Its only just over two weeks to go and a few people have been asking me what should I bring. So I will attempt to give you a bit of an idea of what to expect…

First a quick disclaimer, theres a famous saying in Auckland that goes “If you don’t like the weather just wait 30 minutes!” Auckland is a narrow isthmus with the west coast and the Tasman sea not far away so the weather can be quite changeable.

At the moment we are having daytime temperatures in the mid twenties and nighttime in the mid teens. So what does that mean clothes wise…

Well for me it means tee shirts and shorts with maybe a light sweatshirt or polar fleece in the evenings, However for Megan it means an extra layer on top or a windbreak as she feels the cold more than I.

Heres an idea of what I will be packing for the Raid,

• Shorts (I live in shorts all year round)
• Underwear (leave that up to you!)
• 1 pair of long pants (in case the Queen turns up)
• Tee shirts
• Long sleeve shirts for sun protection (the sun really burns here)
• Polar fleece for evenings
• Polypro or merino layer just in case. (can’t beat layers)
• Wet weather Jacket, (doubles as windbreak)
• Swimwear and pack towel
• Life Jacket
• Drink bottle (at least 1 litre)
• Sunscreen 30+ and suitable Hat (be warned the sun is fierce)
• Sunglasses
• small dry bag for day use
• Tent sml two person dome type
• sleeping bag
• Black plastic rubbish sacks for keeping everything dry
• Coffee!

Really Really Important: We will have to transfer your gear to and from a couple of islands along the way and if its raining then your pack or bag is going to get wet. We will do everything we can to avoid this but we are camping and weather happens. Please pack your clothes and other dry stuff in plastic bags the black rubbish sacks work well and can be a real lifesaver. A small dry bag for the day is a great idea, you can take it with you on whatever boat your on and keep inside your valuables and a windbreak or polar fleece and sunblock, camera etc.

Now if you feel the cold then you will want to add more layers i.e. merino or polypro and probably some more long pants. Often we get a cool breeze so a wind breaker can make all the difference.

Hope this helps, and remember we don’t have a big truck to pack everyones stuff into so please pack small and light it will make life so much easier for everyone.

regards

Steve