4/8/9 Wellington to Nelson

We joined another driver on the Kiwi bus called Smiley, who had an enormous grin which never seemed to go from his face...lovely. It was raining heavily when we pulled out of Wellington for the short journey to the port, to catch the ferry across the Cook Strait to the South island port of Picton. When we arrived at the port we checked our bags in and boarded . The ferries are retired cross channel ferries and we were transported back in time when we went on board as the interiors were exactly the same. As the weather was so awful we decided to watch the movie, Angels and Demons (follow on of Da Vinci Code) to pass the time. It was a good film and we had killed a couple of hours too. By the time we finished watching the film we went on deck in the wind and rain to look at Queen Charlottes Sound through which we were then passing. The views were really lovely despite the bad weather. We docked at Picton, the gateway to Malborough Sound, and boarded the bus to head into Nelson. To break up the drive we stopped at pelorus Bidge reserve to grab a quick bite, there were some walks but it was still pouring . We had huge ice creams there which we ate in the rain...nutters! Nelson is the place from where visits to Abel Tasman National Park are run . The NP is a huge area of unspoilt native forests and white sandy beaches. We hadn't planned to see Abel Tasman due to a lack of time but we rearranged our plans to be able to join a party of kiwi travellers further on which we would otherwise miss. We booked onto a day tour for the next day and kept our fingers crossed for better weather and popped out to get lunch for the trip. On the way out to the supermarket Liz looked across the road and saw Lisa and her children walking along the street. We went over and said hello after 8 years and Phil was immediately clung on to by Lisas daughter 4 year old Scarlett. We went back to Lisas for a cuppa and a chat, catching up after years was lovely. Phil spent the time being entertained by little Scarlett and her toys. Lisas partner Mark arrived home shortly after and we all went to a coastview bar for a glass of beer/wine. We called back to the supermarket and did our laundry before calling round to Lisa and Marks for supper as arranged the day before. Lisa and Mark asked us to watch the children while they went to parents evening which of course we did. Scarlett kept us busy with her farm toys and Maxwell didn't stir in his cot. When they returned home Scarlett went off to bed and we tucked into a great indian and some more wine. It was a really nice evening and we went back to the hostel for a good sleep ready for the early start the next day.

5/8/9 Abel Tasman National Park

We had a 7am pick up from our hostel and somehow two people didn't make the departure time so the driver decided to carry on round to another hostel but that passenger was still in bed too!! They are lucky the NZ drivers are so layed back, in the UK they would have been left behind but our driver just popped back for them all...how very nice. The weather was brilliant with sunshine and very little wind so perfect for our walk along the Abel Tasman coastline. We were taken to the headquarters of the Aquataxi company who are taking us to the furthest point of the track away to start the walk back.
We boarded the boat while it was still on a trailer behind a tractor and were driven into the sea to launch. We travelled South from the start point at Marahau to see a rock feature called Split Apple rock as that is exactly what it looks like. We then headed North along the coastline past several gorgeous bays called Torrent, Anchorage and Bark bays. We came to a stop at a small island called Tonga island just off the coast where there is a seal colony. We stayed to watch the seals a while before moving off to get off the boat in Tonga Bay to begin our three hour walk back to Anchorage bay where we will be picked up from the beach later. Abel Tasman was named after the first European to see the place from the ocean although he never actually set foot there himself. We set out on the track along the coast through native forest with amazing views through to secluded bays and the ocean beyond. After a couple of hours we reached Bark Bay where we were supposed to cross the beach at low tide. there was still a deep water level on the beach in parts and we had to clamber over some huge boulders and wade through some really cold water to reach the other side. All along the track and most walking tracks in NZ are bunkhouses which cost a few dollars or free to use and are really well equipped and really clean. All the toilets are immaculate too despite being chemical/compost ones!! We ate our picnic lunch here and continued along the trail. We walked another hour or so through more native forest, lovely scenery and wading across another flooded bay until we reached the last Bay from where we were being picked up. The taxi arrived on time and we all boarded the boat for the journey back to the office at Marahau before being driven back to Nelson. it was an amazing day and we were really glad we changed our plans and did the trip. to top off a great day we had roast lamb for tea before bed....SWEET AS (do we sound like locals) !!