay. As we attempted to cross we were unexpectedly met with ferocious 35 knot winds which together with rough sea conditions, made for a nearly disastrous outcome. One kayak capsized. That was mine and my kayaking buddy’s! Thankfully the guide's expertise meant that the situation was able to be brought under control in a moment. In the frenzy, however, it felt like chaos. This spot rightfully earns the name of ‘Carnage Corner’. The water was freezing, and the sea conditions were not ideal, but thankfully everyone ended up back in their boats. We joined the rest of the group and the guides made the good decision to turn around and go back to Picton, a call everyone was relieved about. This only took us about 30 minutes with the wind behind us.

Once we reached the shore again everything was loaded into vans, and we drove to Whatamango Bay which was our new campsite for the night. We set up our tents in the wind and cooked some dinner sheltered by bushes. That night, before bed we had a group discussion and talked about a few potential options for the next day, knowing it couldn't really get any worse than today. While it was a bit of a rocky start to the trip, it was a valuable day. We learnt a lot from it, such as the importance of sticking together, working together as a team and looking out for each other.

Day two - Whatamango Bay to Kumoato Bay - Lily Candy

After a windy night at Whatamango Bay the team had breakfast, packed down the tents, and got ready for the day ahead. Due to rough weather in the morning such as strong winds and rough seas we decided to delay our departure time till approximately 10:30am and keep the distance manageable. Prior to departing we had some great discussions about the tides, the way that the wind affects the sounds, and the importance of checking in on each other.

We then began our journey across to Kumutoto Bay. The journey was far less rough than the previous day's adventure. The team was in good spirits and powering along. At the halfway point (Allports Island) we had a snack break in our kayaks and then did a figure 8 around the two islands. Kayaking the islands was a magical experience as we were able to see many seabirds and even a seal. We then began our last portion of our day two journey kayaking from Allports Island to Kumutoto Bay. As we entered Kumutoto Bay the sun was shining, the water was glassy, the stingrays were out, and Eli almost caught a fish until we lost it on the boat.

Our afternoon/ evening at Kumutoto Bay consisted of setting up camp, eating, swimming, hiking, talking, card games, and even a spot of fishing where Eli managed to catch a kahawai and Angus caught a spotty using the carcass of Eli's fish. Later on at Kumutoto Bay we had a spot of dam making, bow and arrow making, and fish filleting, where it was evident that we had a great group of wilderness experts.

Kumutoto Bay as well as the journey to Kumutoto Bay was a favourite and memorable journey for the whole group. There were many key learnings that we took away from day two. The first was to watch your EGOS - Essentials, Group, Others, Self (Being aware of the weather and how the group is feeling and your own wellbeing). This was so that we could make a plan of action that ensured maximum safety and enjoyment for all. The second was to always keep your tents shut and belongings together otherwise you may lose some of your belongings to a cheeky Weka. Finally the third key learning was to pack a sufficient amount of gas as unfortunately we had three people run out of gas at Kumutoto Bay.

Day Three Kumutoto Bay to Umungata Bay - Ella Raisin

The day was a little more breezy but still fine. This was not a big issue as we hugged the northern side of the West arm of Queen Charlotte Sound which was more sheltered. We saw the occasional seal lounging around on jetties. One of our guides told us that the residents of Double Bay had petitioned the government to have their bay declared a marine reserve. They wanted to do their part to restore the fish stock in the sounds. Before the marine reserve was put in place, Queen Charlotte sounds had a massive lack of fish and many species were on the verge of extinction. Within a very short time of the marine reserve being established, fish were plentiful in the bay thanks to the petition.

While exploring Double Bay we saw a seagull swallow a big fish whole. We watched it fly off and thought it was going to crash land with the weight and its gullet chocka. We also watched Blue Cod that came up under the kayaks, but were not allowed to catch them as they were protected.

We had lunch on the beach in front of a private home and then paddled off to camp at Umungata (Snail oven) / Davies Bay Campsite. We carried our gear 100 metres up to the campsite which was in an area sheltered from potential strong winds. The campsite had a large grass area where we could play frisbee. It also was home to a family of goats. While some of our group went on a walk the others stayed at the campsite and defended a packet of rice from a very cheeky Weka. The campsite also had a shelter with a stage area. On the stage we played Charades by torch light. We got to bed quite early and had a good night’s sleep.

Day Four - Umungata Bay to Picton - Kale Trueman

After waking up to a calm morning breeze at the lovely Umungata Bay we all got ready for the day ahead with some breakfast. We packed up our gear and left on our final kayak voyage of our trip at 9:30am. 

The sea had a luminescent mist and we decided the night before that we would take a detour around to Anakiwa where one of the team, Eli, used to live. After crossing the West Arm we spent our time travelling in our warm kayaks accompanied by the frosty wind. 

We travelled the Grove Arm and took some time whenever we could to have some fun by travelling under some of the jetties dotting the shore with people getting stuck a couple of times. Along the way we saw plenty of houses along the hills and some of us tried to decide what one we would want to live in although a bit put off by the number of slips around making the choices a bit more limiting. 

We stopped for some quick lunch at Ngakuta Bay before continuing on our way as soon we would have to cross back across Shakespeare Bay as we had attempted the first day of our trip. As we had approached the Dogs Nose that we had almost reached the first day we reminisced about the event of the first day fondly known as "carnage corner" the guides gave us a plan to follow through crossing the bay and getting into Picton. 

We stayed as a pod as we crossed Shakespeare Bay as to not leave anyone behind excluding the one time that Mr Carew told me to "step on it" and we broke ahead for a minute before remembering we were not supposed to do that and waited for the others. As we reached an island between the Dogs Nose and Picton we waited as one of the ferries passed by us and we travelled over the waves generated by said ferry. 

Along the last stretch into Picton itself we saw an adorable little blue penguin swimming along as it bobbed its little head above the calm water before disappearing again. Some things that we learned from day four of our kayaking adventure were to make sure we kept a watch of each other as to not leave anyone behind and to check up on people as we go as to make sure everyone is doing great and enjoying themselves.

Angus Williams: Picton to Wellington.

The wind was picking up as we pulled into Picton Harbour. It was starting to get a bit choppy as there was a south easterly blowing up the harbour towards us. We kept close to the shoreline, as it was more sheltered. By the time we got back to Picton it was around 1.30 in the afternoon.

Once arriving we had to repack our gear into our packs, wash down the kayaks and stack them on a trailer. We also had to dunk our spray skirts, life jackets and spray vests in soapy water to get the salt off before hanging them up to dry. We had plenty of time to kill so some of us went off to explore the town. 

There was a good pizza and burger shop down the main street that a few of us went to for lunch. Everyone met back at a cafe near the packs at 3.00 pm. Mr Carew had been contacted by the ferry to say that our ferry was delayed. We lugged our packs a few K’s to the ferry terminal for safe keeping while we hung out in Picton for dinner. Mr Carew had taken the initiative and gone out to talk to one of the local restaurant owners to see if we could have dinner there when he found out the ferry was delayed. 

We ended up having dinner at The Barn getting different variations of a roast. Three of us got a lamb roast with some of us getting a pork roast instead. There was also a vegan option for Mrs Sayers and a couple of the girls. We talked about our favourite parts of the trip and what we enjoyed and didn't enjoy, also about our favourite and least favourite trip meals. When we headed back to the ferry terminal it was around 8:30pm. Since the ferry was running behind schedule, we ended up leaving Picton at around 9:30 pm.

Mr Carew negotiated us all free hot chocolates on the ferry on the way home which was awesome. We passed the time back to Wellington on the ferry by sleeping and for some of us being sick in the bathroom. We ended up arriving back in Wellington at 1:30 am after a long slow and rocky crossing of the Cook Strait.

It was good getting home. I enjoyed getting into my own bed that morning and getting some sleep even though it was 2:30am.

Particular things I learnt while on the trip were that I really like sea kayaking and that the Marlborough Sounds is an amazing place of nature. I realised that I didn't need anywhere near as much food as I brought along with me but a bit more gas for the cooker would have been helpful.