symbolic kayak

Our first trip to New Zealand had its fair share of great moments. A holiday so different to any other we'd been on up to that point, it really was supremely special.

One of our fondest memories was staying it a retreat near Pancake Rocks in South Island called Te Nikau. Cosy huts built in the bush with lights in the trees that led you back to your cabin after dark. Minutes from a beach which we visited with our friends Rick and Stacy as it was drenched in evening light and freshly baked bread and muffins every morning.

At the time Te Nikau wasnt in any of our guidebooks or on a website, it was a travellers tip passed on by some of Stacy's friends who'd visited NZ previously. She clutched its location - a rough sketch on a scrap of paper, like a treasure map or the map of The Beach.

Our time there was only a few days but it was a slice of paradise we'll never forget. On the day we left we went a few kms down the road to a kayak place and T and I took a 2 hr paddle up the Punakaiki river.

After an hour examining the wildlife close up from our virtually silent kayaks we turned them around and let the tide take us all the way down to a beach lagoon. The sun was shining and the scenery of the west coast was epic. It was a real moment.

Later on, I thought I spotted Rick and Stacey walking on the beach, so although Tracey said it wasn't them, I was sure it was - I beached the kayak and ran off into the distance to catch them up. After running about 2 kms after them, I caught up only to find that Tracey was right, it wasnt them. The long walk back was the biggest walk of shame ever. To this day Tracey remembers this fondly, when I say fondly I mean she laughs hysterically and cant help taking the piss out of me even though it was 4 years ago. However, I digress.

Since that time, the kayak represented a lifestyle we longed for in a country that amazed us. A dream we held in our heads for as long as we could when we returned to the madness of our life in London.

Today we own a house by the beach in this country we fell in love with. We have kayaked in some great places: Abel Tasman national park, Milford Sound and the Puhoi river.

We went up to Puhoi earlier this year and during a conversation with the kind folk at Puhoi River Canoes they offered to call us for first refusal on their stock when it came up for replacement.

That was 6 or 7 months ago, so it was a bit a surprise when the call came. Nevertheless Cody offered us a fine single Acadia 370 kayak with a paddle for half the retail price - and he delivered it. The time between the phonecall and the purchase was so swift that its only now I'm beginning to realise the positive implications of owning such a craft, its like the final piece in the jigsaw.