More kayaking

Motueka, South Island, New Zealand

We've spent the day floating around on the most beautiful blue sea you've ever seen!  We did a guided sea kayak trip from Kaiteriteri round to a little bay with a big rock called Split Apple Rock - cos it looks like an apple cut in half.

The sun shone all the way and there wasn't very much wind - perfect paddling conditions.

Here is the apple itself.  The Maori legend is that the rock used to be an egg, and the earth and sea gods were fighting over whose it was, because at low tide it touched the earth, and at high tide the sea.  So they had a fight on top of it, and one of their jade swords touched the egg, which split it in half and turned it to stone.

It was about an hour and a half each way, with tea, coffee and biscuits on the beach (and a swim out to the rock) in the middle.  Here's where we stopped for our cup of tea...

And here's a cave and archway at the edge of the beach...

Tomorrow we're going back to the apple beach, and maybe do some paddle boarding.  This area, Abel Tasman, is really gorgeous and everywhere there are huge apple/orange/cherry/hop farms, lots of fresh veggies for sale and pretty beaches.  If we don't come back, this is where you'll find us...

Mike, Vicky, Thomas and Kitty xxxx