Do you want a sea kayak adventure in the Hauraki Gulf? Then a Sea Kayak adventure to The Noises may be a destination for you.
The Noises are a chain of islands, rock stacks and reefs, lying within the inner Hauraki Gulf Marine Park North-east of Rakino island and north of Waiheke island. Distinguished by its rocky coastlines, the two larger islands in the group are dominated by pohutukawa forest and native bird species.
The original European name comes from French Naval officer Dumont D Urville in 1827 who named then Noisette which is a Hazelnut in French due to their appearance.
For the many times I have paddled to, and explored around The Noises in my sea kayak, I have set up a base camp at Motutapu Island and done day trips out to the islands. Paddling distance is approx. 10 km from Home Bay, Motutapu and 25 km return if you explore all the islands and do some rock gardening. You can also stop in places like Sandy Bay on Rakino for a stretch on the way to or home from the islands.You need to have low winds as the islands are very exposed and only landing places are on Otata Island.
Note: The Noises are privately owned so exploring on land is not an option with out approval from the land owners Neureuter family, Sue Neureuter on sue.noises@gmail.com. Many of the islands have pest free status and maintaining this is essential. Many of the resident native species on The Noises are ground dwelling and ground nesting. This includes burrowing seabirds such as the oi/grey-faced petrel, takahikare/white-faced storm petrels and korora/little blue penguin, and terrestrial species such as the common gecko, flax snail and wētāpunga. Please check you sea kayak before you leave the mainland for any pests, seeds or ants.
About the author: Nic Mead owns and operates Auckland Sea Kayaks and has been exploring the Haurkai Gulf Marine Park for more than 35 years. Please contact him directly if you require any further information in regards to a sea kayak trip around The Noises. Nic@aucklandseakayaks.co.nz
