On a recent trip to the South Island, we were able to take Landroamer’s Oru Kayaks out for a spin! New Zealand is a mecca for adventure and with so many lakes, bays and rivers, it is the perfect opportunity to explore with the kayaks. 

Weighing at about 13kg and folded to the size of a portfolio, these kayaks are ideal to take anywhere. For travellers taking this on a flight, this can be checked in as a standard bag (under Sports Equipment) so there is no extra cost of transport, as if you would with normal luggage. I am a 5’ girl and can easily carry the kayak around.

With bad weather predicted for our South Island trip, we decided ‘why not test the limits?’ We headed for Milford Sound with that thought. Fiordland is one of the wettest places in New Zealand with a rainfall of more than 200 days in a year. Milford Sound however is a fiord with calm and relatively shallow waters (when it doesn’t rain) making it the perfect place for us to try the kayak whilst enjoying the 8th Wonder of the World.

Putting the kayak together is quite a straightforward task. Every part plays sort of a double role in assembling or folding - a strap doubles as a closure or a joinery for the kayak, the floorboard is also a jacket that holds the kayak together folded. 

For your first time, I suggest downloading their instructional video (www.orukayak.com/pages/assembly) and ensuring you have it saved on your devices on hand. Before our trip to Milford Sound, I had cleared my phone with all photos and videos (so silly) and had deleted the instructional video along with it. Fortunately, it was my second time and I had practiced the assembly and folding ahead of our trip. Everything was intuitive and easy with only these main points I had to remind myself.

• The curved edged flap goes over the flat one when assembling

• Remember the arrows when folding (black arrow to black target, orange arrow to orange target)
  

It took us less than 10 minutes to assemble and get into the water. We took the Oru Beach LT Kayak, a sit-down kayak, which is perfect for lakes, bays and calm waters. It suits paddlers of all experiences, shapes and sizes. Despite being so lightweight and easy to pack, this kayak is actually quite durable. It can handle being dragged on rocky shores and a few waves here and there. The stability is what you’d expect for a foldable kayak so it’s best to stay as balance and “grounded” as you can (in saying that, I was still able to reach around for my lantern with no danger of the kayak tipping over).

The sun was dropping down, the rain had stopped and we had a serene blue hour setting with the beauty of Milford Sound literally right in front of our eyes. What an adventure.

If you wish to try one of these awesome kayaks, check out www.landroamer.co - they have rental and purchase options available! — x M