Fourteen of us flew to Nelson on Tuesday 17th where we picked up 2 rental vans. One was automatic, the other a heavy manual beast. Paul drew the short straw and Mark drove the other van. The only problem experienced was not being able to find the house 9 of us were staying in. I walked a very steep driveway several times before Sharon and Lynn found the house. There were no problems with the smaller house. We had a meeting at the pub where Anna joined us to plan the next few days walking.

All sorted Day 1 was Totaranui to Awaroa. We had time to fill in at Totaranui as we needed to cross the Awaroa Estuary just before low tide, so some of us explored the nearby tracks. Then at 1pm we were off after a group photo. All was well until at the end of Goat Bay was a very large rock we had to scrabble up. Thank goodness Paul lent a helping hand. We had some very large hills to climb but walking along the valleys was lovely and we arrived at Awaroa just before we could cross. The sandflies here were huge!! Crossing the estuary was fun but very damp as the water was up to our knees and you could feel the pull of the tide. Then it was a 30-minute walk to Awaroa Beach for our pickup. We needed to follow around the estuary for a bit more wading. Some of our group took the high track to Bark Bay and had to race back. Then just to top it off, the boat came in at the end of the beach and we had race along the beach apart from Sharon and Anna who had actually listened to the Captain earlier. This time it was another wade getting to the boats ramp, so at the end everyone had got their boots wet. Some of us had a pint at the pub to help recover.

Day 2 was Awaroa to Medlands Beach which was another full-on day. We had to share the ramp from the beach with quad bikes taking linen from the Lodge down to the boats. The Lodge was tucked away into the trees and looked like a lovely place to enjoy a coffee, but it was very tight day time wise. The day started with a gradual climb through beautiful bush but soon turned into a steep climb to the top. We stopped at Tonga Bay for lunch we had no real time to enjoy it before setting off again. It would have been nice to explore Tonga Bay which was the site of an old quarry.  In the short time we were there, the Weka were extremely bold and cheeky and Anne-Mette had a Weka jump on her lap and make off with her sandwich! We did find the times given were not consistent on the DOC signs and varied from the pamphlets, which wasn’t very helpful. This left very little time for a swim at Medlands Beach, although the faster people in our group did manage one. But another day of big hills and very pretty bush walking, plus some spectacular views. When we returned, I got our ticket for the next day changed to the later pickup before stopping off at watering hole for a beer. Some of our group from the big house went to Motueka to enjoy a Thai meal and 3 from the little house went to a Vegetarian Restaurant at the Eco Lodge for a meal. This entailed staggering up yet another hill. The meal made up for it though.

Day 3 was Medlands Beach to Anchorage and a far more relaxed day. Still more of the same with big hills and a very steep descent to Torrent Bay. More pretty valley bush walks as well. The view heading down to Torrent Bay was spectacular and we had a very relaxed lunch here with some opting for a swim. The Weka’s struck Anne-Mette again, this time making off with her first aid kit! We had a choice at Torrent Bay, wait for the tide to recede to cross the estuary or take the high track, so the group could visit Cleopatras Pool. We all opted for the high track and most turned off to go to Cleopatras Pool. I was told Mark took an icy plunge into it. We all arrived into Anchorage in such good time that most of the group enjoyed a swim and exploring caves at the end of the beach. We then had a quick meeting to try to establish what to do over the next 2 days. 5 people decided to walk the last section of the Abel Tasman from Marahau to Anchorage and the rest were heading in to Nelson for a day of sightseeing more than walking. Sunday was to be over the Takaka Hill.

Day 4 started early for the little house as we collected the walkers and drove to Marahau. Then I drove back to Kaiteriteri to collect the others and take them into Nelson to the Saturday Market. As we arrived, it was drizzling and as I hadn’t brought a jacket, found a coffee shop which was attached to a lovely Italian Grocery shop. Brenda and Anne-Mette joined me. The others enjoyed the market and we went on to the Miyazu Japanese Garden for a stroll. These gardens were lovely and it was nice just to stroll. Next up was lunch at Mapua which had grown since I was last there. Last stop was back to Rabbit Island for a walk along the beach and pines. That night, the big house hosted a shared meal. We arrived with our meat and shared goodies and as normal, had a wonderful meal together. Mark and Paul did a great job on the BBQ.

Day 5 was a more relaxed start and we drove over the Takaka Hill and met at Te Waikoropupu Springs. It was a lovely easy walk-through bush and along boardwalks and the springs themselves were magnificent. Then it was off to Collingwood for lunch and to explore the town. It hadn’t grown particularly much since the last time I was here in 2002 but still an interesting place. The next stop was at the Labyrinth Rocks just out of Takaka. At the back it was truly a labyrinth and the shapes of these old limestone karst (30 million years old) were incredible. The last stop of the day was the Anatoki Salmon Farm which also had a café and you could wander around the 3 ponds with 3 different ages of salmon in them. We watched them being fed and some brought salmon before departing back to Kaiteriteri.

The last morning saw everyone either dropped off or back at the airport, before we handed back the vans. It had been a successful week away. My thanks to Paul, Mark, and Linda who along with me were the van drivers.

Trip Leader – Judith

Walkers – Denise, Sharon, Brenda, Linda, Paul, Trisha, Mark, Helen, Anne-Mette, Delphine, Nichola, Andrea, Lynn, and Anna (who joined us for the Abel Tasman Walks)