Hi All
Fresh on the heels of glacier walking comes kayaking!! We are in Motueka, the gateway to Abel Tasman National Park and yesterday we spent kayaking in the morning and then going by water taxi to Tonga island to see the fur seals and their cubs before walking back to Bark Bay to be picked up by the water taxi and taken back to Kaiteriteri beach. Kayaking was exhausting - it looked so easy in the photos but the weather was overcast and windy so it was quite rough and we were paddling against the wind. For the first half Gary steered from the back but at Split Apple Rock we changed over and he just became a front seat driver!! Everyone else we were doing it with was at least 25 years younger than us and that includes the guides! Still, we didn't do too badly.
Abel Tasman is really beautiful and even in dull weather the sea is turquoise and the sand golden. It is impossible to see the walking trails from the beach, they are well hidden. It takes days to walk from one end to the other as its a huge area. There are plenty of sandflies though and our bushman fly repellent was well utilised. The company we went with were really good www.seakayak.co.nz They were very patient and encouraging even when we were going round in circles with the kayak!
Tomorrow we leave to go to Hanmer Spings, not too far from Christchurch. We have only got 7 nights left in the camper van. Tracy will be crying when she has to give it back. Its been great and its so wonderful to be able to have the doors open all the time and eat outside lisening to the wonderful bird songs.
Our next campsite has a squash court so we will be having a go at that in between frisbee and poker. What a life!
Hope you are all well, thinking of you, take care all.
Lots of love
Tracy & Gary xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
