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The North of the South 2021

octubre 2021 - julio 2025
  • Amanda Carnie
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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021
    Before...
    ...and After!

    A rest day at Totaranui

    3 de noviembre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Today was a ‘rest’ day, so nothing much to report other than Charlie went above and beyond the call of duty fighting the elements to secure another huge haul of oysters off the rocks for dinner.
    A strong south-easterly wind overnight and all day today has whipped up huge waves, transforming the previously tranquil beach into a surfie’s paradise! We were amazed to see the damage it had done to the beach: there had been a gentle slope of sand down to the water when we arrived, but overnight a wall almost 2 metres high had been gouged into the beach!    Leer más

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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021
    Totaranui Beach
    The beach at Goat BaySome of our rock-hopping terrainStill rock-hopping back to Totaranui Beach. Check out the oysters on the rocks!

    A big walk to Goat Bay

    2 de noviembre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    I was just opening up my laptop to start penning today’s update when the laptop skidded across the table and knocked a whole glass of dark red wine over – it splashed all over both the seat AND back of one of our couches!! Twenty minutes of frantic swabbing and scrubbing later, we are hoping that we have done enough to mitigate a permanent stain. Bugger!
    Charlie was up at sparrow-fart this morning to try his luck fishing the incoming tide and - YESSSS!!! At last, his first gurnard. Two lovely fillets.
    Totaranui is one of the DOC campgrounds on the Abel Tasman Coastal Walk. Today was another gorgeous warm sunny day and we decided to head out on another section of the track to the next bay along, Goat Bay, which according to the sign was 2km away. Unfortunately we didn’t realise that the track, which usually follows the coastline not far above the beach, was washed out recently by floods. It took us an hour to get there and only the first 10 minutes were flattish. The NEW track now zig-zags up a VERY steep hill and down the other side even MORE steeply! I was certainly not looking forward to the return journey!
    But the beauty of Goat Bay was well worth the effort. It simply took our breath away. We were the only people on the beach, and we found a shady rock to sit on and drank in the views (and a cup of coffee) before walking the length of the beach and back. When we arrived on the beach, Charlie realised that the rocks at the northern end were those he had been fishing off (and gathering oysters on) yesterday, so we debated the pros and cons of rock-hopping across and around them to get back, rather than traversing that dreaded hill again. We decided to give it a go, and I crossed my fingers hoping that my knee would last the distance.
    Well it did, and although it still took us an hour to get back to the Totaranui beach it was great fun! It gave us a completely different perspective on the beach and we spent quite some time peering into rock pools and marveling at the clarity of the water. We also noted where the next lot of oysters are for when the hunter-gatherer goes back with his toolkit!
    Another evening feeling pleasantly tired and sun-kissed after our day’s exertions.    Leer más

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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021
    Wainui Inlet
    Leaving PoharaAnother narrow, winding road - into TotaranuiOur camp at Totaranui1A perfect Rock Oyster1Oyster fritters and a glass of bubbles - pure decadence!

    We reach Totaranui

    1 de noviembre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    What a beautiful morning! We set off from Pohara and wound our way round the coast past the stunning Ligar, Tata and Wainui Bays (the other end of the Abel Tasman Coastal Walk) until the tar seal runs out. Around 12km of narrow, winding, unsealed road later we arrived at Totaranui – another hidden gem we had only heard about but never visited until now. I’ll leave it to the photos we will post over the next few days to describe this place.
    We had a walk along the beach and back, then sat out under a shady tree for an hour or so while Charlie put his fishing gear together (not a sandfly in sight, Karen!) Being low tide, he decided to go off to explore the rocks at the Southern end of the beach, and came back with a bucket full of rock oysters! On Rick’s advice we had brought a chisel and a small hammer with us, and had bought a shucking knife while we were in Christchurch hoping for just this eventuality, so now was the time to try it out. We took a while to get the hang of it, and minced quite a few oysters in the process, but finally got enough for half a dozen patties – and ate a few of the big ones ‘au naturel’… absolutely delicious!
    Then it was book time (for Mandy) and fishing time (for Charlie). Just bait stealers again sadly: apparently the tide was not yet high enough, and he needed to go back out again after we’d enjoyed our oysters with a bottle of Hunters Miru Miru (bubbly) for dinner!    Leer más

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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021
    From Takaka Hill looking back to Tasman Bay
    From Takaka Hill looking ahead to Golden BayPohara MarinaPohara BeachPohara Cliffs

    Over the Takaka Hill

    31 de octubre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Apologies for the delay in transmission over the last few days. We have spent a magical 4 days at Totaranui, where there is not enough signal to be able to get onto the internet.
    Here’s what we’ve been up to while we've been away!

    Actually I didn’t sleep very well… I guess being a weekend, the locals were keen to party and there was a thumping bass playing for a couple of hours after we retired for the night. Added to that, three cars turned up in the evening and decided that right next door to us would be a good place to pitch their tents. Which wouldn’t have been so bad, except that two of the three were packed up and gone before 7am the next morning, and each had developed at least 25 doors (all of which had to be slammed shut) before they were ready to depart!
    Today we took on the massive Takaka Hill – nearly 800m to the summit and the climb seemed to go on and on. We made it to the township of Takaka where we did a big supermarket shop as we’re intending to spend quite a few days at Totaranui. We carried on round the coast to Pohara, where we overnighted at the NZMCA site near the marina. It was blowing a gale (these pictures were taken the next morning). Charlie spent quite some time talking to a chap in the bus next to us who gave him some tips about where to fish and what has worked for him… he’s looking forward to trying it out!    Leer más

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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021
    Porter's Beach
    Porter's BeachHigh above Coquille BayCoquille BayThe Beach at Coquille BayThe Intrepid Fisherman

    Abel Tasman Coastal Track

    30 de octubre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    What an amazing day! We decided a cooked breakfast would set us up for the day so it wasn’t the earliest of starts, but we set off from camp with our walking poles swinging. Slathered with sunblock and insect repellent (we are still expecting to hit swarms of sandflies – though we haven’t yet!) we hit the start of the track around 10.30. The weather had finally come right – it was cloudless, sunny and very warm, and the resulting contrasting colours of the sea, sky, beach and bush were a joy to behold.
    The track initially crosses a very large estuary (the tide was out) with multiple boardwalks raised above the swampy bits, before heading into the bush and winding along the coast. There was quite a bit of up and down, but every corner seemed to be another ‘oh wow’ moment.
    Charlie was keen to try some fishing, so as well as his rod, he was carrying quite a bit of fishing gear in his pack along with our lunch! He had been sold some newfangled synthetic soft-bait that look like little crayfish or prawns when dangling off a hook, with lots of little arms and legs, and was interested to try them out. He had heard that Tinline Bay was a possible spot, but the tide there was still too far out when we got there, so we carried on. We got to where the track to Coquille Bay headed down the hillside to a beautiful little beach, but it looked a bit steep and treacherous (especially for someone with a dicky knee) so we carried on for another 15-20 minutes hoping to find an alternative route down. There wasn’t one, so we backtracked and decided to give it a go, slowly and very carefully!
    What a magic spot. There was only one other couple on the beach when we got there, and we took up a position by the rocks at the far end of the beach and spent a lovely 1.5 hours there. Sadly, apart from one small bait stealer, he didn’t land any fish. But the new soft-bait seemed to be a hit with these tiddlers – they nibbled all the little arms and legs off, so all that was left were the little chubby bodies!
    Our walk home was a bit quicker as we didn’t loiter at all the lookout points, but it was a fairly solid hour and a half’s walk. We reckon we did close to 8km today, and some of it was pretty rugged, so needless to say we were pretty hot and tired by the time we got back to camp. I know I’m going to sleep well tonight!    Leer más

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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021
    The Start of the Abel Tasman Track
    The Riwaka RiverThe Riwaka ResurgenceJust us and the tuis1Our Happy Hour Weather Show

    Marahau: Gateway to the Abel Tasman

    29 de octubre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After another overcast but mild day yesterday, this morning was one out of the box. We checked out of the camping ground, parked on the Kaiteriteri beachfront and brewed up a coffee… we really didn’t want to leave this beautiful spot!
    But we reasoned we would be coming back this way on our way south, so hopefully we will spend some more time here. We headed for the start of the Takaka Hill, and veered off to the left down the Riwaka Valley where we parked and set off through the bush to find the Riwaka Resurgence – where the river emerges from under the Takaka Hill at a consistent 9 degrees all year round. The water here is so pure and clear you can see every stone on the bottom, and you cannot tell how deep the pools are. It was a truly awesome spot.
    We drove on around the coast until we arrived at Marahau, the very last stop before the start of the Abel Tasman Track, one of NZ’s ‘Great Walks’. By now it was drizzling, so we decided not to attempt any of the track today, but we do have big plans for tomorrow… We checked into a rather alternative-looking campsite which is walking distance to the start of the track, and wandered down to a café/bar for a drink and to check out their takeaways menu (tonight is fish and chips night!) There is hardly anyone else here, so we are looking forward to another peaceful night in the wilderness.
    Happy hour was spent looking out over the start of the track and Tasman Bay beyond, surrounded by natural bush and tuis flitting all around us and singing loudly. It was warm and sunny with not a breath of wind, but the clouds that had been hanging over Takaka Hill behind us all day put on a rather dramatic show. Another magic spot.    Leer más

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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021

    A Rest Day in Kaiteriteri

    28 de octubre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    A ‘day of rest’ at Kaiteriteri – sadly it wasn’t the best day for photos, weatherwise… these ones were taken the next morning.

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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021
    Kaiteriteri Beach from our Campsite
    One of many signs telling us what we can't doMoney!

    We Reach Kaiteriteri

    27 de octubre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We traveled through to Motueka this morning, where we did a few chores and a little shopping. I’ve bought a walking pole to help support my knee, which seems to have a bit of torn or floating ‘stuff’ that pops out of alignment every now and then causing huge amounts of pain and swelling. Most inconvenient! Charlie also bought some fishing gear so that he can attack the fish as we get further north.
    And so here we are in Kaiteriteri – what a beautiful spot! We are staying in a motor camp for a couple of nights and our site is right on the beachfront. At happy hour we took our drinks across to the beach and sat there watching the world go by. We watched as a brand new John Deere tractor towing an amazing boat pulled up next to the boat ramp, expecting that the tractor would back the boat in. Next thing, the boat had reversed itself off the trailer, turned around and headed straight down the ramp into the water nose first, then paused while the wheels got pulled up, and then it motored off over the horizon! Charlie thought it was hilarious that they thought they needed a tractor, when it didn’t even leave the tar seal! We’ve just seen it come back in, and the whole procedure was reversed. The tractor was driving out of the car park with the boat on, within three minutes of it reaching the shore, and the boat passengers didn’t even get their feet wet!    Leer más

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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021
    Neudorf Estate
    Upper Moutere POPThe bubbles treeChardonnay treeTree of reds

    Still on the Winery Trail

    26 de octubre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Another largely frustrating morning on the search for wine tasting options in Upper Moutere. We’d picked up a 2020 wine trail publication from the information centre in Nelson on Sunday, but it hasn’t been very helpful. We firstly arrived at Neudorf Estate late morning, and although the cellar door was open, they were not doing tastings. They could, however, sell us half-glasses of any wines we’d like to try! So we picked three and sat out in their very nice garden area – we were the only people in the entire place!
    We then tried to find Kahurangi Estate, which according to the brochure provides “a selection of locally-sourced food” as we thought this would be a good place for some lunch. It turns out the winery has been sold and the new label provides neither food nor tastings! By now we were getting hungry, so we turned to option 3, Moutere Hills winery, which has a very nice restaurant. We followed heaps of winery signs to get there (there seemed to be one on each of about 8 corners) and finally reached the winery up a long driveway… only to find it was closed!
    By now we were getting REALLY hungry, so we thought sod it – we’ll go back to the wine bar on the wharf at Mapua that we went to yesterday. And had a great time. They have an extensive wine list and do tasting ‘trees’ – which allows you to try up to 5 wines. You’ll see from the pictures that I did the sparkling selection and the chardonnay tree, while Charlie did a selection of reds (he was driving!) We also had a wood-fired pizza. And of course bought a few more bottles to take home!
    Tonight’s stopover is another park-over property (POP) owned by an NZMCA member in the Upper Moutere valley. We are parked in a quiet leafy glade surrounded by park-like grounds and birdsong.    Leer más

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  • Amanda CarnieAmanda CarnieThe North of the South 2021
    Rabbit IslandCrowded beach on Rabbit IslandRabbit Island from the Mapua WharfRuby Bay - tide's out!

    We (nearly) hit some Wineries

    25 de octubre de 2021, Nueva Zelanda ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We took the road out to Rabbit Island this morning. The Council-owned island is 8km long and around 2km wide, and largely covered in pine forests, but the long seaward side of it is a lovely sandy beach. Although it was overcast to start with, by mid-morning the cloud had cleared and we had a very enjoyable walk along part of the beach and one of the forest tracks. The gates to the island are closed off during the hours of darkness, and no camping is permitted, but there are heaps of cycle tracks, parking areas, picnic spots (some with barbecues) for people to use during the day.
    Our plan was then to hit the wineries for some tastings, and Seifried being the closest, we tried that one first. The gates were open, the signs were out, but the doors were locked so we turned round and headed for our second option: Rimu Grove Winery near Mapua. We found the right road, but no signs and we later found out the vineyard has changed hands and no longer does tastings!
    We hit gold with our third attempt though. We drove down to the wharf at Mapua, to find Rimu Wine Bar, where we were hosted to a wonderful hour of tastings by the ex-owner of Rimu Grove. Patrick now makes wines for many of the local growers as well as his own label. Needless to say we bought several bottles, and also had a delicious platter lunch over another glass of wine in his restaurant.
    The wharf had a great vibe – it was buzzing with people and all the hospitality businesses seemed to be having a good day. We wandered around in the sunshine for a while taking in the sights before heading off to our park for the night: a large Council-run camping ground called the McKee Memorial Reserve, which is right on Ruby Bay.
    We have struggled a bit to find appropriate places to stay in the Nelson region. Sadly it appears that the Council is not very welcoming to visitors. Freedom camping is not permitted anywhere other than designated carparks in the CBD (which must be vacated by 7am), and everywhere you look there are signs saying NO motorhomes / dogs / parking / fires / camping / rubbish / entry, etc. We have seen publications that clearly state their preference is for ALL visitors to stay in commercially-run accommodation (and pay through the nose to do so) and highlight the fines that will be imposed if the rules are not followed. And there are no DOC campsites in the region either, so that means our options are quite limited. Needless to say we won’t be spending too long here.    Leer más

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