It was a much awaited long weekend with an absolutely perfect weather forecast! This meant it was time to get the kayak out and in the water.

We made our way down to one of the bays east of Akaroa which is situated in a marine reserve. The water was a beautiful mix of blue and green and glassy in the sheltered bay. We started our day adventure and came across some seals cleaning themselves on the shallow rocks and seemed interested in our kayak.

We then paddled out to the head of the bay and continued around the coast out on the open water all the way to the main Akaroa Harbour entrance. You see, last time we were in this area we saw a pod of dolphins from our lunch spot on the overhanging cliffs, so I was more than keen to see them while we were also in the water in our kayak.

Well, we made it to the harbour entrance and no sign of dolphins yet. My arms were pretty tired already from the long paddle distance accomplished so far, and that is before we even started our journey back.

We had a short rest to observe the geology in the cliffs, get a closer look at the bird life, and pick up a few pieces of rubbish we found, and then we started our journey back, weaving in and out of the many bays. We got back to the bay we started from and paddling back into shore, we saw a few more seals and a group of three penguins which was a lucky treat! I don’t think the penguins were as fond of our nearly 5m boat compared to their little bodies.

All in all, it was a stunning day on the water with beautiful views and some animal encounters. We’ll try again next time for dolphins and orcas!