Alluring lagoon

ROYAL SPOONBILLS: Among the birdlife of the Wairau Lagoon.

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Relaxation for the soul and more-ish food provide ALEX VAN WEL with a memorable evening's water excursion in Marlborough.

Take a warm evening, the close proximity of native birds, good company, a selection of edible tastings and then add the silky liquid of the Wairau Lagoon.

You end up with a unique meditative experience and the extraordinary visual pleasure of watching the fading day's last light play out its magic on the water.

Developed over the best part of 10 years, Driftwood Eco-tours just outside Blenheim has come up with an excursion that informs the mind, relaxes the soul, and constantly entertains the senses.

It provides birdsong, sunset into moonlight, the gentle slapping of paddles, the smell of summer and the taste of sea.

It is not about the hurry; it is not about the thrillseeking of it; it is about absorbing it, taking time out, talking to each other, having the coffee break, serving the muffins, the food and relaxing, says guide and Driftwood founder Will Parsons.

It is the relaxation which makes us forget about the hustle and bustle of the modern-day world, and puts us in a space that is unique and special.

Over four to five hours guests are taken on a gentle kayak trip down the Opawa River and into what is a largely unknown water sanctuary, an area literally bristling with birdlife.

The individual species are identified along the way by Parsons, a passionate nature-lover with an inexhaustible knowledge of the winged variety.

A farmer in a previous life, Parsons is an inquisitive although soothing enthusiast of the outdoors, with a baking flair that would make Nigella Lawson squeal.

His muffins, fruitcake, and chocolate naughties leave an indelible impression, and are delivered with perfect timing.

Coffee and cake is served without fuss on a beach as the last warm bits of sunlight stab through the sky.

Dinner is unwrapped later on an island of soft grass overlooking the Wairau Bar: salmon baps, vegetable pie, more hot drinks.

The talk is about the unprecedented archaeological finds of New Zealand's earliest inhabitants at the ancient settlement on the bar.

But the calm paddle home is probably the best part - the wind gone, the water tepid, the moon casting a commanding presence over the Earth, stories of years gone by float through the air, dissolving the fine line between past and present.

It is about harmony, relaxation, and becoming fully attuned to a new environment: a handful of little boats bobbing in the majesty of the universe. Looking over my left shoulder to where the sun is setting, and then looking up to see the crescent of the Moon, it becomes a pretty unique environment

Says Parsons dreamily: "I think the magic is experiencing the difference between daylight and nightlight and the dusk inbetween."

There's nothing like a fresh perspective to shake up your preconceptions about the world. See Driftwood Eco-tours online at www.driftwoodecotours.co.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News