Tahuna Torea nature reserve is a a gorgeous tide assisted paddle up the Tamaki estuary in Auckland:
Trip Briefing
Set off from St Helliers
Paddling past Glendowie
Portage from the river to the lagoon
First stop
Morning tea
Kayaks waiting for the tides to turn
Return trip past Half moon bay
Tahuna Torea nature reserve has some gorgeous birdlife:
We stopped for a walk along the reserve:
And couple of selfies
Ferry going past me at Halfmoon Bay
Debrief back at St Helliers
I did this with one of the locals that lives off this river, Russell Millar with Yakity Yak Club.
Tahuna Torea
Great easy paddle – especially if you like to take your time looking at the birdlife in the picturesque river lagoon – that nearly became a landfill for toxic waste a few decade ago,
Full HD Video – showing the highlights of the Bay of Islands kayak trip, including circumnavigation of Urupukapuka Island and day trip to Cape Brett Hole in the Rock …
Matauri Bay is under 4 hours drive North of Auckland, just past Kerikeri and not too far from the Bay of Islands. Known for the resting place for Rainbow Warrior, Matauri Bay and (Cavalli Islands) is perfect for rock gardening lovers who like to explore the area over multiple days from one of the two camp sites (one in the bay, and one in the main Cavalli Island).
Getting there and Setting Camp
View of the Bay and Cavalli – From top
View of the camp-site from the road
Setting up camp site
View from my sleeping bag
Video!!
Full HD Video – showing the highlights of the trip, including Rock gardening in the swell and couple of rescues …
Paddlers Setting off through the surf
I did this paddle with Auckland Yakity Yak Club. Here are some of the paddlers on the trip.
Larraine
Pete
Rescues
Russell being pounded by a breaking wave whilst out of the boat
Deep water rescue #2
Matt checking the water temperature
John towing Matt away from rocks
Matt demonstrates the High-centre-of-Gravity reentry while Russell holding on to the boat
Billy and Matt carry on after the rescue
Rock Gardening and paddling in Matauri Bay and Cavalli Island
Morning tea …
Panoramic shot
Lunch break …
Panoramic shot
Return paddle
kayaks after the paddle
Evening solo paddle
Evening at camp site
Matt’s catch from the kayak trip
Long exposure shot at night
Oops I been spotted
Morning at Matauri Bay
Dawn kayak fisherman
Bay at sunrise
Same bay – long exposure shot
Waves on rocks – Taken with Canon EOS @ f/20, 1.3 sec exposure
Howick to Whitford Paddle is a really relaxing ‘social paddle’, starting at Eastern Beach, Howick with a lunch stop at Whitford at Amy’s Kitchen. I did this Auckland Kayak Trip on a gorgeous April morning over the Easter holidays.
Eastern Beach, Howick
About twenty mins drive from central Auckland, the Eastern Beach, Howick is an easy spot to launch from with good parking facilities.
Setting off From Eastern Beach, Howick
With Waiheke and Coromandel in the background
Some of the Paddlers
I did this kayak trip with Auckland Yakitiy Yak Club who I paddle with regularly.
Dave, Makayla and Alistair admiring the beach front properties of Howick
Michael
Colin
And Alistair & Makayla
Mellons Bay, Howick
A tiny beach off Mellons Bay
Back on the water
Cockle Bay, Howick
Cockle Bay is an easy exit point for emergencies or can form an alternate start location if you want a shorter paddle or can be a meeting point for others joining in.
Paddling up Storm water drain
‘Peace Keeper’ sinking house
Moored boats off Cockle Bay
Video!!
Full HD Video – showing the highlights of the trip, including exploring of the ‘storm water drain’ in Cockle Bay, ‘sinking house’ and a failed attempt at shortcut through the mangrove !!
Whitford, Howick
Beautiful countryside of Whitford is at the end of the estuary.
