Rebel home built kayakers big day out - to the Chocolate Fish Cafe
February 4 2007
[POST SCRIPT - Regrettably due to 'Landlord wars', the Chocolate Fish Cafe closed up shop early January 2008. A mobile coffee 'trailer' operated on the beach at Scorching Bay beach for a while. The Chocolate Fish Cafe site has since been taken over by new proprietors (the original landlord?) and functions under a different name ... but it is just not the same. A newpaper report September 2009 announced that the Chocolate fish will be re-opening on the oposite side of the Peninsula at a Shelly Bay site. Still selling coffees etc, but with fresh seafood on the menu.
It might be a bit harder to park the kayaks at the new site, but the afternoon sun will be a ripper. Yay!!
Not a bad day today here in Wellington harbour. The unofficial and unauthorised Wellington homebuilt kayaks and greenland technique club were well bored with kayak building and since the sun was shining and Steve was hungry, we all decided to hit the water.
Typically Pete was late and we perchance linked up with Dave Fisher and Dianne Morgan and about 1/2 an hour late a fair number of kayaks hit the water.
The group looked fairly impressive as they left Hataitai Beach at Evans Bay bound for the chocolate fish restaurant at Scorching Bay, pretty much on the other side of Miramar peninsular (behind the group).
Dave Fisher is drooping with safety gear and half a paddle. Only problem with lots of safety gear is that you have lots to fiddle with. But later in the day I heard a May day relay on my VHF - an EPIRB had been set off somewhere near Kaikoura (south of Wellington) and there was a fair amount of traffick associated with that emergency - on such a nice day too.
Steve, Linda, Dave and Dianne paddle in a tight group. Behind them is Wellingtons commercial wharves, waterfront, railyards and the infamous "Cake Tin" Stadium where the 7's Rugby Tournament was held this weekend. Sam had broken group protocols and done a horizon job (apparently he was chasing a runner on shore and trying to beat him - bit like a canoe version of chasing butterflies).
I caught Kate and Tony having a little huggle - ahhhhh - They reckoned they were just getting Kates Hat out of the cockpit - but .... eh wrong - what's that on top of Kates head already??? I may be young and cabbage looking ... but I am NOT that green!
Just a nice shot of tony in the clear waters with some Macrocysic bladder kelp. That stuff grows the fastest of anything on the planet - about 1 m per day, but gets thrashed to within an inch of its life in the rough Wellington conditons. It forms impressive Kelp forests that are sensational to swim through and paddle over, but It can hide rocks too.
A shot of kate paddling the SS. Behind her is Mt Victoria and on the slopes in the foreground, the expensive Roseneath realestate. Mt Vic is a good hill cycle training venue. It is about 200 m from water to the lookout on the top. 3 ascents during lunchtime is a good work out. They held the World mountain running champs here last year and it was tiring just watching them run up the 'hill'. At night, boy racers take over the place and broken bottles and burn out marks are all over the lookout car park. Good views of Wellington on a good day though.
The group pass Pt Halswell, one of the 'sentinals' (Pt Jerningham to the west and Pt Halswell to the east) that mark the entrance of Evans Bay. A glimpse of Sommes Island on the left and Eastbourne/Seaview behind.
Kate hid the SS away from the rabble, but this lineup represents an impressive amount of effort with the favourable outcome of a lot of fun on the water. Some cheeky kid asked if the kayaks were for hire. I think Steve, ever the ambassador, told the kid that they were private yachts, ... but you can build one of your own - go ask Dad.
And ... why did we do it? So we could paddle to the Chocolate Fish Restaurant at Scorching Bay. Sam orded the kiddie pancakes which came with some maple syrup and the mandatory "chocolate fish". Tony needed coffee as immediate first aid for a 'headache' - probably induced by caffeine withdrawal.
After a fine lunch of 'Big breakfast' for Tony and pancakes, bacon, bananas and maple syrup for the rest of us - we headed on our way. The group split up with Sam and me heading back to Hataitai Beach. We had some concreting to do and I had work to do on the recovery project. The rest of the rebels headed on across the harbour to Oriental Bay and then Mac's Brewery for some fine ales to cool off the heat of the day. Secretly I was wishing that I could have gone too ... next time.
Sam rounds Pt Halswell on the run for home. I reckon he looks a bit Nick Schade - esque with the truckers cap, the guillemot s&g and a bit of rough water. I set the camera to video mode after this and by cleverly not pushing the on button at the right time, missed a good video clip of a surfing action burst. Now my girlfriend Justine (I wish) wouldn't have done that ;)