January 29-February 1
The beautiful drive to Pohara through Motueka
We woke up in Westport on the morning of January 29th. We made ourselves a nice hearty breakfast of sliced kiwi, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and coffee and packed up once again. We were heading to a town called Pohara at the northern edge of Abel Tasman National Park, but as usual, there was lots to see and do along the way. Before we even left Westport, we headed down the road to check out the Seal Colony that makes their home on Cape Foulwind. When we first arrived at the viewing area, it took a minute to find the seals. They blend in so well with the rocks that at first we didn't realize how many there were! They were sunning themselves and swimming and playing everywhere. The best part was the pups! The seals have their babies in December and January so there were tons of little baby seal pups nursing and frolicking and just laying around. We were so fascinated, we couldn't break ourselves away! We had no idea at the time that there would be many more seal sightings as our journey continued. It was our first big encounter with the seals of New Zealand but it would certainly not be our last.
Our first seal encounter at Cape Foulwind
After we left Westport and drove for a while, the landscape started to change. We had left the rocky, barren West Coast and were headed for the much more tropical northern tip of the South Island. Along the way we went through the area around Motueka that was clearly an agricultural hot spot. There were orchards everywhere, growing peaches, plums, nectarines and cherries. There were vineyards with grapes growing throughout the area and something I've never seen before- Hops farms! Beer is big business here in New Zealand and there were dozens of fields with long hanging strands of hops growing alongside the road. And of course, among the rows and rows of hops, eating the grass at the bottom, were the sheep!
So it should not surprise you that when we made a stop to pick up some fruit at a road side stand, we "accidentally" found ourselves in the parking lot of the Monkey Wizard brewing company! What a fun little place. They act just like a winery, pouring little sips of their boutique beers so you can decide what you would like to get. Once you decide, you pick your container (one liter or two liter plastic bottle anyone?) and they fill it up for you. We ordered a pale ale and an IPA in the one liter bottles, went across the street for nectarines, and we were off again.
Monkey Wizard Brewing Company
That afternoon we made the incredible journey over Takaka Hill down into Pohara. The road was a crazy one, full of twisty turns with amazing views on all sides. It was also scary as hell! It took about 40 minutes to go up one side and down the other and I was very happy to be at the bottom. Just a quiet drive through the town of Takaka and we were at the Top 10 Holiday Park in Pohara.
It was camping time again and we were both really happy that we chose this place. The kids were going back to school that week so the place was clearing out pretty fast. The woman at reception set us up with a fabulous spot right next to the ocean. There was enough of a hedge there to block the wind, but you only had to walk about 20 feet to be on the beach! That first night was wonderful! We set up our tent, ate a little dinner, poured some of our new Monkey Wizard Beer and sat down by the water watching the sun set. Then we headed back to the tent where we fell asleep listening to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach just beyond our tent. I did have one funny moment as I drifted off to sleep. My last thought that night was, "Gee, I hope they have some sort of Tsunami warning system in place here." And then I was asleep! No worries.
This crazy duck came to see us every morning in Pohara!
The beautiful sunset at Pohara Beach. This is directly behind the bushes of our campsite.
The next morning was our big hike! We chose Pohara for its proximity to Abel Tasman National Park. Abel Tasman is a huge National Park at the northern tip of the Southern Island. There are many ways to explore Abel Tasman (boat, kayak, overnight treks) but we chose to hike. We didn't have the gear for overnight treks but we had read great things about the Coast Track that started just down the road in Wainui Bay. You could walk in and out and there were a number of logical stops along the way. Our plan was to walk to the first DOC (Dept of Conservation) Hut and then see if we wanted to go further. We packed up some hearty PB&J sandwiches, nectarines, cherries, chips and plenty of water. We loaded up on both Sunscreen and Bug Spray (sandflies are a major problem here) and we got directions to the trail head from the woman at reception.
One section of the hike. The views were amazing
It was incredible, but it was also one of the toughest days of hiking I've ever done. We basically covered 17 Kilometers (10.5 Miles) over just under 6 hours of hiking. But those 17k were on trails that ascended from sea level to 600 meters and then back down to sea level and up to about 400 meters again and down again. And that was just one way! The way out was just amazing, passing through many different types of vegetation as went up from the sea, into the treeline, up to a ridge, down by a beach and across a cliff side. We got to see one of the DOC huts called Whariwharangi hut, which was an old farmhouse built in 1898 that was converted into the current campers hut back in 1980. It is thought to be haunted, but when we saw it in the bright daylight it just looked like a welcome respite for tired backpackers. It had a stove downstairs and bunks upstairs and a sink and showers out back. I can imagine that it would be a welcome sight if you had been doing a multi-day hike! We used the picnic table there as our spot for lunch.
The DOC hut at Whariwharangi
Shags on Whariwharangi beach. At first we thought they were penguins!
Me hanging out among the crazy trees!
Separation Point was our turnaround spot. That last section went along a cliff and ended at a lighthouse down below a steep walkway. Very steep. So steep that I opted to stay above on the cliff side rather than walk down! Normally there are a lot of seals down there but on this day there were only two so I didn't really miss anything.
One section of the cliff side walk to Separation Point
The way back was the same length of time as the way out, roughly three hours, but it seemed much longer, especially as we got to the final 600 meter climb. It took close to an hour to get back up that hill for the final time. We were both exhausted and my feet felt like they were going to fall off. Finally, we passed the last summit and headed back down the trail that lead to the DOC parking lot. I've never been so happy to sit in a car before!!
As we drove back to the camp site, we were both starving. Luckily, we had the last of the chili thawed out in the fridge. We picked up some tortilla chips and cheese, poured out some Monkey Wizard beer and ate like there was no tomorrow. We had just enough energy left to take a little sunset stroll before we heading back to the tent for a very well deserved rest. It was our last night in beautiful Pohara at our campsite by the sea.
Having a beer after our long hike. So happy to be sitting down!
The next morning we got packed up early so we could do a side trip to Farewell Spit. If you remember the picture I took from the plane when we were flying to Queenstown, then you have seen Farewell Spit. It is a 27 kilometer arc of sand that stretches across the northernmost tip of the South Island. It is home to loads of birds and sea creatures and is the perfect place to go for a long beach walk. We drove up to the cafe at the start of the spit and then just meandered down the beach, checking out the herons, oystercatchers and terns. It was a lovely spot to spend the morning.
Having a coffee at the Cafe overlooking the beach
Shaun in the vastness that is Farewell Spit
These little sea creatures were making paths all along the beach
On the way back we stopped at an amazing little restaurant in the middle of nowhere. The Mussel Inn specializes in, you guessed it, New Zealand Mussels. We found it in the Lonely Planet guidebook and we were so happy we stopped. Shaun ordered the open faced fish sandwich and I ordered the mussel stew. Both were ridiculously good. It was also nice to eat out, even if was only for lunch.
Holy delicious! Lunch at the Mussell Inn
That evening we arrived in Kaiteriteri for a night. We were going to set up a tent again, but since it was $36 for a tent and only $43 for a basic cabin, we chose the cabin. The "cabin" ended up being more like a shed with a window and a bunk bed inside, but we figured what the heck, we were only sleeping there, so we dropped our stuff off and went down to the beach. That evening we used the kitchen facility to cook up a nice dinner and we ate it outside at a picnic table. After dinner we went back to the beach and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over the water. We weren't ready to head back to "the shed" yet, so we wandered over to the Beached Whale, a little beach bar next door and had a beer. We ended up talking with a Swiss guy named Gianni who was touring New Zealand on a bike. We've seen lots of these people with their bikes packed up with gear, making their way up or down crazy winding hills. Personally, I'm glad we have a car!
Dinner in Kaiteriteri. Steak with portabellos, rice and broccoli. And wine of course!
That night we settled into the shed, hoping to get a good night's sleep and hit the beach at Kaiteriteri early. It was not to be. Let's just say that the bunk beds were like sleeping on boards with plastic covers. So it wasn't surprising that when I woke up the next morning I couldn't turn my head. I had a nice big kink in my shoulder that needed attention ASAP.
The solution was a place called Kia Ora spa. They were right up the hill from us and they were not only a hotel and spa, but also a mountain bike rental place. Since that was where Shaun was planning to rent a mountain bike, I decided to see if there were any massage openings. The masseuse only had 45 minutes before her next two clients, but I was desperate so I took the appointment. The massage was great. Even though it didn't quite fix my neck, I definitely felt better than I did when I arrived. After we finished up I worked on my blog at their little outdoor terrace while I waited for Shaun to get back from Mountain Biking. He biked at a mountain bike park that had miles and miles of specially cut mountain bike trails so he was pretty happy when he got back. It ended up being a pretty good day for both of us, I must say.
One of the things we are most enjoying about this trip is the amount of time we get to spend outdoors. Between work, weather and general responsibilities it was always a challenge to get "outdoor time" in my previous life. I like to think that when I look back on this New Zealand adventure years down the road, these long days of hiking and walking and kayaking will have made a lasting impact. For now though, gotta run, there's more paths to explore!
Sunset over Kaiteriteri
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