Part of the training for the Waiau-Toa Odyssey Film was to get some time in a kayak to get fit for the big pack rafting sections of the trip in the Waiau and Clarence Rivers. I reached out to Yakima, an existing sponsor of mine and Kayak HQ who sponsored PFD's, river shoes and paddles for the film.
Bowdown kayak racks
As I have a skybox already I needed some compact kayak racks to fit next to the skybox. The Bowdown fit the bill perfectly, you can load most types of kayaks, and the large sit on-top kayak from Kayak HQ fits great on its side. When not in use the racks fold down for better aerodynamics and easier access to your roof box.
Big cheers to Kayak HQ for the Liquidlogic kayak, this brand is more known for white water kayaks, but they produce a line of sit-on top kayaks.
My aim with the kayak training was to squeeze in as much as I could during my summer family holiday. At Totaranui it was super easy to get heaps of paddling in as our campsite was 100m from the beach, can't go too wrong here. The kayak was ideal for pack rafting training, simple and straightforward. It was surprisingly fast and comfortable with the padded seat. I had some great trips along the Able Tasman coastline, perfect for building up a base level of paddle fitness.
