Kayaking in Sydney Harbour

Sydney Harbour is one of the most beautiful harbours in the world, and what better way spend a Sunday afternoon padding around on a sea kayak.

There are kayaks for hire at Rose Bay, costing from around $30 an hour. If you bargain a bit, and bring a large enough group, the operators might be kind enough to rent the kayaks for much cheaper. We ended up with about 20 people, at around $20 per person, for 2 hours. There are single and double kayaks for hire, so make sure you drag along someone to paddle for you if you're not too comfortable. They also provide you with a life jacket, and if you're lucky enough, some $300 worth of carbon fibre paddles.

The water within the bay is reasonably calm, depending on the weather conditions of course. As you paddle into the harbour, the water becomes much more choppy. It is often very fun riding the waves generated by a myriad of sail and power boats flying past you.

If you ever fall off and capsize, it is a royal pain to get back onboard, so unless you have about 3 other kayaks to help you get back inside, I strongly suggest you don't go for a swim.

There are some nice quiet beaches on the eastern side of the bay, and a 40-60 minute paddle will get you to Shark Island in the middle of the harbour. Get off here for possibly one of the best places to take in the views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House!

Houseboat Withdrawal

What a weekend! After planning for more than a month, we finally pulled it off! Over the weekend, we held a surprise birthday party. What made it extra special was that it involved 11 people and a house boat. We hired out a house boat from Able and cruised the Hawkesbury River for 2 days and a night. To keep this a secret was no easy feat!

So we boarded the boat at Wisemans Ferry, and then hid on the boat, and waited for the birthday boy to arrive. I think the delight shown on his face was priceless! Over the weekend, we did some swimming, paddled a small dingy, tried to fish, sung some Singstar, drank wine and beer, cooked several barbies, and played some board games, such as Ticket to Ride and Balderdash. We also managed to catch a water ski race, got a tow from another boat (while trying in vain to paddle against the current in the dingy), and even managed to dance some Salsa.

A day later, I'm still suffering from the after-effects of the boat ride. Even as I type, I feel the screen is waving as if I'm still on the boat. Time to get some more missed sleep!