Last really beautiful walking day

Today was our last day of walking, and now we have completed all the segments of the Abel Tasman track. And I think today was maybe the most enjoyable - the walking was a little easier (only one huge up and down!), we had a new experience - walking across an estuary at low tide - and knowing it was the last walk we were up for anything! The scenery was of course spectacular and the good weather continued. We are so lucky, as next week they are preparing for a change and wind and rain!

Had a relaxing start, as we were booked for the 10.30 water taxi, to work in with the tides. Carole and John were not walking today. They had a wonderful time kayaking round the bays in these pristine waters. We have such a comfortable arrangement with them, and we all enjoy doing our own thing, and meeting up after and hearing all about it.

So we were taken again to Taratanui but this time we walked south back to Awaroa where we are here in the Awaroa Lodge. Our instructions which sounded always so complicated when we first read them all make sense when we are actually doing them. We walked south, over one first high headland to a lovely deserted beach, found the orange marker bolted to a rock, clambered up rocks to a boardwalk and went up and down to a second perfect beach where we sat on a log, relaxed, ate a bit of lunch. It was so beautiful that Amr went into the water - just a quick bracing dip, bare from the waist down as he didn’t want wet underpants, but it is so lovely to be so uncrowded! We are just before the high season when there are so many people - at Taratanui apparently they can accommodate 1000 campers!! We rarely meet people on the track, and it is very peaceful!

We were in no hurry as low tide today was 4pm, and you can cross the estuary 2 hours either side of that, but the closer to 4 the better - shallower water to wade through. We followed the track to the point where you cross and saw the marker on the other side - about a kilometre across. It was just after 2, but we saw some people venturing across. When they arrived at our side they said it was about waist deep but they needed to be quick to catch a ferry! So we waited, and others arrived and waited, relaxing and reading in a very pleasant shady area. At about 3 o’clock more people crossed and it looked much easier so we took off shoes and socks, I put on my tevas which I had brought for this occasion, and we set off. A fun new experience for us. Part of the way was wet but completely drained, others had little streams flowing through but by now not deep..I think the deepest we got was mid calf. Was glad of the sandals though as there were shells which would have been uncomfortable, though quite a few people had bare feet. Anyway, we made it, washed off our feet at the hut and made our way round the other side of the estuary to our beach and back to the lodge. A great day!

Sort of repacked as tomorrow we get the water taxi and car shuttle back to Nelson, say farewell to C and J, who go direct to the airport, and spend a night in Nelson before getting the ferry to Wellington and meeting Rae and Jim on Sunday! After the rocky start, all is going smoothly, and it doesn’t matter if it is rainy and unpleasant weather in Wellington as we will be with friends, not out walking!Read more