Up north in the south again / Farewell NZ

Starting our 5 day kayaking trip on a chilly morning

The sun comes out in Marlborough Sounds

Camping on the beaches

Harassing local wildlife like this Little Blue Penguin

This large seal was unfazed by our presence

Cooking our fresh, hand-picked mussels

Paddling off into the sun

Crail Bay!

A wet day on Farewell Spit

Beach walk at Farewell Spit

...!

Wharariki Beach (i think) was beautiful despite the weather

Abel Tasman beaches - just like the postcards!

More Abel Tasman beaches

J at one of the largest caves in the Southern Hemisphere -Harwood's Hole

Hello all, and goodbye NZ!

Since I last posted I have enjoyed a great 5 day sea kayaking trip in the Marlborough Sounds area. We started at Portage Bay in Kenepuru Sounds, where we hired our sea kayaks and all the accompanying paraphernalia for just $160 each - i thought this was pretty good! The first day started off a bit cold and damp, but brightened in the evening. The remaining days were mainly warm and often sunny. Over the last couple of days the wind increased (to such an extent that we saw a yacht rip it's sail catastrophically) but was never too much of a problem for us as it was rarely in our faces, and not too often on our sides. It made the final day quite fun and exciting, but the previous days we had managed to cover large distances due to the relatively sheltered coves and reaches of the Marlborough Sounds area. In total over the 5 days we covered 123km, which was quite a respectable distance. This was my first multi-day sea kayaking and I hope to do more of it in the UK. It is definitely the way to travel for multi-day trips, as you can carry twice as much stuff as you ever would want to take on a hike, but for half the effort! We luxuriated in our new weight allowance and indulged in wine and fresh vegetables -yum!

After we finished that trip we spent a couple of days in Havelock eating more mussels and doing some washing, internet, etc before meeting up with GB again (he had been sea kayaking for the weekend at the Abel Tasman park). We had planned to head to the hills at Nelson Lakes but a massive storm was forecast for the middle of our time so instead we decided to head to Golden Bay. We spent the first night camping at the DOC campsite at Canaan Downs, which is 12km down a dirt track into impressive limestone scenery. We went for a long afternoon walk and then settled down for the night. The storm came in during the night and our tents were thoroughly soaked when we took them down the next morning. As the weather was bad we decided to head out to Farewell Spit, the most northerly part of South Island and a 26km long beach. It was a very atmospheric place to be on a misty day, and the near by beach of Wharariki was beautiful too. That evening we checked into a hostel in Takaka as the rain was coming down harder than ever and we wanted to dry off.

The following morning there was not a cloud in the sky and our tents quickly dried in the car park of the hostel. We packed up and headed off to the north (quieter) end of the Abel Tasman National Park for a lovely walk along the beaches and through the forests. The place is unbelievably beautiful, just like postcards and tourism posters. It was not deserted but not too busy on the track, and was a really great way to spend my last proper day of 'outdoorsieness' in NZ. That night we stayed back at Canaan Downs again, and watched the full moon rise over the surrounding hills and forests. The next day we walked along the track from Canaan Downs to Harwood's Hole - the largest cave opening in the Southern Hemisphere. The hole is a 176m deep vertical sink hole in the limestone and is a very impressive place to visit. NZ being as they are, there are no safety barriers - survival of the fittest here!

Now I am back in Christchurch before I fly on Sunday morning (Saturday evening UK time). I have a fair few things to do, mainly based around selling the car, so will sign off now so I can get on with that. Next stop, New York, New York!