It’s a windy day … still, and the wind is only getting stronger. On an overcast Saturday afternoon, this is turning out to be a day not untypical for Summer in New Zealand.
Although the wind was cold, we nevertheless stopped on a bench at the edge of the sand. There was one tree next to us but it did not provide much in the way of shelter. But I felt desperate to stop and take a breather. All this walking up, down and around hills had me utterly exhausted.
We took this opportunity to munch on some snacks and read our books. That was, until the cold wind became just that bit unbearable that we had no option but to pack up and walk back up to the town of Russell.
Just as we were leaving we saw a couple of people setting up on the beach. I said with great assurance that they were going out windsurfing. After all with this wind, today’s conditions were perfect for it.
I looked on with a pang of envy that I could not suppress. I had been windsurfing once before, in Fiji, and had always wanted to try it again. But the opportunity had never arisen.
However, to my surprise I realised that the equipment they had were not in fact windsurfers but some sort of gigantic kite. I had only once seen this sort of thing before in my life. It was when I was staying with my friends’s parents at the Branson’s estate in West Winchester. There was a club that was dedicated to the sport. I think it was called kite surfing, or something similar.
The upper body and particularly arm strength they must require to control that large lite must be tremendous. When the two of them were set up and in the water it seemed inevitable that they would collide. But not on our watch! You can see them in our photos and video here.
Alice Letts 