Update From Robbie

Hi Everyone, well what an adventure so far! The weather gods have been shining down on me, with minimal swell. Although there has been a couple of tough days, paddling from Mataka Station ( Black Rocks ) to Matauri Bay was a toughie! Straight into a 20 knot headwind funnelling down through the Cavalli Passage.
A supposedly short paddle of 15kms took me 4 hours ! Thats an averge speed of just over 3kms per hour impressive a!
I enjoyed a rondevou with Nadia (Call sign - Stormgirl) she paddled out from Russell to meet me at Urapukapuka Island for lunch, & kindly shared ham sammies, gingernuts and coffee, I'm hoping we will meet up again further up the coast.
Day 4. Matauri Bay to Taupo Bay Sun 28th Sept
Micheal Winch paddled out to meet me south of Tauranga and we had lunch in Whangaiha Bay, he bought a weather update, I was quietly hoping the weather would justify a lay day as I'm ready for a rest. I sent a text to Murray Voyce to let him know I would be arriving at Hihi within the next two days and that I would be camping at Taupo Bay .
He invited me over for a cooked dinner and a spa well how could I refuse! So I was promptly picked up, my kayak safely stowed away in Jans shed and off we headed for Hihi via car.
I was transported to another world - a substantial home perched upon a hill top with panoramic views across Doubtless Bay to Cape KariKari , Murray and Jans friendliness was astounding, they cooked a dinner with fresh veges, wine and a hot soak in the spa, I was put up for the night on the second level with a birds eye view across the Bay and woke in the morning to a glorious sunrise, then back to Taupo Bay to clean up kayak gear, and a rest day was granted, Jan & Murray introduced me to a fellow neighbour Brian Carter, who just happens to be a writer & photographer for the Northland Age newspaper, and we instantly clicked as he had an adventerous streak & understood my passion for challenge, so apparently a story will be published in the thursdays edition along with some humerous photos of me reading the local paper while leaning against my kayak on Taupo beach 7am in the morning.
The paddle between Taupo and HiHi was fine until I rounded Berghan Point then I was paddlling into the head wind again! What a relief to finally land and be driven up the long and winding hill by 4wd by trusty driver Murray, after a rest & recovery it was off to Mangonui for famous fish & chips and a well earnt beer , it will be hard to say goodbye to Murray & Jan in the morning.
Wenesday 1st Oct Day 7 - Hihi to Cape Karikari via Tokerau Beach 39Kms
It's going to be a big day so time to have my last chance for a hot soak in the spa and get a good nights sleep, from tomorrow onwards it will be back to camping and Dehy food.
Distance covered so far - 148.5 kms + tomorrows 39kms = 187.5 kms
Will be meeting up with Lynnis at Tokerau Beach, a long paddle across Doubtless Bay .

Trip update

Mum has arrived safely in Auckland and she is now doing her training with J.K.A and fellow Canoe and Kayak instructors. And then she will be driving up to Tutakaka to start her trip.

Day 1 Thursday 25th September

Mum just called me this morning and she said that she is going to start her paddle today. She is starting at Mimiwhangata just a few kilometres north of Tutakaka. Then she is going to be camping at Bland Bay or possibly Whangamumu.If she feels she wants to go further. Mum is now safe at Whangamumu and her plans are to paddle around cape brett and to Urupukapuka and maybe camping at Cape Wikiwiki . She wants to cover as much ground as possible before a high on Sunday.

Day 2 Friday 26th September

Mum has arrived safely at Mataka station going further than she planned. Off the top of her head she said she covered about 51kms today. She is very tired and is setting up camp before it gets dark.
Her GPS says in total she has covered 81.5km in the last two days. The reason she didnt leave from Tutakaka was because the weather was not good but she said she will make it up.

Day 3 Saturday 27th September

Mum today is going to paddle from Mataka station to Matauri bay where she is going to be camping tonight. And she says that back country cuisine rocky road icecream was really yummy.

Day 4 Sunday 28th September

Mum is now at Matauri Bay and her plans are to paddle to Taupo bay today. Last night she had dinner with Lynnis and she got to stay in a caravan for the night. Yesterday when she landed she said she got very annoyed because her wine bottle got stuck in the bow of her kayak and she could'nt get it out!

Day 5 Monday 29th September

Today mum is just going to have a rest day because she does not think that the weather is very good for today. But she should be paddling again tommorow morning.

Day 6 Tuesday 30th September

Mum is today paddling from Taupo Bay around to Hihi today. And she managed to get the wine bottle out of the bow of her kayak. She said yesterday she covered about 124kms.

Day 7 1st October

Mum has paddled from Hihi to Matai bay. Today has been a challenging paddle and it took her 2 hours to cover 7 kms because of the strong wind. If it is like this tomorrow she is going to have a rest day but if it is all good she will be paddling to Houhora.

Day 8 2nd October

Today mum is having a rest day. But she is going to have a drive up the coast to check out the coastline and the conditions.

Day 9 3rd October

Today mum is leaving from Matai Bay and has a big crossing over to Houhora. Then if the conditions are ok she will keep going up the coast and will be camping at Rarawa Beach the night. But it depends on the conditions and the wind.

Thankyou for your Generosity - Trip Plan Update

Thankyou to everybody who has donated to the Make a Wish Charity. This week I will be concentrating on finalising, preparation for the trip. My daughter's Jessie and Amy are going to be taking care of the website while I am away, I originally was hoping they could follow me up the coast as part of a support team, but limited resources and time unfortunately have not been on our side. Hopefully sometime this week we will have organised to link up to broadband and be able to load some photos.
Together they will keep you updated of my progress. We look forward to sharing this adventurous journey with you all. Kind Regards From Robbie, Amy & Jessie

Kayak4Cancer Team has been an inspiration to me

My most sincere thanks to the team - www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/kayakforcancer.
Thanks for being inspiring, encouraging and supportive. You are all awesome!
Ruth & Ian Henderson, Chris Dench, Stephen Law, Guy Folster, Greg Dunning, Charlie Barker, Neil Watson, Dave Evans, Phil Oster, Gordon Daglish and everyone else who was involved.
One email to Sue Levett asking for advice on the Kayak4cancer team lead Sue to forward my enquiry onto Stephen Law, who was more than willing to help with any questions I had, it all seemed quite daunting and I didn't know where to start or what to ask ?
Then more help came from Ruth E.Henderson, heading South from the big smoke (Auckland)to visit family in the bay, she popped into the Canoe and Kayak shop for a cuppa and a chat, I talked about how experiencing coastbusters.org.nz and the International kayaking week, had inspired me. Meeting so many great people with the common interest & passion for sea kayaking and the great outdoors.
She had a special parcel to pass on from Stephen Law, a big bag full of all the files, information,maps, everything that the team and everyone else who had been involved in planning had poured their time and passion into. The expression of generosity & willingness to encourage others to fufill challenges and goals was impressive and somewhat overwhelming.
I took the parcel home and slowly but surely over the cold, wet days of winter, I read and studied the paper trail that told there story.Now in a couple of weeks I will be starting a journey/challenge to complete a solo paddle from Tutukaka to Cape Reinga, which will test my vital skills,self reliance,confidence and determination.
Now another step to take , to choose a charity to support along the way?

Break thru ! Support from Northland kayakers

Thanks to Lynnis Burson & Michael Winch for offering to be ground support, you two are fantastic, local knowledge goe's a long way.
Lynnis & friends will be waiting for me at Urapukapuka Island aboard Freelance, with an offer of a hot shower & a good meal.
Back Country Cuisine has kindly offered excellent rate for their meal packs, so an order has been dispatched, I'm especially looking forward to the Roast lamb & Apricot crumble.
Steve Knowles has spent a lot of time supporting me with weather and safety equipment advice, thanks to the team at Canoeandkayak B.O.P www.canoeandkayak.co.nz.
Thanks to Colin Alexander from Solo Wings for his generosity in loaning me an epirb, and Sid Salek for organising it.
Thanks to Rex Barlow for his support and workmanship in strengthening my kayak, many hours spent glassing away in the garage.

Northland kayak Challenge Update- Build up paddle to increase expedition experience & develop credibility for future challenges

Planning is progressing, looks like I may now have a driver assisting, even if only to bring my car up to the end destination, will be planning trip to be as self sufficient as possible, main consideration are being able to re charge Phone, V.H.F batteries with limited power sources?
My 12 yr old daughter Jessie will be up dating the blog site regularly during the journey.
The motivation for this expedition comes from the desire to extend my skills and expedition experience, to develop credibility to lead towards having the opportunity to mentor youth with leadership potential in the outdoors.To encourage a sense of adventure and nurturing resourcefulness, resilience, and confidence in the outdoors.