Kiwi paddles kayak down the Amazon

Press, 9 October 1987, Page 41

Kiwi paddles kayak down the Amazon

PA Auckland Mr Ellis Udy, of Pahiatua, likes snakes. Along with guinea pigs and mangoes, snakes made up part of his diet during a recent three-month journey by kayak down the length of the mighty Amazon River in South America. Mr Udy, who described himself as a professional rabbit shooter, said that he had no problems with another much-feared denizen of the Amazon, the piranha fish. “We ate them as well,” he said. The 29-year-old adventurer is believed to be the first New Zealander to paddle a kayak down the river. He plans to make a film about the trip. Mr Udy was accompanied on his epic journey by an English friend, Mr Tony Painter, whom he met while on a safari in

Africa in 1985. Mr Udy’s kayak, ironically called a "weekender,” was 4.5 m long and cost him £4OO (about $1100). Before the purchase, he had never been in a kayak. When Mr Udy registered his expedition with the Royal Geographic Society in London, he was asked if he had a good life insurance policy. “They were very helpful, with information on tropical diseases and snake bites to expedition insurance and maps.” It was not until he spread out all his maps of the river that he realised just how big the Amazon was. Apart from a minor misunderstanding between Mr Painter and some Indians wielding shotguns, the 5000 km paddle was trouble-free in spite of the fact that the

pair were travelling without a back-up. "The only real problem we had was at the start of the trip, in Peru, when a pallet was dropped on my kayak at the airport,” Mr Udy said. However, the damage was soon repaired. A bureaucratic bungle by the Peruvian Customs Department held up the expedition . for three weeks.

“If we had spoken Spanish and handed over $5OO, we probably would have gone straight through.” Barter played a big role in trade with the local people. Mr Udy found that nylon line and fish hooks were useful when trading for food, and seeds were valued even more. "If I ever go back, I will take packets of them with me.”