We took the scenic route out of Picton, following the water’s edge of Grove Arm and then Mahakipawa Arm, both bays of the Pelorus Sound, towards Havalock. Before reaching Havelock the road took us around a headland, Cullen Point, which we decided was worth a walk to the viewpoint. The cicadas were particularly numerous and noisy among the Manuka trees. What is more, they were easy to spot, to photograph and video. It was well worth the stop, providing us with beautiful views of Pelorus Sound immediately in front of us. Looking south and west we looked across to ranges of higher hills with dramatic ridge lines.
On a Saturday there is an excellent market in the main, central car park in Nelson. It is a showcase for local crafts, organic fruit and vegetables and artisan foods. Unfortunately, it winds up at 1.00pm and we had not left very much time to explore. It was very windy and many of the stalls were beginning to pack up, with some difficulty, and we got involved in holding down gazebos as more hands were needed than were available. As a result, the market, which I had been advocating as well worth a visit, became a bit of a disappointment.
After some lunch, we continued our journey to Marahau and the Abel Tasman National Park, making sure that we stopped off in Motueka for a supermarket shop.
Our house in Marahau was a modern house in Franklin Street just off the water front road. We arrived at the same time as the owner, who proceeded to tell us all the things we could and could not do. To add insult to injury there was a whole sheet of rules and instructions pinned to the kitchen wall. If we abided by them we would do nothing but clean the house. When I asked if there was any gas for the BBQ, there wasn’t, and she didn’t seem very enthusiastic to provide us with any.
Once we were settled in, John and I went down the road to Hooked, a restaurant, cafe, shop and bar that had a Happy Hour from 4 to 6. Hooked is owned by an English woman who came out soon after the millennium and stayed. We were served by a delightful girl from York who was on a gap experience, working her way around the world, but was seriously considering staying in New Zealand. Who could blame her? She told us her mother was soon visiting and she would be having a difficult conversation with her. We made the most of Happy Hour.
The following morning, while Chrissie took a water taxi to Anchorage so she could walk back, the rest of us took a couple of sea kayaks out for the day. Angela and I worked quite well as a team, although I found it difficult to keep in sync with her at the front. I also found it quite uncomfortable for the hips and back, which did not help us flow smoothly. We headed up the coast, calling at the beach at Apple Tree Bay. The beaches all along this coast are stunning, with golden sand lapped by turquoise waters, with a backdrop of native forest.
Having rested, we headed across to Adele Island to see the seal colony. For some reason, I managed to get comfortable, found my rhythm and coordinated with Angela well. There were a number of seals and pups on the rocks and cavorting in the water. We had to keep 20m between us and them but it was sometimes difficult to maintain that distance if you were concentrating on taking pictures rather that paddling. It was unfortunate that we arrived at the same time as a number of other kayaks, so it was a bit crowded.
Heading back to the mainland, Angela and I really got our act together and it did not take too long to reach Stilwell Bay, where we landed for lunch and a dip. Getting back on the water proved more challenging on this occasion as we drifted parallel to the beach as I tried to climb in. Needless to say, I did not stay in for long, much to the amusement of John and Chris. The journey back was tough, against the outgoing tide. The only bonus was that we did not have to paddle so far and a tractor came out to meet us and relieve us of our kayaks and associated kit, leaving us to walk back, shower and change so that we could get to Hooked in time for Happy Hour, which we all enjoyed, including Chrissie who had enjoyed her walk along the coast.
Before we left the next morning we did what we needed to do and not all the items on the list. What is the point, when we were paying a sizeable cleaning fee?
