Sweathog and Mountain Woman: Sunday-Thursday, April 2-6,2017

I am writing this while on the ferry from Picton on the South Island to Wellington on the North Island. It is a 3 1/2 hour journey.

Sunday morning we were still in Hamner Springs. The sun was out, it was quite warm and we had our coffee, tea and breakfast out on our little balcony. We checked out right at 10:00 and started our 400 km drive to Takaka. About 60 km out I passed the bridge where I hit the curb a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately I made it through without mishap. We passed through Springs Junction where I was able to show Susan where John and I went the night in New Zealand's worst motel. A few km later we realized that we failed to empty the fridge AGAIN! A bottle of wine, six beers and half dozen hard boiled eggs were left behind. As I always say: "it's a good thing we have plenty of money". We had sandwiches at a roadside picnic area and arrived in Takaka about 4:30. We shopped for dinner and some meals for the next few days, had dinner, watched some ESPN and called it a night.

On Monday we were scheduled to pick up Aurelie and Maud at the end of the Heaphy Track at 12:30 so we decided to tour around the far NE coast before the pickup. We drove up the coast to Collingwood which is the furthest north town on the east coast. We then headed along some bad road to Cape Farewell which is the northern most point on the South Island. It was very cloudy and foggy so we were unable to see the North Island. We arrived at the trailhead a little after noon and started to walk up the trail and within minutes the ladies appeared. Perfect timing. Maud and Aurelie did some food shopping in Takaka and we headed to Marahau and the start of the Abel Tasman track. The plan was to kayak for 12 1/2 km on Tuesday and camp at Anchorage Bay. Wednesday we would hike another 13 km and then get picked up by a water taxi and taken back to Marahau. After our very tiring kayak adventure in Milford Sound Susan and I decided that we would hike both days and meet Aurelie and Maud at Anchorage Bay. Shortly after telling them of our plan Maud got an email stating that due to rough seas the kayak portion of the trip was cancelled. Upon arriving in Marahau we found a cabin for the four of us to spend the night. The proprietor told us that a cyclone was headed our way with heavy rain and wind. Change of plans #2. We decided to spend a second night there and day hike on Tuesday to Anchorage Bay and back.

Tuesday morning brought clouds but no rain. We fixed our breakfast and headed out. The trailhead was only a quarter mile from the campground so we walked rather than take the car. The hike was fantastic. The trail mainly followed the coast with a few spots that went slightly inland. Susan said that this was her favorite hike ever. The trail was remarkably flat and extremely well maintained. We had lunch at Anchorage Bay and headed back. The total for the day was just over 25 km (15.5 miles) and we loved every step. For dinner we all shared one of Susan's prepared dinners with wine and beer. A great day.

It rained most of the night. We basically had a free day so we decided to head to Nelson, find a place to stay and tour the city. Nelson was approximately half way between Marahau and Picton and with the rain it seemed like a good plan. On the way we stopped at a small brewery where Aurelie and Maud took the tour while Susan and I relaxed in their lounge area. We stayed at the Backpacker Hostel which was quite close to the City Centre. We had a four bed room and shared all other facilities. The place was very clean and had a huge kitchen area. Susan and I toured the city by ourselves where we spent about an hour touring the Anglican Cathedral and walked the streets. On our way back to they hostel we stopped at the "Free House" which is a church that has been converted into a pub that specializes in New Zealand's Craft beers. We shared a sampler of five 130 ml glasses ranging from a Pilsner to a Stout. Only the IPA disappointed. Susan fixed dinner and did some laundry while I did a little grocery shopping. Aurelie and Maud spent the evening out while Susan and I caught up on our reading. Another great day.

As we only had a 2 1/2 hour drive to Picton we took our time with coffee and breakfast this morning. We even spent an hour or so reading in the community living room. We arrived in Picton in plenty of time, checked in an eventually drove onto the ferry. The crossing has been a little rough with 3 meter swells. We will be staying at another Backpacker Hostel in Wellington for the next two nights.

Northern most point on South Island