Newsletter 26
Southland Sea Kayakers
23 July 2005
Dear Southland Sea Kayakers
The next kayak rolling classes is on Sunday 24th July from 4.30-6.30 PM at Splash Palace. The dates of the other classes are Sunday 7 August 4.30- 6.30 PM and Sunday 21 August 4.30 -6.30 PM. We need one sea kayak per 2 persons and It must be cleaned before it is taken into the pool. Please make sure all gravel/sand is removed from the cockpit before you take it in. The staff at Splash Palace will also hose down the kayaks before they are put in the water. Bring along you PFD and paddle plus goggles or nose clip as this make it a more enjoyable experience.
You should make up a paddle float of 2 sheets of polystyrene foam slightly wider than the paddle blade held together with duct tape. The paddle fits in between the sheets and assists in learning the technique.
The cost is the admission cost and a dollar or two to Stanley for the lane hire depending on numbers
Network Trips:
Last weekend we have our trip to Flecked Peak, report enclosed.
Saturday/Sunday 13/14 August: Milford Sound
I am not sure I will lead this trip if there is no demand. Anyone interested please ring me before next weekend or I will cancel the trip. My phone number is 2157263 ( home) and 2110999 ( work)
New Website:
The Southland Sea kayakers Network has a new web-site address as follows
sskn.uniformnz.com
Terry has revamped the network web site which look great especially the photo gallery and links. Check out the photos of Preservation Sound.
Paddle to Flecked Peak
On the north side of the Middle Fiord of Lake Te Anau is an impressive escarpment below the Hook peaks and the eastern end of the Stuart Mountains. I have paddle by many times and marvelled at the graceful sweep of impressive cliffs topped by sun bleached tussock tops. Recently I decided to take a SSKN trip to climb them.
As it turned out I have only 1 starter Nick Bowe who was keen for a climb. We left Invercargill at 8 AM on the Saturday with our 2 kayaks strapped to the roof of my Vitara and sped north westwards to Te Anau. We did not stop till we reached Te Anau Downs. Here we arranged to leave our car in the Hotel grounds and launched onto a placid lake for an easy13 kilometre paddle to a headland near a creek draining the Hook Peaks. It was sunny without wind but the air temperature was low. We arrived about lunchtime and we decided to leave our kayaks in the bush and take our tent and camping gear up to the bushline so we would have a chance of getting to the summit next day.
We had lunch and set off up the creek following deer trails in the forest. After about 1.5 kilometres we reached a ridge coming off the mountain on the true right of the creek. Here we crossed and found more deer trails trending upwards which we followed. It was about 800 metres to the bushline and the last half an hour was in the dark. There was no water on the ridge and we were a bit thirsty by the time we reached it. Just under the last bit of bush was a flat area under a beech tree where we put up the tent. Then we melted snow and had a brew from our sleeping bags. For dinner we had Back Country Cuisine which tasted great. There was a first quarter moon and to the south west the lights of Te Anau twinkled.
I woke early and got the stove on to melt snow. After breakfast we knocked down the tent and headed up a well defined deer trail to the tussock. We noticed large bird foot prints in the snow. False dawn was now appearing. We climbed up easy slopes for about 500' to a ridge where we left most of the gear and from here we plodded up easy snow slopes to the top of the Hook peaks at 4550'. Here we turned left and climbed along more easy ridges to Flecked peak at 5120'. The day was very clear and an inversion of cloud smothered the valleys and lakes around. Mt Irene was striking to the SW in terra incognita. To the north our ridge sloped off to the Mid Burn where a frozen lake filled the head of the valley. To the NE the twin peaks of Mt Earsnslaw were dominant and further west was Tutoko and Madeleine. We quitted the summit at 10.30 AM and moved rapidly back to the bushline and then on down through the forest again following deer trails. In the valley we picked up more trails near the river and followed these to the lake.
We had an uneventful paddle back to Te Anau Downs and drive home.
A paddle on Lake Te Anau and successful climb of Flecked Peak on 16/17 July 2005 by Nick Bowe and Stan Mulvany.
23 July 2005
Dear Southland Sea Kayakers
The next kayak rolling classes is on Sunday 24th July from 4.30-6.30 PM at Splash Palace. The dates of the other classes are Sunday 7 August 4.30- 6.30 PM and Sunday 21 August 4.30 -6.30 PM. We need one sea kayak per 2 persons and It must be cleaned before it is taken into the pool. Please make sure all gravel/sand is removed from the cockpit before you take it in. The staff at Splash Palace will also hose down the kayaks before they are put in the water. Bring along you PFD and paddle plus goggles or nose clip as this make it a more enjoyable experience.
You should make up a paddle float of 2 sheets of polystyrene foam slightly wider than the paddle blade held together with duct tape. The paddle fits in between the sheets and assists in learning the technique.
The cost is the admission cost and a dollar or two to Stanley for the lane hire depending on numbers
Network Trips:
Last weekend we have our trip to Flecked Peak, report enclosed.
Saturday/Sunday 13/14 August: Milford Sound
I am not sure I will lead this trip if there is no demand. Anyone interested please ring me before next weekend or I will cancel the trip. My phone number is 2157263 ( home) and 2110999 ( work)
New Website:
The Southland Sea kayakers Network has a new web-site address as follows
sskn.uniformnz.com
Terry has revamped the network web site which look great especially the photo gallery and links. Check out the photos of Preservation Sound.
Paddle to Flecked Peak
On the north side of the Middle Fiord of Lake Te Anau is an impressive escarpment below the Hook peaks and the eastern end of the Stuart Mountains. I have paddle by many times and marvelled at the graceful sweep of impressive cliffs topped by sun bleached tussock tops. Recently I decided to take a SSKN trip to climb them.
As it turned out I have only 1 starter Nick Bowe who was keen for a climb. We left Invercargill at 8 AM on the Saturday with our 2 kayaks strapped to the roof of my Vitara and sped north westwards to Te Anau. We did not stop till we reached Te Anau Downs. Here we arranged to leave our car in the Hotel grounds and launched onto a placid lake for an easy13 kilometre paddle to a headland near a creek draining the Hook Peaks. It was sunny without wind but the air temperature was low. We arrived about lunchtime and we decided to leave our kayaks in the bush and take our tent and camping gear up to the bushline so we would have a chance of getting to the summit next day.
We had lunch and set off up the creek following deer trails in the forest. After about 1.5 kilometres we reached a ridge coming off the mountain on the true right of the creek. Here we crossed and found more deer trails trending upwards which we followed. It was about 800 metres to the bushline and the last half an hour was in the dark. There was no water on the ridge and we were a bit thirsty by the time we reached it. Just under the last bit of bush was a flat area under a beech tree where we put up the tent. Then we melted snow and had a brew from our sleeping bags. For dinner we had Back Country Cuisine which tasted great. There was a first quarter moon and to the south west the lights of Te Anau twinkled.
I woke early and got the stove on to melt snow. After breakfast we knocked down the tent and headed up a well defined deer trail to the tussock. We noticed large bird foot prints in the snow. False dawn was now appearing. We climbed up easy slopes for about 500' to a ridge where we left most of the gear and from here we plodded up easy snow slopes to the top of the Hook peaks at 4550'. Here we turned left and climbed along more easy ridges to Flecked peak at 5120'. The day was very clear and an inversion of cloud smothered the valleys and lakes around. Mt Irene was striking to the SW in terra incognita. To the north our ridge sloped off to the Mid Burn where a frozen lake filled the head of the valley. To the NE the twin peaks of Mt Earsnslaw were dominant and further west was Tutoko and Madeleine. We quitted the summit at 10.30 AM and moved rapidly back to the bushline and then on down through the forest again following deer trails. In the valley we picked up more trails near the river and followed these to the lake.
We had an uneventful paddle back to Te Anau Downs and drive home.
A paddle on Lake Te Anau and successful climb of Flecked Peak on 16/17 July 2005 by Nick Bowe and Stan Mulvany.