NEW ZEALAND DEC 21 - KAYAK/BOAT/HIKE DAY

We got up early and had breakfast.  We got on our coach at 7:30.  The coaches here do one of two things.  1.)  They pick you up and go to where you want to go or 2.) They act like a city bus, and drop and pick up people all over the place.  The coach this morning was one of the latter.  We drove back through Stoke,  Richmond, and, weirdest of all, Monaco.  Monaco was a hotel/casino/restaurant.  It was out in the middle of nowhere, but was pretty.

The estuary

Photo along the road

We then finally began to drive along the estuary along Tasman Bay.  We stopped at Kaiteriteri at long last.  We wandered over to the Wilson's Abel Tasman National Park activity people.  A girl named Susie sent us down the beach to go to our double kayaks.  There were three couples altogether, along with Susie.  We put our things into a water proof bag, but on a splash skirt to keep the water out, and then a life jacket.  

Before we left on our Kayak trip.  We paddled through the gap first

There we are near the split rock

Here is Charlie after the trip

Me after the trip

We got into our kayaks and went past points on the shore, crazy rocks, until we eventually found a rock  that a guy later described as the split apple.  We took a few photos in the water.  We then went to a beach to look around.  Just as Charlie and I got to shore, a wave washed over us and we got a tad wet.  My splash skirt filled with water, and when I took it off to get out, the water dumped on my pants.  It was warm anyway and felt great.

We paddled back to shore.  Lots of paddling.  OOF.  We ate our lunch on the beach, and then took a sea shuttle to Anchorage.  We then hiked to Te Pukatea Bay - a short walk - but a lot of ups and downs.  Charlie's hip isn't working really well, so the ups and downs, followed by the kayaking had him hobbling along.

Our Sea Shuttle

Mickey Mouse rocks

View from Anchorage Bay

After the Sea Shuttle dropped us off

Birds on Te Pukatea Bay

On the trail

Tidal stream

Quails on the trail

Me on Te Pukatea Bay

We got back to Anchorage beach and waited for the Sea Shuttle.  It showed up on time, but because the tide was very low, when they lowered their gang plank for us to get on, it didn't reach the sand.  They were several feet into the water.  We took off our shoes, and had to clomp through the water to get on board.  We got to a beach, not Kaiteriteri but another, and stopped.  Nothing happened.  Eventually the captain looked at the top deck and complained that we were running late.  Finally a couple got up and went to the shore.  What were they waiting for?

We got to Kaiteriteri, and the captain apologized that we'd have to land a ways from the coaches.  We didn't have to slog through the water, but had to move quickly to get to our coach.  Fortunately, we didn't put our shoes on, and had to slog through a tidal stream to get to the bus beach.  Charlie told me to go on ahead, and tell the driver he was coming.  It was like a bad movie.  Actually, the driver waited for all the late people.  Best of all when we got to Nelson, we were the first people he dropped off.  Showers never felt so good!

Views on the way back

We went and had a Stone Grill dinner.  Meat shows up on a super heated block of stone, and you can cook it at the table.  Lots of fun.

Tomorrow, after our active day, we have an artisans tour...