In 2011 adventurers Alaina and Justin Keniger are paddling sea kayaks from Cairns, through Torres Strait, around PNG to Jayapura in West Papua, then through the world’s most biodiverse marine region, Raja Ampat, on to the Maluku Islands, Sulawesi, Flores, Sumbawa, Lombok and finally Bali – a bold voyage of over 8000km.
Take Two: With all adventures, plans need to be flexible, and we have been forced to change the plans for this adventure along the way. After we paddled from Cairns to Thursday Island it was decided that Archipaddlo would be safer, and would have a higher chance of success, in the opposite direction. Archipaddlo is now continuing in the reverse direction - from Bali to Cairns.
Take Two: With all adventures, plans need to be flexible, and we have been forced to change the plans for this adventure along the way. After we paddled from Cairns to Thursday Island it was decided that Archipaddlo would be safer, and would have a higher chance of success, in the opposite direction. Archipaddlo is now continuing in the reverse direction - from Bali to Cairns.
Crocodiles, sharks, tides, currents, malarial mozzies, exposed crossings, including two dangerous crossings of over 100km, are just a selection of the challenges we’ll face. We expect isolation, salt sores, dehydration, exhaustion and handfuls of blisters, but this adventure aims to extend the boundaries of where two Aussies can explore in a kayak, and from our own backyard.
This will be a test of the adventurous Australian spirit, a test of determination and endurance, and a test of the strength of both two individuals, and the bonds of marriage between them.
Why are we doing it??
Because it is there! Danger,
challenge, adventure, risk, camaraderie, determination, uncertainty and
achievement – the same driving forces that have fuelled so many bold
expeditions in the past.
Alaina and Justin are
adventurous types. We have both travelled, trekked, climbed, explored, and
lived in countries across the globe yet no matter where we travel or what
adventures we have, we find it almost impossible to totally escape the tourist
‘sausage factory’. This expedition is
our opportunity to truly explore parts of the world where there are no
guidebooks, and to experience cultures that are virtually devoid of the
influence of tourism. The only way to visit unique places like this is by
finding a route and using a form of transport that nobody else has attempted
before.
We hope to show that with a bit
of Australian spirit we can travel overseas (literally) in unmodified kayaks,
and push the limits of kayak adventures in Australia.
