Stand-Up Paddle Boarding in Napier – Day 260, Part 1

So today guys we are still in Napier waking up at Archie’s Backpackers and today we’re going to be doing some SUPping and some sipping.

Today we’re having a pretty big day in Napier. We’re going to be going to paddle board with Paddle Boarding Hawke’s Bay and this afternoon we’re going to be drinking some awesome wine at Church Road Winery.

Because we’re doing an introductory lesson to stand up paddle boarding we’re first learning the basics on land so we’re not wobbling about all over the water and learning how to stand up, how to be stable on the water, and what to do if we fall off the paddle board.

After this quick refresher lesson, after all we’ve done paddle boarding before during this trip so we are professionals now, right? We are finally hitting the water. At first we are actually staying on our knees just because it’s a little bit more stable but after a short while we’re going to be standing up or at least I hope we’re gonna be standing up.

Paddle Boarding Hawke’s Bay offers paddle boarding lessons and tours in many different places around the Hawke’s Bay area. And they usually pick their spot according to the weather and because, well you can see the sky, the weather is not really super sunny today and there is a big risk of swell we are actually doing it in the Napier Harbour which is where calmest waters of the area are.

Our guides Early and Elisha are giving us loads of really helpful tips for us to enjoy our stand-up paddle boarding experience because SUP is actually one of the world’s fastest growing watersports. In fact, it’s totally taking New Zealand by storm and can be found all over New Zealand to enjoy New Zealand’s waterways and coastline. it’s a really awesome way to explore the area.

We’re super stoked when we manage to stand-up on our paddle boards for the first time without falling off but quickly earl is telling us to get straight back onto our knees just as a precaution for when boats are passing by and it’s a really good way to practice keeping your balance while standing up and getting back down on your board again.

Once we stand up back on our paddle boards again and start cruising around the Napier Harbour we can really understand why people do SUP for health benefits. We can really feel that this is a full body workout because we’re trying to stablise our centre of gravity the whole time. It’s also a really coll low-impact exercise cos you’re really unlikely to injure yourself while paddle boarding, it’s also a cardio workout, improves balance improves exercise really there’s nothing wrong with this sport. It’s really cruisy and really awesome.

When you do as many tours as we do you get to notice all those little things and one thing that I really like with Paddle Boarding Hawke’s Bay is the awesome equipment that we get. We get awesome life jackets, they are absolutely non-intrusive. they are these little belts that you see on our waist. If it touches the water it just inflates and starts floating that is so cool. I also really love the boards because they are really wide really big really thick and they are inflatable boards making them super comfortable for us to stand on and even to kneel on.

Paddle boarding around the Hawke’s Bay harbour is one of the best way to experience it all we get to go close to all those boats and it’s really cool we even see a replica of a massive Maori waka. Sadly we could not film it because that’s the point where we ran out of battery cos you know that always happens.

As we are getting more comfortable on the paddle board, Laura and I just can’t help but start to race each other. We are big kids after all so we have a bit of a competition we have to stand up on the board and to make it as fast as possible back to the bridge that we passed under before.

It’s a bit of a tight race but around the end I’m taking the lead and I’m taking quite the risk before passing under the bridge because I had not planned to actually get the time to kneel down so I have to squat. that’s real sport right here.

Yeah right, one squat is you’re sport for the year, Robin.

Anyway we are looping back to where we started our paddle boarding tour and this has actually been a really awesome way to spend a morning in Napier it’s actually really affordable as well it’s only around 40 dollars for a lesson and it’s a great option if you are brand new to paddle boarding or just wanting to refresh your skills.

It’s also a good way to work up an appetite or at least an appetite for drinking because Robin and I are now going to be moving onto a winery tour this afternoon which you can see in our next episode.

After a long morning of paddle boarding join us this afternoon during day 260 part 2 where we’re gonna be visiting one of the most famous winery in Napier.

Robin. Sit up straight do a dance.