It all started the day we went to a baptism in Waipara. After the baptism and a shared picnic, someone brought a trailer load full of kayaks. The boys played in them all afternoon. That triggered a renewed interest in boating.
As soon as James had a rainy day for an excuse not to work on building his sleepout, he started building a barrel boat. It happened to be the day Simon came home before breakfast for his days off, and without even coming in the house to say hello to me he was busy cutting barrels open! Several days of work later, with the help of a friend who came over several times, they had the project finished!
Of course, the boat had to be tried out! They only had time that evening to float a short distance on the river, and it rained so much overnight that the river wasn’t safe the next day. However, Nelson Creek was in flood, so they decided to try the boat out on that! Nelson Creek is too shallow normally to get the boat down, but in flood there is enough water. So, they went from church back to our house to load up the boat, our boys’ two kayaks and James’s boss’s kayak, and came back to get another friend’s kayak, and headed to Nelson Creek to jump off.
Several days later, they took the barrel boat and several canoes down the Grey River from the Ahaura Bridge to Ngahere. Esther walked down to the river with them to bring our ute home; they had left a vehicle and trailer at the point where they planned to pull out. They packed a lunch to eat along the way, and had a great time–although two people who normally wear long pants got very sunburned legs!
Today, some of the boys stopped at a yard sale and bought two more kayaks! This will be the summer of boating, I have a feeling.
What a fantastic family adventure! Your barrel boat building project sounds like a blast, and the river trips down Nelson Creek and the Grey River must have been unforgettable. I love how this renewed interest in boating has everyone excited for a summer of aquatic fun. Here’s to many more paddles and splashes – may your summer be as buoyant as a well-crafted steamship!
I wondered why you said ‘this will be the summer of boating,’ until I looked it up and realized that when it’s winter here, it’s not winter where you live!