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Published: February 12th 2011
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Nelson and the Abel Tasman National Park
Getting a bit behind with the blog - combination of lots of walking and getting rather chilled!
Thursday 27th Jan
Thankfully we had a very smooth crossing on the Interislander ferry. The weather is much better on this side of the Sound and there are great views along the Queen Charlotte Sound which has fjord-like scenery.
Arrived at Picton and drove via Havelock to Nelson - which is the sunniest place in NZ. Stopped along the way at the start of the Queen Charlotte track and had our first encounter with the vicious sandflies! Need to stock up on DEET. Our hosts at the B&B (more Brits that have moved to NZ) make us really welcome with lots of red wine and keep a bottle of DEET by the front door! We rapidly re-pack clothes for the next 5 days into the small bags which have been delivered in advance by the tour organisers.
Friday 28th – Tuesday 1st February
We are picked up early for our 5 day Abel Tasman walking trip. Take a minibus to Kaiteriteri (pronounced Kai-deri-deri) and then get on a boat to Totaranui at
the far end of the Abel Tasman Track. Peter phoned a neighbour back home whilst we waited for the boat in the hot sunshine – such a shame to hear it is cold and snowing in Ottershaw.
Our tour group is only four people – us and a couple called Robin and Dick who live in Canada but have moved around a lot including living for some time in the British Virgin Islands – plus our guide Dave. The last group was 24 people so he and the folks at the lodges were really happy that they have so few of us to look after.
We walked about 12k the first day to a lodge set just behind a beautiful white sand beach. The next day ( Day 2 ) we went for a walk and a swim whilst waiting for the tide to come in. The tides here are huge so the estuaries dry up and large sandbanks appear as the tide goes out. About 4 pm there was enough water for us to kayak up the river. Hard work as either the wind or the tide was always against us!
The third day we walked
18k to the next lodge – up and over 3 ridges between more golden bays. As we went along we learnt a lot from Dave about the native bush and the history of the region – so glad we took the organised tour as we would have missed a lot if we had just walked the path on our own. On the fourth day we went for a kayak in the morning and enjoyed paddling up the estuary. However when we reached the sea the swell was growing as a storm was arriving so we decided to retire when we reached that point. Our guide, Robin and Richard carried on - but only as far as the first headland where they hit the wind and even larger swell and so also decided to retreat. Even a group of 3 very proficient kayakers , who had been at the lodge with us the previous night and were supposed to be paddling for the whole day, had to abandon their trip on a beach halfway and wait for a boat to come and pick them up and tow their kayaks. We went for a walk that took us around the estuary on
the way out but as the tide dropped we could then take the short cut across the sand and wade through the now only knee-high river on the way back.
On the last day we walked another 18k to the end of the track, saying goodbye to Robin and Dick about halfway when they were picked up by boat-taxi so as to catch a flight to Auckland. We returned to Nelson and celebrated the end of the walk with takeaway pizzas and red wine.
Wednesday 2nd February
A lazy day around Nelson. Walked to the top of Botanical hill for 360 degree views across Nelson. This is proclaimed as the geographical centre of NZ –very hot ~27 degrees so headed in search of beer. The heritage centre is a collection of old buildings that have been re-located together – main attraction the Founders brewery. Suitably refreshed we strolled around the rest of the buildings. By chance we poked our noses into a cooperage and started chatting to the cooper. He rents a unit in the centre and makes a living importing wooden barrels and also repairing barrels that get damaged in transit.
Things you may not know
about wooden wine casks
1) France has 4 million acres of oak forest and over 30 major barrel makers
2) A barrel can cost up to £1000, holds 300 bottles of wine and can only be used 4-5 times
3) Wine makers order from specific manufactures to give specific flavours to the wine
4) Barrels are lightly, medium or medium plus toasted ( burnt ) which seals the barrel and flavours the wine
5) American oak barrels are not as good as French barrels. The cooper came from Germany and was not as diplomatic in his description
6) Every manufacturer produces barrels to different curves and height so spars are not interchangeable.
7) ‘Modern’ winemakers use stainless steel tanks and suspend sticks of toasted oak in the vats to mimic the effect of barrels storage.
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