A Year in the Life of a Kayak Guide

2018 was a huge year for me In January a friend (thanks Jo) reassured me that I had the skills to be a Canadian kayak guide, sending me down a path I never expected I’d get to walk. A google search in February prompted me to email some guy called Brody at Go With The…

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Festive thoughts

Christmas is approaching. Down here in New Zealand that means the Pohutukawa trees   are flowering bright red, the sun is setting just after 9 each night, and the kids have just finished the school year. It was a very odd experience last week to be sitting in the garden, wrestling with Go With The Flow’s instagram…

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Harbour Seal

baby seal on rock - Broughton archipeligo

It’s been a busy few weeks. There is so much to learn guiding down here in New Zealand, for a start all the weather systems are upside down and now a southerly wind doesn’t mean lovely warm air blown up from the tropics, but a cold gust coming up from the Antarctic. Then there’s the…

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Current Events

Arriving to Go with the Flow We start our tours with a water taxi ride out to Maurelle Island. We leave from the historic Heriot Bay Inn and cruise up the east coast of Quadra Island until Maurelle’s Dome Mountain appears on the mountainous horizon. Then we duck into Surge Narrows, and that’s when things…

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Going with the Flow in New Zealand

Golden Bay New Zealand Three months ago I got a job down in Golden Bay in New Zealand through a series of long distance phone calls and confused time zone emails. Now I’m here in Takaka and after a hectic couple of weeks of exploring, learning and kayaking, I’ve finally got enough time to write…

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Cooking in the Wilderness

Our Destination is Near The wind is blowing and the sea state is changing quickly. Looking around me, I notice the group is starting to fatigue and hunger is starting to set in. As one of the sea kayak guides leading this group, I know exactly what will need to happen when we arrive at…

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The Giants of the Forest

Ancient Forest Alliance Full disclosure, I’m writing this on the final stopover of my 33 hour journey to New Zealand, incredibly tired and full of coffee. That may have had an emotional impact; I’m feeling pretty homesick for the Discovery Islands right now. I miss a lot of things about lush, green, quiet Maurelle, but…

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California Stichopus Cucumber of the Sea

The Squishy Stichopus Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the California sea cucumber. Cristina has given me free reign to write about things that I’m passionate about, and as previous guests, or indeed anyone I’ve been around this summer, can attest, nothing makes me more excited than these adorable slimy sea balloons.…

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Preparing Yummy Plum Preserve

The Busy Harvest It can be overwhelming in the fall after a busy summer to settle into the harvest and figure out what to do with all the bounty falling from the trees. If I have freezer room I will simply harvest the fruit whole, freezer bag it and figure out what I’m going to…

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Reflections on Connections

Divisive Devices In my Internet wanderings this week I stumbled across a remarkable statistic; 35% of British Columbians would prefer to give up their spouse for the day than go without their smartphone. This little nugget is from a recent study released by BC Hydro that looks into our relationships with our devices. “A new…

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