Paddleboarding Hawke's Bay offers new view of Ahuriri Harbour

Paddleboarding through the inner harbour of Ahuriri was a true balancing act. Photo / Supplied

You may have driven past Ahuriri's inner harbour hundreds, if not thousands, of times but I bet you've never seen it like I have.

Having taken up a paddleboarding challenge on a warm December morning, I found myself entranced in a new way of moving through the water and taking in the surrounding scenes.

At Meeanee Quay I was warmly greeted by local couple Earl and Elisha Wykes who established Paddleboarding Hawke's Bay after moving from Palmerston North more than a decade ago.

They told me they had never looked back and, considering their office, it's not hard to see why.

Ahuriri is picturesque by any standard, but gliding across the waters of its inner harbour on a paddleboard? It's a point of view that takes the cake.

I began an hour-long beginners lesson ashore, joined by three other students, where the basics of balance came to the fore.

Standing atop our paddleboards we practised moving from sitting to standing, a transition far easier done on land than water, before putting our newfound skills to the test.

One of the first things that stood out about the lesson was just how intent, assuredly so, the instructors were on ensuring you didn't end up in the water.

Whilst paddleboarding is a standing sport, we quickly learned our "safe" position is crouched down atop the board and the importance of this became evident as the lesson went on.

Tucked in one of the harbour's nooks, we were given the chance to test out our balance before we ventured further among the docked boats.

The movements involved in paddleboarding sound simple on paper, but the dynamics of water have an instantaneous humbling effect.

You soon learn that the steady motion of pulling a paddle through the water is an art form.

There's a right height to hold it, depth to plunge it and length to pull it.

For such a seemingly simple movement it brings great challenges, and great rewards.

After succeeding in the baby steps, or strokes, I paddled further across various boat passages and it was then that I found myself seeing the vessels, fishermen and surrounding infrastructure from a different perspective.

Aided by encouraging words from Earl and Elisha, we paddled around the harbour at our leisure and took our time to learn and enjoy.

You may or may not be glad to hear I didn't fall in the water and instead found myself taking a hold of my paddleboarding adventure with great vigour.

Falling in, or getting out of your depth, was an integral part of the beginners lesson I took part in.

In the middle of our session we gathered our boards close together and it was here we learnt of the tragic death of a young woman in Whangamata, the only paddleboarding death in New Zealand, in 2015.

For Earl and Elisha, safety is their priority and it was not only comforting but impressive that they went to such lengths to instil a keen sense of safety and respect for the open water in those they were teaching.

If you're interested in signing yourself up for such an adventure go to paddleboardinghb.co.nz.