DESTINATIONS: The South Shore — Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia
\nfrom Jan\/Feb 1994 issue of Wave~Length<\/p>\n
Scott Cunningham of Coastal Adventures, based in
\nTangier, Nova Scotia, Canada has now produced the
\nsecond volume of his paddling route guide for Nova
\nScotia covering The South Shore and the Bay of
\nFundy.<\/p>\n
The South Shore of Nova Scotia extends southwest
\nfrom Halifax around to Yarmouth where it gradually
\nblends into the Bay of Fundy. From headland to
\nheadland it stretches a distance of about 325 km
\nbut, as with the Eastern Shore, inclusion of all the
\nharbours and inlets would inflate this figure
\nseveral fold. This is a young submerged coastline,
\nhighly irregular, with drowned estuaries and
\nheadlands producing a largely indented coast,
\nfringed with islands. This feature, couple with
\nlocalized sediments has contributed to a large
\nnumber of habitats: sand and cobble beaches, mud
\nflats and salt marshes. The predominant feature,
\nhowever, is the rocky shore. The most remarkable
\nfeature, of course, is the extreme tidal range of
\nthe Bay of Fundy. The Bay is a funnel shaped tongue
\nof ocean separating Nova Scotia from New Brunswick
\nstretching over 200 km from its mouth in the Gulf of
\nMaine to its upper reaches. The special nature of
\nthe Bay of Fundy follows from its extreme tides.
\nThese range from about 20 feet at the entrance to a
\nrecord of 58 feet at Burntcoat Head, in the Minas
\nBasin. <\/p>\n
The province’s South Shore has a great deal to offer
\nthe coastal paddler. It is unspoiled, easily
\naccessible, and you can put in almost anywhere.
\nCamping on the islands isn’t a problem. Services
\n(gas stations, grocery stores, and accommodation)
\nare available in the numerous towns and villages,
\nand tourists are welcome. If the weather is poor you
\ncan still find sheltered groups of islands for your
\ntrip or head inland to Kejimekujik National Park. If
\nthe weather is good, your options along the coast
\nare limitless. <\/p>\n
(excerpted from the guidebook)<\/p>\n
Coastal Paddling Routes in Nova Scotia: the South
\nShore and the Bay of Fundy (8.5 x 11 fomat, cerlox
\nbound, 106 pages) is available from Scott
\nCunningham, Coastal Adventures, PO Box 77, Tangier,
\nN.S. B0J 3H0 or calling (902) 772-2774. <\/p>\n
DESTINATIONS: Doubtful Explorations — New Zealand
\nby Scott Melzer
\nfrom Jan\/Feb 1994 issue of Wave~Length<\/p>\n
Riding in the back seat of a double cab truck with
\nfour kayaks on the roof and bouncing over the
\nroughest road in the world with snow falling all
\naround us, I wonder how I have gotten myself into
\nthis mess.<\/p>\n
My new fibreglass kayak is riding atop three plastic
\nboats above us on the roof rack. The driver who is
\ntransporting us across the Wilmot Pass to Doubtful
\nSound doesn’t give a damn about them and the ropes
\nare getting looser and looser. I finally demand that
\nhe stop and let us adjust the ropes.<\/p>\n
Getting out of the truck, I glance down through
\nfalling snow to Doubtful Sound, 2200 feet below. All
\ndoubt is banished as I see just pure beauty of the
\nmost natural kind.<\/p>\n
This is Fiordland National Park, the southwestern
\npart of New Zealand’s south island. Fiordland is one
\nof the most remote places in the world. This area is
\nimpressive, with overpoweringly steep mountains and
\nnarrow valleys. For the last million years this
\nregion has been subjected to intense glaciation. The
\npresent result is almost sheer vertical walls rising
\nfrom sea level to around 3000- 4000 feet.<\/p>\n
This midwinter trip is a fact-finding mission.
\nAlthough we have heard that the weather is best at
\nthis time of year, we expect little sun. Because the
\nsun at its highest point midday during the winter
\nsolstice (late June) is only 21 degrees from the horizon,
\nand due to the height of the mountains and the
\nnarrow valleys, at least half of Fiordland receives
\nno direct sunlight during winter.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, four of us are tempting the frost
\nmonsters, and already, on our first day, we have
\nverified Fiordland’s reputation of quick changing
\nweather with wind, hail, sun and rain, making us
\nfeel very small. We quickly learn why some of the
\nsurrounding areas are called Refrigerator Valley and
\nHurricane Passage. <\/p>\n
Arriving at Deep Cove at the head of Doubtful Sound
\nthe wind is so strong we can hardly stand. After
\nunloading the kayaks and gear we search for an
\nanswer to our first problem. It is too windy to
\npaddle and there is nowhere to stay or camp in Deep
\nCove. Camping in the Sound is generally difficult as
\nflat ground is rare.<\/p>\n
We are lucky to hitch a ride onboard the Seaspray (a
\ncray fishing boat) that takes us out Doubtful Sound
\ntowards Secretary Island where there is a forestry
\nhut we can stay in. We spend four days at the hut
\nwith short kayak trips in between lightning,
\nthunder, gales and hail storms.<\/p>\n
The weather finally clears and we set off to explore
\nsome of the arms of the Sound where we meet up with
\ndolphins, seals, and many different types of birds.
\nOn our last day, at the head of Crooked Arm, we
\nawake to the most wonderful morning of the trip. It
\nis clear and very cold with frost on everything
\nincluding our wetsuits, which require a bit of
\ncourage to put on. <\/p>\n
Packing up and heading back to Deep Cove, we
\nencounter a very unnerving occurrence. Doubtful
\nSound gets around 300 inches of rain a year which
\nproduces hundreds of beautiful waterfalls and 10 to
\n15 feet of fresh water on top of saltwater at the
\nheads of the arms. The combination of fresh water
\n(which is lighter and freezes at a lower temperature
\nthan salt) and the flat calm have created a
\ncontinuous sheet of ice 2 mm thick, shore to shore,
\nand about 4 to 5 kilometres long. We have no choice
\nbut to paddle through it. Although extra work is
\nneeded, we encounter no real problems, just our
\nfears of what could have happen if the ice had been
\nany thicker. <\/p>\n
All in all, our twelve day trip went relatively
\nsmoothly. Given the remoteness and remarkable beauty
\nof the area I consider Fiordland National Park a
\npremier sea kayaking destination. I plan to return,
\narmed with the experience gained and knowing that no
\namount of preplanning can take into account all of
\nmother nature’s little surprises. <\/p>\n
For information about Fiordland National Park
\ncontact: Scott Melzer, c\/o Te Hoiere Sea Kayaks, Box
\n33, Havelock, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand. Ph:
\n035742610. Fax: 035742333 Or the Department of
\nConservation , PO Box 29, Te Anau, New Zealand.
\nPh: 032497921<\/p>\n
