Russell to Paihia: self-propelled

Russell in New Zealand’s spectacular Bay of Islands was once known as the ‘hell hole of the Pacific’, a raucous city, riddled with alcohol and prostitution, a lawless place. It is hard to imagine this mellow backwater in terms of its past, tourists now come to admire its handsome wood-framed buildings, to gorge on mock-Devonshire cream teas in its multitude of organic cafes. I was drawn to it for another purpose, combining tourism with a sporting challenge. Why simply visit a place when you can launch yourself into the emerald-green waters off its coastline and swim 3.2 km across to the equally pretty town on other side? The ferry would, of course, have been much easier!

Arriving in Paihia—home of the historic Waitangi Treaty grounds—before the Russell to Paihia ocean swim, my heart beat a frenetic tattoo at the task before me. I had visited the bay before, but in the interim Russell appeared to have retreated further into the distance. I was suddenly attacked by irrational anxieties, illustrated by images of ravenous sharks snapping at my tender toes.

The ferry ride to Russell was interminable—the route back marked by bright orange inflatable buoys and an army of Kiwi lifeguards paddling on their surfboards, chiselled and heroic, poised to rescue ailing swimmers.

They set us off in waves. Being pretty mediocre, I was in the middle of the field. Ocean swimming actually petrifies me and so the sight of 900 other swimmers—extra shark bait—cheered me, but only marginally. On the bright side, the sea was delightfully warm.

The race was gruelling, the pack of swimmers at the start created a maelstrom of thrashing limbs; I was lucky not to get battered. A few unfortunate mouthfuls of seawater left the acid tang of diesel in my throat. I breast-stroked rather than crawled the first few hundred meters, fighting to breathe. Eventually the field spread out, leaving everyone to battle their own personal ocean swimming demons. The incoming tide brought bigger, more brutal waves, pushing many off course. I located an unexpected inner strength, and aimed for the vibrant red flowers of the pohutukawa trees that embellish Paihia’s shoreline in the southern hemisphere summer.

Later, whilst booking a tall ship ride at the tourist information office, a local man remarked that I was crazy to have taken part, ‘It’s a shark breeding ground’, he sputtered.

Next time I would probably just stick to the more traditional Paihia sights, and feast on a cream tea or two!