Closer to wildlife

Oamaru Adventures director Nigel Ryburn has traded in  years of kayaking teaching to guide tours...
Oamaru Adventures director Nigel Ryburn has traded in years of kayaking teaching to guide tours of the Oamaru Harbour. Photo by Hamish MacLean.

People come to Oamaru for the heritage and the wildlife, Oamaru Adventures director Nigel Ryburn says.

And the new canoe and kayak tour company he and his wife Jacinda run from their Oamaru Harbour base offers both.

There was heritage in the harbour and wildlife abounded beyond Oamaru's historic breakwater.

''There's plenty of wildlife,'' Mr Ryburn said.

''It's the type of thing when you're on the water you see it and when you're not you don't see it.''

The former Department of Conservation Otago education officer said he saw blue penguins when he was out on the harbour, as well as Stewart Island shags, the northernmost colony of which were obvious on Sumpter Wharf.

''Their [shag] chicks have just hatched, so they have wee fluffy little chicks; they're quite impressive to see.

''Yesterday, we had a sea lion come into the harbour and swim around.''

When conditions suited, the tours headed out along the rugged coastline of Cape Wanbrow and sightings of fur seals and Hector's dolphins were possible, even orcas and whales.

But there was enough to see in the safe waters created in the calm behind the breakwater.

Much of the local history he now was passionate about had been gleaned from enthusiasts.

The location of Mr Ryburn's business on Waterfront Rd had helped.

His Red Shed neighbour, Bill Blair, was a respected source of local history as was regular visitor and Oamaru historian Bruce Comfort.

While creating the space in the Red Sheds that now serves as a storefront, Mr Ryburn learnt a lot from locals.

''Ever since we started being down here and doing the shed, I've just had retired men and all sorts of people cruise in just chatting - they know so much, there's a wealth of knowledge.''

But adventure tourism has taken an educational turn at Oamaru Harbour.

Mr Ryburn backs up 20-plus years of kayak teaching with a bachelor of adventure education and outdoor education degree and a postgraduate teaching diploma.

He does offer ''dry tours'' in canoes, and many of the wetsuits hanging at his Red Sheds base for kayaking tours are child-sized.

Much of Mr Ryburn's past work had been teaching children.: ''Teaching them how to be safe around wharves and structures and boats - it's really important that kids have that experience, especially at the start of summer too.''

Safety was a priority and Mr Ryburn (36) takes his 4-year-old daughter and 18-month-old son out.

''They both go canoeing; we have small life-jackets for them,'' he said.

''We can take wee kids.

''The reason why we got the canoes was because you can put wee kids in them - they're wider, safer, stay dry.''

The canoes had outrigger attachments ''which make them virtually impossible to tip over''.

After moving to Oamaru from Kakanui last month, he was spending more time at the waterfront.

''From all accounts ... and from what I can see, the harbour is becoming used a lot more.''

 

 


Free paddle

 

Who: Oamaru Adventures

What: Free kayak tours for children

When: On the hour from 10am to 2pm during the Victorian Fete tomorrow

Where: The Red Sheds, Waterfront Rd, Oamaru


 

 

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