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Published: March 22nd 2007
Driving to Abel Tasman was a lengthy affair, but the weather was good and the music situation had been remedied - although Saber's dash looked a little like a DIY electricians effort!
Camp that night was in a little seaside town called Motueka, and having booked a sea kayaking trip with a company called Sea Kayak Company - original or what! Their rep had put us on to a free campsite on the wharf with facilities! Going up in the world! After a self cooked meal - there was no wind that night we yomped the beach and hit the internet. An early start meant that sunrise views were pretty ace and before long we were heading for the national park.
We wound up with a guide called Kyle who was to prove to be a gem of a chap and were in a group of 8 with 2 other brits and an American family. After a pep talk from Kyle who had 3 rules - Be Cool, Be Safe and Have Fun! We were ready - well ish! First we had to don some particularly attractive kayak skirts and lifejackets and suss out how to evacuate in
the unlikely event of capsizing! Joy!!! No practice necessary though - phewee - the sea was a little nippy! Our trip was to head around the coast to a place called Anchorage with stops along the way for stories, wildlife and scenery. The trip was made by our guide - he was fantastic - telling the Maori stories with such passion and enthusiasm it was quite fascinating! We stopped off at beaches, cliffs, rafted up and played frisbee and soon forgot the muscle aches from paddling like never before! Jen took the driving seat this time, only to discover we had a list to the left so every so often we would find ourselves heading shorewards! With cries of right, Jen right! Hat off to her she did a pretty good job! Thanks mate!
After a full day on the water we were pretty knackered and headed for dinner straight away - finding an ace restaurant called Posties where we tucked into a hunk of ham and mash each! Strongly recommend it!!!! Meanwhile Jen got a call from her mum who recommended a trip up to Upper Takaka for unrivalled views of Motueka and the Abel Tasman. By now
it was a little late though and although the views were good the light wasn't quite good enough for photos! Thus, we decided maybe kipping up there might not be a bad plan! Overnight, the weather took a turn for the worst and we awoke to a nippy little car! Needless to say we were up and dressed before long and heading out - sun seeking! (are you noticing a pattern here? fair weather folk I reckon!) Nelson was next on the cards for their Market and free tastings! Lunch sorted, I insisted on a trip to a Bead Shop on the outskirts! We emerged about 2 hours later grasping jewellery making delights to fill the now DVDless evenings! Although it was a close thing - I nearly lost Jen to her creative side! Our initial plan for Nelson Had been a cycle wine tour, but the rain put a stop to that one and we headed onwards!
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