We were getting towards the end of our South Island adventure and heading towards our last major area the Abel Tasman National Park. Some hairy driving ensued as we negotiated stomach churning mountain roads. We arrived in Takaka a small hippy town within the national park and stayed at Annie's Nirvana Lodge, which lived up to the hippy ethos of the town - Where are your tie-died t-shirts when you need them? The area was totally remote, most coves and beaches could only be reached by boat or walking trail. We set off to a place called Totaranui (consonants are not popular in Maori words) which turned out to be a beach camp at the end of a 35K drive on narrow unsealed gravel roads across a mountain, with sheer drops and parts of the road missing in places. Our driver Thelma (Heather) was eager to take in the scenery but Louise (Dan) the passenger was constantly reminded of how the film ended.

The catamaran from Totaranui took us an hour along the coastline and dropped us at a place called Medlands Bay, where the skipper reminded us that the four hour trek should get us to the pick-up point in time for the last boat back. The walk was quite tough, crossing undulating terrain and swing bridges, but with spectacular scenery. Hardened by our previous mountain experiences we arrived at the rendezvous in ample time to have lunch from our knapsack before the boat arrived to take us back to our car and the "death road" journey home. After two more days of sampling the grandeur of Abel Tasman, we spent the last night at the pictures, watching the new Tarrantino film "Django Unchained" - Living up to the town image the movie theatre had settees and bean bags instead of conventional seating …. Bizarre but cool.

On the final day Heather went to a tattoo artist to have her hair cut but it did not turn out as good as the cut she got from the mechanic in Hanoi or the Barber of Penang - Perhaps she should try a hairdresser.