During a few windy and overcast days we explored the “Golden” Bay, including the Pupu Springs (which have officially the clearest water on Earth), the beautiful sands and rocks at Wharariki Beach and the tasty beers of the Mussel Inn!! As we left Pohara Beach the weather cleared and we stopped at a Salmon Farm at Anatoki in order at last to catch a few fish. Of course, this is cheating but we had great fun and Mattéo was thrilled to land three large salmon, which were immediately hot smoked and vacuum packed. 
We discovered the southern end of the Abel Tasman Park when we arrived in fancy Kaiteriteri Beach under a blue sky. We camped in the town campsite and Mattéo’s enthusiasm for cricket was confirmed when we found him gathering a group of boys to play in pitch darkness with torches. They enjoyed it.
We took a guided boat tour along the whole of the spectacular coast of the Abel Tasman and were dropped off at one beautiful beach to enjoy a portion of one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks” before being picked up at another beach … 4 hours of walking for the family … Mattéo and Juliette still going strong!!
The day closed with a drive to the very cosy and artistic town of Nelson.
We set off to discover the Marlborough Sounds, the following day, and Juliette was thrilled to ride a pony at the Pelorus Bridge. She was very comfortable and chatted for a long time with the lady (Roz) who led her on “Paladin”. Her English has really taken off during these last few weeks.
We stopped for lunch at Havelock “green shelled mussel capital of the world” and then set off on a spectacularly unsuccessful fishing trip, where we chartered a boat to catch Snapper …. and caught a small mackerel. I guess we weren’t destined to catch fish. Nevertheless we enjoyed a fantastic afternoon on the breathtaking Pelorus Sound.
The next day, Alister got closer to the Queen Charlotte Sounds using a kayak and enjoyed a full day with another paddler and a guide whilst Delphine and Mattéo and Juliette took a walk and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the tranquil waters and scenery.
A last night and a good meal in Picton and then the sad moment of leaving the South Island. We had an unforgettable send-off as we sailed out through the magnificent Sounds under a deep blue sky.
The blue sky followed us to Wellington – we dropped off the van and Uncle Roger again very kindly drove down from Masterton to lend us his car (returning by train). We were happy to settle back with Helen and Gemma (the cocker spaniel) and to spend another day visiting the capital’s botanic gardens and downtown area.
We discovered the southern end of the Abel Tasman Park when we arrived in fancy Kaiteriteri Beach under a blue sky. We camped in the town campsite and Mattéo’s enthusiasm for cricket was confirmed when we found him gathering a group of boys to play in pitch darkness with torches. They enjoyed it.We took a guided boat tour along the whole of the spectacular coast of the Abel Tasman and were dropped off at one beautiful beach to enjoy a portion of one of New Zealand’s “Great Walks” before being picked up at another beach … 4 hours of walking for the family … Mattéo and Juliette still going strong!!
The day closed with a drive to the very cosy and artistic town of Nelson.We set off to discover the Marlborough Sounds, the following day, and Juliette was thrilled to ride a pony at the Pelorus Bridge. She was very comfortable and chatted for a long time with the lady (Roz) who led her on “Paladin”. Her English has really taken off during these last few weeks.
We stopped for lunch at Havelock “green shelled mussel capital of the world” and then set off on a spectacularly unsuccessful fishing trip, where we chartered a boat to catch Snapper …. and caught a small mackerel. I guess we weren’t destined to catch fish. Nevertheless we enjoyed a fantastic afternoon on the breathtaking Pelorus Sound.
The next day, Alister got closer to the Queen Charlotte Sounds using a kayak and enjoyed a full day with another paddler and a guide whilst Delphine and Mattéo and Juliette took a walk and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the tranquil waters and scenery.
A last night and a good meal in Picton and then the sad moment of leaving the South Island. We had an unforgettable send-off as we sailed out through the magnificent Sounds under a deep blue sky.
The blue sky followed us to Wellington – we dropped off the van and Uncle Roger again very kindly drove down from Masterton to lend us his car (returning by train). We were happy to settle back with Helen and Gemma (the cocker spaniel) and to spend another day visiting the capital’s botanic gardens and downtown area.
No comments:
Post a Comment