NZ Day 14. Abel Tasman

Today started with a calamity – my cellphone screen went on the blink and hasn’t returned to normality. I switched it on, checked email and then it started to lose frame sync, finally not showing anything and not responding to attempts to turn it off. Its sitting in a plastic bag with Uncle Ben’s rice, hoping for a miracle! Failing that the simcard will have to transfer to Randi’s phone.
So today’s plans changed. Original intent was to try to rent kayak(s) for a half day (afternoon) and then tomorrow take a water taxi up the coast and hike a couple of bays along the coast. However after driving out to Marahau and presenting ourselves at the kayak rental, we found that because of the deteriorating weather, ie. rough sea, they were cancelling the afternoon kayaking operations completely! Worse, the weather forecast for Friday was now rain, not ideal for hiking. So we checked in with the water taxi to learn that they too were cancelling trips to the North End of the park coast and therefore we ended up taking a taxi to Anchorage, Torrent Bay and hiking the 12.5km track back, part of the Abel Tasman Track. As it turned out this was a pretty good afternoon. We chatted to another couple while waiting for the boat, a couple from Edmonton! She was a sociology prof. on sabbatical and interested in the youth justice system in New Zealand as applied to Maori youth.
Boarding the water taxi was unusual. The boat was towed into the parking lot, we climbed aboard and were towed to the launch ramp where the boat was launched with passengers already aboard! Short sight-see to split-apple rock and then up the coast with another brief stop to see the seals basking on the rocks before disembarking us on the beach at Torrent Bay.

This may look ‘normal’, but the boat is still o the trailer on dry land!

Split Apple Rocks

The ferry drops us off at Torrent Bay

A beach along the hike

The hike was straightforward, the water-taxi ride was … bouncy… and it didn’t rain. The walk passes several wild and deserted beaches with a slightly peculiar golden colour from iron in the sand. It is just a little on the orange/gold side of yellow!
Then back to the freedom campsite in Motueka for the night.
Because of the likelihood of Friday being rainy, this works out well. We can head to the West coast and not waste an extra day in Abel Tasman waiting on weather. We can kayak elsewhere.