I work as a volunteer in Zealandia, an urban wildlife sanctuary in the heart of Wellington, the 'coolest little capital' in the world. Here you can follow some of the things that I do, such as nest monitoring, feeding and talking about one of the rarest birds in the world or showing visitors the wonders of this amazing little valley.
When not in Zealandia I spend a large part of my time enjoying the wonderful outdoor environment Wellington has to offer. Biking, running, roller -blading, swimming and dragon-boat racing are some of the pleasures to be had amongst the tree clad hills, the winding roads and the ever changing harbour.
Living in Te Upoko O te Ika (the Maori name for Wellington meaning The Head of the Fish) is never boring with its wild climate and rugged terrain. I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I will enjoy describing this amazing place and its animals to you.

Sunday 10 February 2013

Rock hopping..or Not

We woke to a day that promised brilliant sunshine. It was a leisurely start. The wind had changed enabling us to head in the opposite direction around the island.
We practiced rock hopping which involved zipping between rocks through narrow channels. Well, I didn't exactly zip. Being a relative novice, directionaly challenged and not knowing my left from my right meant more trial and error on my part. But it was exhilarating and I began to improve.
We hauled up for lunch on a delightful beach protected from the wind.
It was warm so after lunch we had a snorkel. I love seeing the world below the sea and spent a happy time sliding through the seaweed, annoying fish, diving down to the sea floor and investigating crevices.
Back at the beach we decided to practice a capsize or two since we were already wet. I got the hang of pulling my skirt tag while under the boat and sliding out to the surface . Rolling the kayak over and sliding back in was okay too with Ginni the guide's help.
It was time to rock hop our way back. I watched Ginni slide through a narrow gap. Lara followed and impressively caught a surge of water through.
I followed and also caught a surge but wad not quite parallel with the gap. The nose of the kayak caught on a rock and the current pushed me up on it. Not to panic, I waited for the next surge to help me back off. Alas by this stage I was at right angles to the gap and got wedged. Oh well, tipping out seemed the best option and with the guide I swam the kayak out to a safe place for re entry. Putting my just recently learned skills into practice and help from Ginni I righted the kayak and slid back in . Slightly damper I headed back to the camp with the others  having made the decision not to attempt any more  gaps unless there was room to fit through sideways!
On arrival back we found our fellow campers anxious about reports of a tsunami on the way. An accessable hill behind us looked a good place to perch if things turned dire but in the event it was down graded and we slept easy in our tents .
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