WILD SEA, GLOWING SKY CIRCUMNAVIGATING STEWART ISLAND

Mike Dawson is no stranger to big water and long days in a boat, but he had never attempted something like this. Long days of lockdown had left the Kiwi kayaker in search of a new challenge, which he found by leaving the river behind and heading to the sea. Dawson and team had to pull on all of their whitewater experience and more as they undertook a circumnavigation of Stewart Island, exploring the rugged coast and wild seas of New Zealand’s third-largest island.

Words & Photography: Mike Dawson

It’s rugged out here. We’re alone and far from civilization, hunkered down on the wild and remote western coast of New Zealand’s third-largest island. It’s intimidating and scary. The full force of the Southern Ocean is rolling under our kayaks. The swell is slowly growing, looking angrier by the minute; the wind is strong and gusting. It’s getting big, really big – and we’re not stoked. We’re getting beat down, slowly growing more and more exhausted as the wind hits us head-on, 40 knots of bitterly cold southerly right in the face. It’s tough to make progress. Conversation has stopped; there's no point. Voices can't be heard over the roar of the ocean. Critical shouts pointing out obstacles are thrown towards the group, but most are lost or misunderstood. The…

You're reading a preview of

Kayak Session (Digital) - 1 Issue, Paddle World magazine 2021

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.