Today's plan was confirmed last night at Trader Jacks. I got talking to a Cook Islander, and told him of my plan to kayak out to the Avaavaroa Passage and snorkel with the turtles. "You'll drown, mate", was his response. When I explained I intended to go at low tide, so there would be no current through the passage, followed by a gentle inflow, he looked agog at me as if he had never met anyone who thought things through before. He thought I would be fine. He wasn't completely correct.

I planned to take an hour to kayak the 2km to the passage from my beach. In fact it took 30 minutes. When I arrived, a local was fly fishing on the reef from his kayak. I hadn't realised that was a thing.

The swell was 2.1 metres (checked afterwards on a surfing site), so I was quite daunted, and decided not to paddle through to the outside. Donning mask, snorkel and fins, I dropped over the side, and immediately realised that was a mistake. I was drifting out quite quickly, into some really big surf. Time to abort.

I climbed back in, and paddled frantically for the inside. After 15 minutes of such, I realised to no avail. Weirdly there was still quite an outbound current. The fisherman told me later that is because of the big surf crashing over the reef, and draining out through the passage. Turns out it wasn't a great day to be in the passage. But that was later. For now, how to get back in?

I was starting to tire, and had already capsized twice in the surf. I was starting to think I might not get back in. What to do? I decided to do the only sane thing remaining. Pray. So I did. I prayed and prayed and prayed, earnestly, for God to rescue me. What then happened was the weirdest. An enormous breaking wave picked me up, and carried me all the way in, safely to the inside. And weirder too, I didn't capsize this time. Saved. Make of it what you will.

On the inside, it transpired that it was safe for snorkelling. Turtle time! Oh, and I won't be kayaking there again on a big surf day, in case you were wondering.

Kayak, Turtles and Rays

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In the evening I nipped out to the Muri Night Market for tea. What a bustling place that turned out to be. Stood in a queue of fifteen people for a plate of mixed seafood for $15. Sat and ate on a long table under a giant gazebo with a holidaying couple, New Zealanders now, but he from the Netherlands and she from Scotland originally.