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Exploring A New City On A Kayak

Exploring A New City On A Kayak

When visiting a city for the first time, we usually set off on foot and walk around as much as possible to explore our new surroundings. But occasionally it’s great to get a fresh perspective and do something completely different.

In Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania, we did just that by getting onto the Derwent River and going on our first ever kayaking adventure.

After meeting our tour guide Isaac at Short Beach in Sandy Bay (the former home of Errol Flynn), we were fitted for our life jackets and spray skirts and then given a quick safety lesson before eventually being let loose on the water.

Ready to go kayaking!

We felt like Olympians ready to paddle for the gold medal, but we soon learned that kayaking is a lot tougher than it looks! The person in the back of the boat is also responsible for steering using two pedals inside the kayak and multi-tasking when learning something new just isn’t easy.

Then there’s the technique of using the paddle properly to avoid getting saturated. Fortunately our skirts kept us relatively dry with the exception of a few stray drops here and there.

Despite the challenges we faced initially, it wasn’t long before we were paddling at a decent speed past some fisherman and rounded the bend into Sullivans Cove.

Kayaking with Hobart Skyline in the background

The two of us then paddled into Constitution Dock (the finishing point of the famous annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race) and were treated to a tasty snack of fish and chips without even having to leave the kayak.

Eating our fish and chips at Constitution Dock

Our tour didn’t end there though – we still had to paddle all the way back to Sandy Bay! We went under a couple of bridges, past several extremely expensive yachts and even a tall ship and a seaplane.

The most surreal experience on our tour was paddling past this massive Russian research ship that made us feel miniscule.

Isaac paddling past a Russian research ship in Hobart Docks

Throughout the tour Isaac pointed out plenty of interesting facts about Hobart and the Derwent River and was full of local knowledge. We asked plenty of questions along the way and he seemed to know the answer to every one of them!

Our tour with Hobart Paddle was tremendous fun and a superb way to see this waterfront city. If you’re looking for a new way to explore a city, see if you can go on a kayaking tour – you might just enjoy it as much as we did!

Would you ever take a kayaking tour as a way to explore a new city/destination?

Disclaimer: We received a free Urban Adventures day tour by winning a competition on yTravel BlogAs always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.

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