Paddling News

German sea kayaker Freya Hoffmeister has a simple explanation for her drive to become the first woman to paddle around the South Island. German sea kayaker Freya Hoffmeister has a simple explanation for her drive to become the first woman to paddle around the South Island.

"I like to do the toughest thing," the 43-year-old said before setting out across Canterbury's Pegasus Bay at dawn yesterday.

Hoffmeister began her planned 2500km circumnavigation from French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds on October 24. She estimates it will take up to three months to complete the journey.

The former gymnast took up paddling 10 years ago after pregnancy ended a decade of skydiving.

She and a friend took 33 days to kayak around Iceland three months ago, before she headed to New Zealand to tackle the South Island's treacherous seas.

She has enlisted the advice of long-distance kayak legend Paul Caffyn, the first man to complete the South Island trip. Only three other men have completed the journey.

Hoffmeister is the first woman to try, although two other woman kayakers from England and Sweden will also attempt the feat this summer.

She said the weather off the Marlborough and Canterbury coasts had made for relatively straightforward paddling, with dolphins and seals occasionally keeping her company.

She was preparing for tougher challenges. "The whole south coast will be interesting and a place to take care about."

Caffyn, from Greymouth, who circled the South Island in 76 days during the summer of 1977-78, said he was impressed with Hoffmeister's preparation, including the latest model emergency positioning beacon, a VHF radio, flares, a cellphone and a satellite phone. "She's a determined woman and very competitive."

Caffyn said that from the Catlins along the southern coast to the gale-battered Puysegur Point and up the West Coast would provide tough conditions. "You are exposed to the full might of the Southern Ocean, and sea breezes get up to 25 knots even on calm days. Her skills will be tested in the surf through there."

Caffyn plans to meet Hoffmeister at Jacksons Bay, in south Westland, and kayak up the coast.

Hoffmeister said she paddled up to 12 hours a day, depending on weather and tide conditions, camping at night on beaches or occasionally with residents.

She dresses only in black, matched by her black kayak and paddle, just because "I love that colour".

She owns two ice-cream shops and a Christmas shop in Husum, northern Germany, which allow her the time and money for her adventures.

And for her next trip? Maybe the North Island, or Ireland, but for the moment she is hoping for a fast, calm trip south.

Article Source: stuff.co.nz