The tour guide we had met at the Cascade Brewery in Hobart was a kayaking nut, and he told us that kayaking in Coles Bay was great. So, here we were, in the right place with nice weather. After returning from the Wineglass hike, we found the local kayak guiding and rental outfit, convinced them we could handle a double, and set up a trip for the next morning.
We were geared up with spray skirts and PFD's, which felt like too much for the conditions, but we did keep the spray skirts on. We packed lunch, water, camera, SPOT, got going about 10 AM.
The rental folks had boundaries on how far you could take their kayak, so we set out to push the limits. Around this point on the northwest corner of Coles Bay, we could see the Nine Mile Beach stretching over to the mainland. It was nice paddling along the granite rocks, but I could not help but think: "These people should see Thumb Cove".
We pulled up on Picnic Island for a break and lunch. We watched the birds and I did a SPOT check-in:
Took each other's picture...
It is a sweet spot, and we stayed there a little too long. The wind came up and when we pulled off we had to head straight into it, which luckily was directly to the nearest shore. We continued south along the shore, curving around the town, and of course we went behind every rock and through every narrow spot.
This shot was taken from up on the mountain later that day, but it shows the shoreline rocks we played along.
Sometimes the pressure is just too much...
Can you spot the whale face in the pink granite boulders?
We didn't quite reach the southern boundary of our play zone (it was a shoreside quarry where they cut the pink granite for the country's parliment building, among other projects), but by the time we got the boat back to the landing we were ready to stand up and move. I had white tape on both thumbs, but only blistered on one. Kayaking and rowing create different hot spots!
In the center of this shot is Mt. Amos, one of the Hazard Peaks which overlooks Wineglass Bay. I threw a fanny pack together and had Sue take me to the trailhead for an afternoon speed scramble up that trail.
This sounds about right.
Except it was about an hour up, and 45 minutes down, so they allowed too much time for taking photos.
It was a great mountain hike, and I had it to myself.
Much of the route goes over slopes of granite slabs, with small white painted arrows keeping you on track.
This character had a weak chin, but a superior brain box.
I couldn't resist jumping into a self-timer shot.
The view from the top reveals Wineglass Bay in its true glory.
A closer look at the beach near the geocache.
This shows the low neck of land with beaches on the east and west side.
The pause that refreshes...
I did another SPOT check-in from here; look at the map link if you'd like.
If you do, click "terrain" and zoom in:
Looking back down on the town of Coles Bay.
The lovely Mt. Dove, just east of Amos. That granite is truly gorgeous.
All in all, is was another great day in the Park.
Dear Harold and sue,
ReplyDeleteI am the owner of Picnic Island and found your blog when doing a search.
Glad that you enjoyed your time on the island whihc is home to 1000 penguin burrows!
cheers,
clem