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Published: November 7th 2009
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Oct 26-29 - Labour Weekend continues... (Monday-Thursday)
After saying goodbye to the Woods and Sydney, who had to return to Timaru and to school, we headed to Nelson. Wow, were we lucky with the weather. It was sunny all morning, became overcast late morning, and basically rained the rest of the day and night. We drove through Nelson, which looks like a lovely sailing community, and to the World of Wearable Arts (WOW) and Collectible Car Museum. How cool is that to have something for the men and the women😊 They were both great museums and wonderful displays of talent. I am very glad we made the effort to get there! Arrived in Kaiteriteri around 6pm. We went for a quick walk on the beach before the rain started again. We also checked up on our emails, used the kitchen at the hotel to heat up last night's leftovers, and got our packs organized for the tramp. We were a bit worried all night about the weather. We would tramp, rain or shine, but shine would certainly be better. And if the weather is too bad, the water taxis don't go.
However, luck was on our side and at
8am it stopped raining. We took the Sea Shuttle all the way up to Totaranui with a guided tour along the way. We were slightly pressed for time as we had a water crossing to make half way through the tramp. You can cross 2 hours on either side of low tide. We were going to be hitting the water crossing at about 1 1/2 hours after low tide... The tramp was great, the water crossing fun (see photos), and the walk along the beach gorgeous. The weather just kept getting better and better. We stopped for lunch at the Awaroa Lodge and Cafe. I had wanted to stay here, but at $375 for the night, I just couldn't justify it. So, lunch with a bottle of wine was terrific - tramping in style. I suppose this is what the guided walkers on the Milford must feel like! We had to catch our water taxi at 2:15 to head to Anchorage Bay where we were to be staying for the night. By this time the sun was out and it was a perfect beach day. At Anchorage Bay, the boys got into the water, I took a nap on the
beach, they played soccer, made sand castles and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. At around 5 we summonsed the Aquapackers dighy to pick us up and take us to the boat. It was a very cool overnight. We had a bunk room with a double for me and Gregg, and 2 bunks over us for the boys. I must say, I did spend a good deal of the night worrying that Avery might fall out of bed and on top of us! We hung out with a Dutch couple for cocktails and the BBQ. This was a really enjoyable BBQ - salads, meat, vegie pie. It was a gorgeous night.
On Wed morning the Aquapackers shuttle dropped us off at Torrent Bay where we were going to hike for 2-3 hours before our kayaking trip at 12:30. However, we opted to take a detour to Cleopatra Pools where we spent nearly an hour. Gregg and Avery were the first in the pools and on the natural water slide. Graham dragged his feet saying no, no, no, and just as we were about to go, decided that it looked like fun (albeit very cold) afterall and he had a go as
well. Picture taking was my job, way too cold for me!! So, we were behind schedule... The hike was gorgeous through sub tropical rainforests and quite steep at some points. And we had thought it was meant to be a short hike along the beach... Never underestimate a Kiwi trail. By the time we got to Anchorage Bay and the path to Watering Cove where we were to meet the kayak company, it was 12:20. At the Aquapackers we had been told "10 mins, up and over". Ha, the sign said 30 minutes and it was "UP" in the hot midday sun. Once we achieved the "up" part, Gregg and the boys scurried on down (I have to be a bit more careful of my knees on the downhill) to hopefully catch our guide. I arrived 10 minutes after the boys and everyone is casually sitting on the beach having lunch. No hurry, no worries, we would be leaving in another 30 - 40 minutes! Ugh! We didn't have to run the last part of the track and could have enjoyed the views and trail more! Oh well, we sure got a good workout for the day! The kayaking was
fun and not quite as difficult as I was expecting. We kayaked in double sea kayaks along the shore with our guide and another couple. It only got challenging as the weather turned windy when we could see Marahau and our stopping point. But it was an open bay at this point, with a head wind and seemed to take forever. We were soaked by the end. It was a fun way to end our Abel Tasman adventure. Caught a ride on the MSK (Marahau Sea Kayaks) bus back to Kaiteriteri to get our car and head to Murchinson for the night. We had a 9 hour drive back to Timaru and wanted to get a few hours cut off before it got dark. I always say this, but this was once again one of the most stunning areas of New Zealand. The views through this green Motueka Valley were incredible! Arrived in Murchinson around 7, found a nice place to stay "Kiwi Campground and Lodges". We got Fish and Chips takeaway for the boys, and salad for us, and had a very leisurely evening. Nice way to cap off a long, but very enjoyable, day.
On Thurs we
had the most beautiful drive through the Lewis Pass. It snowed all night and looked fairytale like. The photos almost look black and white! I cried the whole way back thinking about how sad I am to be leaving this spectacular country - the incredible scenery, the beautiful people, and great friendships we have made.
I am not sure if it is because this was our last big Kiwi adventure, we are leaving in 6 weeks, or that it really was a spectular trip, but the whole week in the Marlborough Sounds and Abel Tasman was one of my favorite trips!
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robin
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Wow, swimming and snow on the same trip!! You are very hardy souls!! I love the Abel Tasman/Marlborough area as well, I'm glad you made it there before your............departure??