Due to the beautiful hot weather and the lush scenery, the summer months of December to February, are a great time to engage in water sports in New Zealand.
The summer months are a great time to engage in water sports, such as Stand Up Paddling (SUP).
Organised by Mission Bay Water Sports
So during my recent trip to New Zealand in January, together with my cousin Vanessa, I took part in a Stand Up Paddling (SUP) session at Mission Bay, which is just a 10 minutes drive away from the Auckland City Centre.
And this was so fun that a few days later, I decided to return to the same place to go kayaking as well. These sports are organised by Mission Bay Water Sports, whose founders and instructors are certified SUP coaches as well as experienced surfers.
Given the basics before setting off on our SUP session
For the SUP session, we were given a short 15-minute tutorial on the basics of how to paddle and how to get from a kneeling position to a standing position. So this meant that beginners could pick up the sport and nobody was left out of the fun and enjoyment.
Then we were off, and it was just my cousin and me, the SUP board and the big blue sea.
Heading out to sea on the SUP boards.
Session passed by too quickly
Once I was out on the water, the session, which was for one hour, passed by quickly. While the summer heat was pretty hot, the cool sea breeze was really beautiful and this really helped to cool my body temperature down.
Scenery was beautiful
As well, I thought that the scenery was really lovely and I found myself completely soaking it up. To one side, I saw the white, sandy Mission Bay beach, where people were sunbathing there in the distance. And on the opposite side was the distinctive Rangitoto island – this is a 260-metre high volcanic island in the Haruki Gulf near Auckland, that is a widely recognisable landmark due to its trademark symmetrical shield volcanic cone.
The distinctive-looking Rangitoto Island.
Waves and wind were harsher than in Singapore
However I must admit that compared to the time when I had done SUP in Singapore, navigating my SUP board through the waves off Mission Bay was more challenging, because the wind was stronger and the waves were bigger and rougher than the more gentle, calm waters that I usually experience around Singapore.
Stopping to admire the scenery as well as posing for a photo!
Rented a double kayak
For the kayaking session, I had rented a double kayak with my cousin instead of two single ones, so we had more opportunities to simply engage in idle chitchat too. I must say that it was really fun catching up with her and enjoying a good workout at the same time.
Having some great fun in the kayak!
SUP session was slightly easier due to better sea conditions
However, comparing the two sessions, I felt that the SUP one was slightly easier than the kayaking one because of the condition of the sea on both days – it had been calmer during the time when we were doing SUP and as a result, slightly easier to paddle. But then again, with the arm power of two people instead of one inside the kayak, we didn’t do too badly.
Enjoyed both water sports thoroughly
I really enjoyed both of these water sports thoroughly. I’m definitely game to take part in more such activities when I am in New Zealand again – hopefully during the summer months!
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