New Zealand South Island - first solo circumnavigation
The trip that started it all. Caffyn first paddled Fiordland with Max Reynolds, then went on solo to complete the first circumnavigation of the South Island. Book: Obscured by Waves.
Paul Caffyn's first major sea kayak expedition was around Fiordland (South Island, NZ) with co-paddler Max Reynolds. Launching from Te Waewae Bay on 21 December 1977 they reached Jackson Bay 27 days later. Paul carried on solo to complete a first kayak circumnavigation of the South Island. The journey, 1,550 miles in 75 days, was documented in his first book Obscured by Waves – South Island Canoe Odyssey, published 1979. Caffyn's Nordkapp kayak (built under licence by Grahame Sisson) became the platform for everything that followed. The kayak Isadora is on permanent display at the Auckland National Maritime Museum.
Further reading
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