Kayak Day

On Sunday April 7th we had our first ever VIP Kayak Day. Visitors fortunate enough to have a ticket, were rewarded with a glorious sunny day, turning hazy and slightly drizzly in the afternoon for the last group. But even that group was happy and one visitor commented “It was beautiful to see the wetland change, it had a mystical quality about it in the rain”.  We even had three people celebrating their birthdays with us! Our survey results came back with a 95% “happiness” score, which we’re really chuffed with. If you would like to have a specific picture in high res, contact photographer Stefan Marks directly.

Thanks to our friends at Bethells Beanz we had a nice cuppa brewing on their return and snacks to go with it. Our main sponsors were Russell and Larraine from the Auckland Kayak & Canoe shop, the Yakitiy Yak club, who provided most of the kayaks and volunteers. We’re really grateful that thanks to our sponsors, volunteers and participants we raised more than $5000 which will benefit our amazing restoration work.

Thank you all and see you next year! Annalily & the trustees

P.S. Many asked why we don’t do this more often – for two reasons: we’re relying on volunteers and sponsors to make this a fundraising success, but more than that, we’re a conservation project: disturbing the birds in the wetland isn’t something we’d like to do too regularly.

All images by our voluntary professional photographer Stefan Marks – thank you!