Reset search
Sojourn in New ZealandSojourn in New Zealand
SatelliteEdit route
Just a 2 week holiday…we meet Carole and John Petrich and walk the Abel Tasman walk on the north coast of the South Island, then spend a few days with Rae and Jim Henderson, old neighbours from Kiparra Street. Read more
  • 15footprints
  • 2countries
  • 15days
  • 93photos
  • 0videos
  • 5.3kkilometers
  • 3.8kkilometers
Follow Calendar Share Bucket list
Date ascending
  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    Day 1

    Setting off to Queenstown

    October 6, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Checked in at the airport, about to have coffee as didn’t make it at the ungodly hour of 5am. Quite bustling for this early hour at the airport. We have business class seats for this leg and are seated in 1F and 1G!!! Very unusual for us, pity it’s only a 3 hour flight.

    This is just a starting entry, will continue when we get to Queenstown.    Read more

  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    Day 2

    Finally in Queenstown!

    October 7, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    I can now say we are in Queenstown and having a wonderful time! Yesterday, as many know, was a non day for us as after waiting for hours at Sydney airport in a huge holding room of many airlines waiting to board, our flight was finally cancelled…there was a bomb threat in Queenstown and they had to wait hours to get equipment from Christchurch…etc etc…(and of course it ended up being a false alarm - it was just a boot warmer that someone thought looked suspicious)…so we had to return home as they booked us for the same flight next day, change our flights on to Nelson which would have been today, change hotel bookings etc…very frustrating, and for everyone on the flight…there were weddings, birthday parties and all the usual…

    So this morning we again got an Uber at an ungodly hour to repeat the whole procedure, but this time went straight to the Amex lounge and had a peaceful breakfast before joining the chaos in the holding room! And we boarded on time, left on time and all was well! Phew…we gradually let go of our angst. Had a pleasant meal with a glass of wine, (called it NZ time but still only 11.30am and 9.30 in Oz!) .

    Landed amongst the mountains, still with some snow caps, and remembered how beautiful Queenstown is. Got a bus into town, which we will take back in the morning to fly to Nelson - easy. Then we found our hotel and I want to report to Jess that is fabulous!! Not the flea-bitten hostel that she thought it might be, but just what we like! We have a tiny but immaculate room with bathroom, view out to the funicular up the mountain. Right in the centre of town, though nowhere is very far away.

    So after dropping our stuff we set out walking, beautifully cold - wore my down jacket and wouldn’t have minded gloves. Lovely views along the lake, trees just bursting with new spring leaves - don’t know if these are exotic to NZ or they have native deciduous trees, but it was gorgeous. We also sussed out somewhere to eat tonight - so many choices, but settled on a light Vietnamese meal (don’t worry Denise, we just need something light!!)…

    So now relaxing, Amr is listening to something, I am writing up, and we’ll set off for a drink and dinner later.    Read more

  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    Day 3

    Now in Nelson

    October 8, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    This rather complicated travel has been successful finally, and here we are in Nelson and have met up with Carole and John and have had a lovely afternoon and dinner with them. We woke up this morning in Queenstown, freezing, temp 1°, and rugged up and had breakfast at a bakery Amr had found - good coffee and croissants. Then we leisurely headed off in the bus to the airport where it was warm and comfy, and relaxed till our flight to Wellington left (on time!), and on arrival had about 25 mins till we boarded the little plane that brought us to Nelson, just a 25 min flight. Got taxi to our accommodation here, which is within walking distance to everything we need and very perfect…this time we have huge space (which we don’t need!) - it is a little apartment! We come back here for one night at the end of the walk too. Much warmer here - we were able to shed many layers of clothing.

    So we meet C and J and had a walk round the town, sort of got our bearings. Had a sojourn in a wine bar/cafe and had coffee and snack as we realised we hadn’t eaten since the croissant ages ago.

    Everywhere in NZ is so beautiful….mountains, islands, coastlines….flying planes must be fairly hazardous!! But luckily our pilots knew what they were doing!! Again there are spring new leaves and blossoms everywhere, and Amr and I went on a river walk to stretch our legs before dinner. Had a casual and just right Asian meal at Mama San which had many favourite choices from various countries, and did it well…and it even was BYO so we could get a nice NZ Pinot from a liquor store!

    It’s now only 9.30, but we are retiring horizontally…today we woke at 6am, and realised it was 4am Oz time…so we can feel tired! Tomorrow is day 1, but not a walking day - we get picked up and transferred to the beginning point, and a very fancy lodge where we spend the first 3 nights, so we can unpack a little and our washing may dry! Each day we walk and somehow get back to the lodge…! Anyway it will be fun.

    Will put up some photos of the river walk. None of the 4 of us yet…we thought of it at dinner but only when we had a pile of empty dirty plates! This will come!    Read more

  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    12
    Day 4

    Day 1 of our programme - at Marahau

    October 9, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    A lovely day. We were picked up at 12 to be driven to Marahau - about an hour’s drive from Nelson, through beautiful countryside. We had breakfast at a cafe that Carole and John had found…had a walk along the river the other direction towards the marina where there was an excellent coffee hut. Arrived here at Marahau at about 1pm, staying at the Abel Tasman Lodge for three nights! Luxury, as we can sort of unpack, sort out and relax. This is a very gorgeous place to stay…I don’t think the photos will do justice, but we have a room which opens out to the garden, sun streaming in when we arrived, and everything one would want! They deliver breakfast of our choice to us at time of our choice, and also packed lunches for our day’s walking! Perfect.

    So we don’t actually walk till tomorrow, but we all went on various reconnoitres…there are 2 eateries in this tiny village, and they open different days, so today we went to one and had a delicious meal, but found they will now be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, sadly, as we would have come back. And tomorrow we are booked in to the other (which is included in our package), but we are bound to go back there on Wed as the other closed! Am sure we will cope! Amr and I had a good walk in the late afternoon..we found it was along the actual track where we will be arriving back tomorrow, as we get a water taxi in the morning to Anchorage, then walk back to here. This is quite different from camino walking, but the up side is that we stay in the one place for 3 nights, and then another for 2. And the walks are all the Abel Tasman, and by the end we will have walked it all, but we do it in different segments, not following along in order. We get water taxis, or land transfers to the beginning and end points. I guess there is not accommodation, other than camping, along the trail and this is how they organise it, if you do it like us staying in nice places!

    So we are just back from dinner - lovely seafood parpadelle for me - and all good. Tomorrow is our first day of walking the track!    Read more

  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    11
    Day 5

    A beautiful walk

    October 10, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    A lovely day walking in such scenic area…we are doing this walk in 4 segments, not following from one end to the other…something to do with what works best and where we stay, but fine by us, we just follow the instructions! So this morning, after breakfast, we went to the water taxi place just down the road, as we were ferried to our starting point, then walked back to here. This is a very tidal area, and at low tide the whole bay is virtually empty so they have the boats on tractors that take you to the water! Then you launch and take off…so we were water taxied for about 45 minutes up the coast, then dropped off, found the track and started walking.

    It was only about 12 kms, but not actually easy. We had always heard that the Abel Tasman was such a piece of cake, but I found it a little demanding at times, and certainly was a bush walk - always having to beware of roots and stones that can trip you up….and there was a fair amount of uphill and downhill…what I mean is that it wasn’t a camino walk, where the track is mostly free of obstacles…so it was a bush walk, and offset with stunning views and panoramas. Not a complaint at all, a fabulous day, but just unexpected!

    A very well marked track, and side tracks to beaches along the way. We only went down to one where we had lunch, as it usually involved quite a clamber down and up. The track mostly went along the side of the hill, which gave us those wonderful panoramas.

    Carole and John did well as they are not walking veterans like us. They kayak and cycle which involves different sets of muscles, and tomorrow they are going to cut their walk shorter and get a water taxi back. Tomorrow’s segment of the walk is the other end of the trail - we get a water taxi for about an hour, get dropped off and walk about 14 kms and get picked up by car transfer back to here! Seems crazy, but there must be some logic in it for the organisation! So Amr and I will do the walk to the end (there is an optional extra circuit which we probably won’t do, the basic walk sounds good for us.

    So we got back to our very nice rooms today at about 3.45 and had a lovely relax. Amr had a hot tub - the rest of us hadn’t even brought swimmers - but very pleasant. It was warm during the day, but quite a strong breeze, and cools right down at night. Perfect walking weather. And should continue!

    We were booked into a restaurant down the road tonight, part of our deal, and we’re expected at 6.30…all was good, we were expected, but there was an excruciatingly long wait for our food to appear!! Over an hour…we could see things slowly being served to others…they all had to wait too, it wasn’t just us…a very slow and careful kitchen…but when it finally arrived they were delicious meals! And we will have dinner there again tomorrow as there are only 2 restaurants - where we ate yesterday which is closed today and tomorrow - so no choice! But we’ll be prepared for slow service.

    Off to bed and ready for a new adventure tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    11
    Day 6

    Doing what we love doing!

    October 11, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Another beautiful day….cool - 3° - in the morning, but warming up but never hot and sweaty, even climbing uphill. Perfect walking weather. So we set off at 8.15 to have coffee where we had dinner last night, as the coffee at the lodge not good…and the cafe right beside the water taxi place…had the best coffee so far in NZ, and will have it there tomorrow morning too.

    The water taxi took us way up north to Totaranui, about an hour or more, dropping various people off etc, and we were headed for Wainui Bay, the last northern segment of the Abel Tasman track. Carole and John had decided that they would just do a short distance and turn back and get the water taxi back in the afternoon on its next run…I think John has finally admitted that he can’t walk easily thank goodness, and they had a good day, and have plans to modify the next 2 walking days. Perfect for all!

    So after about an hour when we arrived at the first beach for the day we said farewell and Amr and I set off for the rest of the day. It was glorious, but I still wonder why I ever heard it was an easy track, as we spent all day ascending from the beaches, which today were part of the track (unlike yesterday when they were optional side tracks), then walking along the shoulder of the coastline till we descended to the next beach. But it was all made worthwhile because of the stunning views and perfect weather, and I’m happy to say that at the end of the day I don’t have any stiffness, sore joints or any aches and pains!! In fact my only complaint is an acute attack of hay fever which has kept me twitching and snuffling all day…the NZ spring pollens I guess.

    We walked about 17 kms of fairly demanding walking, and were picked up by Sarah who was our shuttle person from Nelson to here (and she will transfer us back to Nelson on Saturday I believe). Such a welcome sight to see her van waiting for us! The ride back to Marahau was almost 2 hours!! It is all national park and we had to go right round the edge and up a very high and windy road and down the other side…not easy.

    So altogether a wonderful day…we feel very exhilarated. Went to dinner with C and J at the same place as last night as it was the only one open, and tonight to our amazement we didn’t have to wait for ages, our delicious food came quickly (it was delicious last night too, but such a long wait!) and all were happy!    Read more

  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    11
    Day 7

    Hard walking, beautiful vistas

    October 12, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    We are now resigned to the fact that this track is a demanding bush walk! And we worked very hard today, climbing up headlands and down again and continuing…the saving grace of course is the amazing and stunning scenery, and the perfect weather. Today our water taxi ride took us to Torrent Bay, near where we walked from going south on the first day back to our lodging, but today we headed north and walked to our new lodging, the Awaroa Lodge. This is another very nice accommodation set in the wilderness…we have wifi, but no phone reception.

    My watch says that I walked 21 kms, which includes walking down to the water taxi etc, but the actual walk was quite long…(officially about 14 kms or so I think). Carole and John got another water taxi that took them to a beach a shortish distance from our new home, and waited and relaxed there till we turned up! A good arrangement, but we had crossed wires about the beach as they had mentioned Tonga beach, which when we got there was a delightful tiny place but deserted…we were happy to wait for a while in case they appeared as we had been working hard …got there about 2.40 and waited till 3, then set off again, climbed another huge ascent, and down to the next beach which was bigger, with campsites etc, and people here and there…and of course that was where C and J were waiting…that was the water taxi stop, not the other tiny one which made sense…anyway, all was well and we set off together for the final leg to our lodging!

    And fortunately this last hill and descent was the kindest of the day, so no problem for C and J, and we walked to our new home, where we stay for 2 nights. All meals included here, and we are just back from lovely dinner, and have eyed out what we may have tomorrow! The walk tomorrow is from a stop further north back to here, not all that far, and with many optional extra side walks…at the moment I think we will just do the basic part and relax!!

    Will put up some of the pictures from today…they are repetitive of crystal clear turquoise water through trees and pristine beaches! But just amazing when you are walking through it and encounter these treats…    Read more

  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    1
    Day 8

    Last really beautiful walking day

    October 13, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    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

  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    111
    Day 9

    Back to Nelson

    October 14, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌙 13 °C

    A dramatically different day! We woke up to see it was raining, our perfect weather had ended. It rained hard during breakfast, so glad we weren’t setting out to walk! We all packed up and were ready to get the water taxi at 10.30. Our bags were to be taken for us, and we set off for the taxi point soon after 10, and as we walked there - 5 mins walk - we realised there was an enormous gale - the Lodge was in a sheltered spot, protected by trees, and we walked into the real world! Arriving at the ramp down to the beach, there were waves breaking and rolling in, I had to grip my phone really firmly to take a photo so as not to drop it…we wondered how on earth we would board the water taxi. The guy bringing our bags in a little golf cart thing came, took one look and drove away…we waited in the gale and our boat appeared and signalled for us to go to the other end of the beach and round a corner where it was more sheltered! So we hot-tailed it along the soft sand, against the wind - our exercise for the day!! Took ages as was quite a long way and finally and thankfully embarked (and our bags also were driven along another path) and we were on our way back to Marahau.

    But that wasn’t the end of it! The journey was like a lunar park ride…we bounced and bumped up and down the waves, picked up other people and dropped off bags etc…it wasn’t actually scary as the boats are very tough and the skippers are used to this weather which typically happens…but for us it was such a contrast to the perfect tranquil waters we had seen yesterday as we walked and Carole and John kayaked. So quite an adventure!

    Arrived at Marahau a little after midday, and Sarah who has shuttled us round before was there waiting to take us back to Nelson. First C and J were dropped off at the airport - fond farewell, we so enjoy our encounters in so many parts of the world - and then Amr and I were dropped back at the hotel in Nelson where we stayed before.

    Just back from a lovely dinner at Urban Oyster Bar, a place that C and J had recommended. Just right light yum dishes (not just oysters!)…very satisfied and tomorrow we take a bus to Picton where we get the ferry to Wellington. They say the gale will be stronger tomorrow! But the huge inter island ferries will not be worried. With the total change in weather the temperature of course has dropped, and today we wore fleece jackets and a scarf tonight. I love the cool, and it always is cold at night, but now it’s day too! Not many photos - tried for the wild seas, but couldn’t take any during the boat journey, too busy holding on! Some of dinner!    Read more

  • TravelerSojourn in New Zealand
    Day 10

    Travel day - to Wellington

    October 15, 2023 in New Zealand ⋅ 🌬 11 °C

    A lack of exercise day as first we had a 2 and a bit hour bus trip from Nelson to Picton, arriving just after noon, then at 2.15 we left in the huge ferry for the 3.5 hour trip to Wellington. All easy and smooth. Grey and cold when we left Nelson, which turned windy and rainy on and off, and very cold, very windy and squally rain at Picton! The bus ride was through rolling hills, a very winding road and at the end through many vineyards in the Marlborough area. Pretty countryside.

    Had time for a little bite to eat at Picton - found a tapas bar, just right, then made our way to board. Such a huge ferry, even though the sea looked extremely choppy it just sailed on through without any noticeable rock and roll! So very pleasant and comfortable - we didn’t go outside on deck - I don’t think they were allowing people to anyway because of the weather conditions, so we sat in the comfortable seats with wifi happy as clams.

    Rae and Jim were there to meet us which was wonderful…they live in Waikanae which is about 45 mins drive north of the city, in a more sheltered climate and near the beach. It was about 7 when we got there so we chatted and had dinner and will see round tomorrow. Off to bed, just a quick account of the day.    Read more

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English