Advents-Kite in Nelson

The crossing to the South Island is steep. Firstly, I was still three local beers short the night before, and secondly, the night was only four hours short again because of the concert. The sea was comparatively calm. Nevertheless, the ship rocked quite a bit and there were nice white bags hanging behind every seat. After 1.5 hours, I see the South Island for the first time.

The entrance is into a long fjord. The Queen Charlotte Track runs along to the right. A few fishermen’s houses cling to the steep slopes. The sun is finally back. We are told to change cars in Picton because of a crack in the windscreen. The local Indian has no idea what to do, who is who, etc. After 15 minutes I advise him to call his company’s hotline, then something will happen.

We decide to drive straight on to Nelson. Some kitesurfers had recommended the place to me. Our hostel is the Beach House. Small, cosy and a five-minute walk from the beach. The best thing of all: after six weeks of searching for wind in almost complete vain, it finally blows here. We head straight to the beach and out onto the water.

The beach is 200 metres wide, 2 km long and slopes gently downwards. The standing area is endless and 300 metres further out there’s another sandbank. The waves are a bit mean, coming from three different directions in constant alternation. Unfortunately, the wind is not enough for jumping, but at least it’s enough to be happy for an hour and a half.

The next day, the wind is already up at 10.30am and I set off again immediately after breakfast. I’m drifting sideshore in waves of up to 1.5 metres. Then the local freaks arrive with kiteloops and other fun. They all ride in a narrow wave-free area 20 metres off the beach. The traffic is quite heavy in this lane, and my fins get stuck in the sand on some of the bends – 10cm of water is a bit small. A local has his dog with him. He drives only 3 metres from the beach the whole time, his seal runs along in the shallow water.

After four hours on the water in 15-20 knots, my arms almost fall off. I refuel with some sugar at the hostel and then sleep until the evening. I wake up with a decent sunburn on my face. Advent kite in Nelson :-)