More than 2000km of ocean awaits four kayaking mates propelling for a cause.
Mārahau-based kayaking guide Cared Blackham, along with North Island-based brothers Connor, Kurt and Drew Stewart, will launch at one of New Zealand’s northern most beaches next month bound for Wellington, to raise funds for the Mental Health Foundation and Live Ocean.
Cared says, he struck a partnership with Connor and Kurt during their two-year outdoor adventure tourism course at NMIT and Top of the South kayak missions, and says Drew had pivoted the idea to paddle the North Island’s East Coast.
He says, after last year’s graduation the quad decided to attempt the two-month voyage and make it bigger than themselves.
“We’ve found so much personal development in growth and mental well-being by being outdoors through the NMIT course and also in our own time, because the course allowed us to go out and do some pretty epic adventures in New Zealand.
“We want to empower people to get outside and be active to support their own well-being, mainly due to the fact that it’s helped all four of us immensely, and particularly coming out of Covid and all the lockdowns, it’s probably more important now than ever before.”
Cared says, as well as planning to propel mental health awareness on their journey, they also thought about conservation and the role it plays to support kayaking.
“Conservation through the ocean is pretty important and we see conservation in general is an important contributor to us all getting outside, we can’t get outside if we don’t look after it.
“We spoke to Live Ocean and we thought they were a really cool cause to raise money for because they put a lot of money into research and development for conservation in our oceans, particularly here in New Zealand.”
Cared says the goal was to raise at least $5000 for the two charities.
He says they plan to depart on their 2200km voyage on 5 March from Tapotupotu Bay near Cape Reinga with a week’s supply of food and water, and paddle eight hours a day covering 30 to 40km of ocean.
They plan to rest overnight at coastal accommodation and a support crew will re-supply along the way.
“We hope to be [at Queens Wharf] in Wellington early-May at the earliest, but we expect we’ll get there mid-May,” Cared says.
“Sam Russek [NMIT adventure tourism and guiding tutor], has kindly given us the use of four kayaks from the fleet at NMIT.
“Chris West from Kayak HQ has also supplied us with some paddles, sea kayaking gear, and he’s also helping us with transport of the four kayaks up from Nelson to Whangārei… he’s a massive help and it’s made the trip so much easier for us.”
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