Monday, March 8, 2010

the northeasterly

My last morning in curio bay is a misty one. The fog has moved in the past two days, clearing during the day but coating the bay’s mornings and evenings. It is my last morning to surf and I’m gearing up. Curio Bay, for me, is New Zealand. Outside of Christchurch, this is the only place I’ve been and it been 2 weeks. 14 nights of sleeping in a campervan 10 feet from the ocean with no cell phone, no internet, and no electricity. 14 days of my life being dictated by high or low tide. 14 of being a fixture witnessing the revolving influx of travelers from all over the world,coming and going.
I knew I had left the world of the tourist when I came out of my campervan to find the usual sight of a sea lion laid out on the grass. A lady with her camera next me looks at me with excited eyes and exclaims “Look! Its so close to us!”, and I look over at the sea lion and all the feeling I can conjure up is “yup, its pretty close.” These sea lions which have been named by both Nick and myself are a constant presence in Curio. After the sun has dipped and I’m reading by candles in my camper, I instantly know when the sea lions have come up from the ocean to sleep. I know this because the entire campervan is filled with their scent which is very…very distinct.
Imagine a dank, dark basement populated with long haired dogs, like for instance Saint Bernards. Then fill the entirety of the basement with ocean water and let it sit for an hour or so. (don’t worry, no ones’ drowning saint bernards in this story). Finally drain the basement and voila! Eau de Sea Lion will permeate the whole of the basement. Lucky for me, the winds coming off the ocean keep the smell intermixed with salty air so its not like sleeping huddled next to these "cute" blubbery creatures.
But back to the last morning in Curio. I haven’t written about the Hector Dolphins yet. My first days of surfing introduced me to these, the smallest of dolphins who call Curio Bay their home. They are, of course, really amazing and love being around people, specifically surfers. Dolphins are perhaps the best surfers I’ve ever witnessed. Sea Lions are the second best.
Its 9 am and Nick and I are standing, looking out over the bay. “Ahh, the north easterly” says Nick, referring the wind. Roger had told me about this. How Kiwis know their winds and have dozens of names for all the nuanced ways the air can move around the island. Just like camping is religion to Kiwis, this is another example of a people who are deeply connected to their land. Around 9:30, I headed out into the water with my 10 ft board. The tide was still beginning its slow process of coming in and the waves were quite small. I paddled out through the white water and after getting past the first break, sat up on my board to check out the horizon. 3 minutes into my time in the water, I see the cusping, arched back of the hector’s. This will be the 7th time I’ve surfed with these dolphins but the power they hold keeps one from ever becoming jaded by their presence. Every time my hearts stops for a moment and I get a rush of joy. And so it begins.
For the next 2 hours, I swim and surf with a pod of dolphins, numbering around 20. After taking a wave, and in my usual fashion either wiping out entirely or standing up for around a millisecond, I look behind me to see the next wave breaking. In the water, 5 dolphins take the wave perfectly, then dive to the side right before the wave crashes. I’ve become quite vocal since my surfing stint has begun. Screaming, yelling, hooting, hollering..all of these things you will catch me doing. I seriously can’t help myself..it just happens. Every time I see the dolphins take a wave like that, before I know it, I’m yelling “YEAH!!! Or WHOOOO!!!” with a fucking crazy ass grin on my face. The screaming happens when I’ve taken a wave that's too steep and I have a few seconds to look down at my future trip into the washing machine. The washing machine was scary at first, but now, as long as I can keep my head from making contact with the board, its really fun. I’ve been stretched, wrung out and purged when I emerge up from the churning water. This, I’ve decided, is good for the soul.
Manic laughter is also a bi product of being in the water. Its just hits me how insane it is, what humans do, trying over and over to ride this profoundly powerful force. Some evenings we’ve gone over to Nick and Tomo’s and watched surfing videos. (i'm so deep in the lifestyle) That’s where the real wackos are showcased. Paddling out to waves as tall as office buildings. Or tow surfing to (in my opinion) the ocean’s equivalent to a skyscraper. All I can think while I’m watching these surfers catch titan waves is the exclamation of eloquence, “Holy shit, holy shit….” And I shake my head.
The waves start building and are too high for me. I ditch my board and swim out to the smaller inlet nearer to the rocks. For another half hour, I just watch with the stupid grin still on my face. We’ve all seen dolphins do tricks in the water, flipping up and back ward, splashing back into the water. The hectors do this same thing but IN THE WAVES. They’re totally doing tricks in the surf. Man oh man, I’m going to miss this place…..more than I want to admit to myself at this moment. I head back to the campervan and after a grueling fight with my wetsuit and booties, I get all my gear packed up for my departure. It’s time to head up the west coast. It’s time for Fiordland.

1 comment:

  1. well, if i wasn't wanting to go there enough already...erin just asked me if reading your blog made we want to go there. i just laughed and couldn't really answer. duh. miss you and cannot wait to surf with you here. or there someday...

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