This past week I have spent most of my time in parts of New Zealand that only get waves when the stars align. And I'm not talikng about the Jupiter and Saturn phenomenon that's happening low in the south west sky tonight, but a scarceness of waves so rare that few have seen them.
But it doesn't matter up here in the top of the South Island where the fishing, kayaking and boating lifestyle is among the finest in the world.
Lisa Savage and Tony Bateup – two incredibly talented adventure racers – showed me around one of the Abel Tasman National Park's best kept secrets – the northern end where it wraps into Tata Beach. Their son Kye is 10 and probably doesn't realise just yet how lucky he is to live where he is.
The Tata Beach end of the park features two of the most ecologically important islands of the whole Abel Tasman set in crystal clear blue and emerald water with golden and white sandy beaches. There are caves to explore, archways to paddle through, vegetation-capped rock stacks and loads of marine life. There are not many places in the world where you can paddle to your own beach. Just stunning.
My adventure then took me to the Marlborough Sounds – my first ever trip there. The topography of Marlborough Sounds has always fascinated me, so when the Forrest family invited me to visit their family bach in Yncyca Bay (yes, that's a real word) I leapt at the opportunity.
Yncyca Bay is in the middle of it all and, as marine biologist Reid Forrest showed me, is something of a fishing haven. He, with his father John at the helm of Rosé and his sister Beth on standby, systematically targeted blue cod, throwing back all but the biggest ones. Then he went for a kingfish, navigating the reef as effortlessly as you might rustle through your pantry. Bang! One 15kg or so green and yellow monster on the deck. Ceviché shortly after.
Our next stop on the fishing tour took us to The Refrigerator – a name Reid has bestowed on a cave deep in a reef crack. It takes him a few minutes to dive down and retrieve one of the biggest crayfish I have ever seen. Reid says nothing. Ties it on and returns with another cray, a moki and a tarakihi. There is no more room in the chilly bin. Lunch and a few dinners are sorted. Just epic.
Have a great Christmas and be adventurous. Arohanui.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS We have a reader from Raglan who is keen to do a house and car swap with someone in Dunedin. Epic. All the details over on our free community page here.
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