Sun, sand and sore legs

After Nelson, we made our way up to the Abel Tasman which promised sun and sandy coves. 13 years ago Sam kayaked here, so this time (and having just had a wonderful kayak trip in Marlborough) we decided to run the track.
Since Sam was here last it has been developed and a host of water taxi companies have sprung up, meaning what was a fantastic, secluded walk, with camp sites only accessible from the track or by kayak, is now positively crowded (sidebar: we are probably sounding like outdoor snobs, but it felt a little wrong that people inappropriately dressed and kitted out for the conditions could be ferried to what was once a 3 day walk away and then scowl/get in the way of others...more on that later).
We stayed in a local camp site overnight and booked on the first water taxi out in the morning. After a lot of faff (but with the promised sun and sand) we got dropped up at Awaroa bay, the penultimate taxi stop and ~40km from the camp site and set off running back.
As it was one of NZs great walks, the track is well kept and undulates up and down the hills and in and out the coves.

With the occasional great view (of which we have few photos as we were running too fast to stop!!):

For the first two hours it was a fantastic run, with few people and lovely weather. As we neared the more populated bits of the track we came across more and more people, few of whom responded to our calls of 'hello' or friendly smiles.
Anyway, by 3 hours our legs had started to hurt and our hamstrings were rapidly shortening. As the ascents were gradual, the entire track was run-able (all our previous runs in NZ had a significantly steeper section requiring more of a fast walk, thereby giving some respite to running muscles). In addition, the large tides led to the tracks being submerged in places meaning wading was required.
We eventually reached the end of the track after 4.5 hours with very stiff, sore legs. After a quick dip in the sea to relax our legs and a swift shower at the campsite, we proceeded to the local burger van for a bite before a well deserved night's sleep in Gerty, with the second of NZ's great walks conquered.

Nelson

A brief stop in Nelson, the craft brewery capital of NZ.
Whilst Alistair did:

Sam did:

...and was of course the designated driver :)

The beautiful and tranquil Marlborough sounds

There are so many things to like about the Marlborough sounds, and not just that you can get a fantastic Hoki and chips for £2.50!
Whilst the Abel Tasman is the famous place for kayaking and camping we decided to head to the Marlborough sounds, Queen Charlotte sound to be precise, in the hope it would be a little quieter.
On arrival in town we realised that our itinerary hadn't accounted for February having less than the average monthly number of days (it's a struggle to know what day it is, let alone what month) so what was 3 days kayaking and 2 days biking turned into 3 days kayaking and 1 day biking, but that worked out well given the weather forecast...
So, early morning we turned up to pick up our kayak and drop off our bikes at Anikiwa. The chap we were hiring from gave us some suggestions for lunch spots and camp sites and took our bikes so they would be delivered to a spot where we could drop the boat and pick them up in three days time.
We set off in glorious sunshine:

Found a fantastic 10 metre stretch of beach in a secluded cove for lunch:

And spent the afternoon enjoying the tranquility and calm waters. There are very few people out in the sounds so it felt like we had them all to ourselves.
By late afternoon we were heading in to our campsite. When we arrived we found a delightful patch of beach that was only accessible by boat and was completely deserted...perfect.

The chap we hired the kayak from was texting us weather forecasts and when the next days update came in at dinner time it stated 'DO NOT GET ON THE WATER'...ominous. Turns out there were 40 knot winds forecast.
On waking up the next morning at our private campsite all looked pretty calm. We negotiated by text with the hire company that we could set off and only paddle the morning which we did, and the weather was fine. When we arrived at our destination at lunch time, having not dawdled (given the impending weather) we found another fantastic private camp site.

This time the weather started to close in and we endured a couple of hours of wind and light drizzle sat under a tree before it brightened up again and we enjoyed beach games and a sprint session on the sand followed by a quick swim (avoiding the jelly fish!). The weather closed in overnight, but we were tucked up in our tent by then and it was fine by the next day, but for some remaining wind.

We spent the third day in the boat (I forgot to mention she was named Pamela the Packhorse) exploring the bay of coves before overshooting our destination bay and having to turn and paddle into some quite strong winds to get back (resulting in about 7 hrs on the water!). This was the part where we had to leave the kayak next to a road and walk over a saddle point to a campsite on the other side of the hill. Unlike the previous two nights, this camp site was heaving as it was right on the Queen Charlotte track (one of NZ's great walks).
The next morning we had to walk back over the other side and move the kayak onto the jetty and pick up our bikes which had been delivered by water taxi. We then set off on the Queen Charlotte track back to Anikiwa where we started the kayak. Only ~20km, this bike was graded intermediate and advanced and we soon found ourselves pushing up the most ridiculously steep hill. It was worth it though, as the 2.5hr bike down the other side was some of the best mountain biking Sam has ever done. Bumpy and technical, Alistair was flying as always and Sam was astounded to be keeping up and remaining upright. The view from the top wasn't bad either....

NZ Great 'Walk' #1 complete!

Wine, wine and wine!

Next port of call was Marlborough. The beautiful countryside scenery here was just a pleasant backdrop to the main event...the wine.

With lots on vineyards in close proximity, offering tastings, and more, we spent a very pleasant day on our bikes sampling some of the world's finest Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, as well as trying a wide variety of more recently introduced grapes (we took a particular liking to some of the Pinot Gris).  The setup made it particularly inviting as well - just turn up at the "cellar door" of any vineyard, and more likely than not be given a sample of their full range of wines - from fizz, through whites and reds to desert wine - for free (ok, we did have to pay a nominal amount for a couple of them)!

Our wallets didn't get off scot-free though - we have had to convert one of Gertrude's storage lockers into a wine cellar to carry everything we came away with! This shot is taken from our camp spot a few nights later enjoying one of the Sauvignon Blancs. Gosh we love these kiwi camp sites. (The observant amongst you will notice the glasses are the ones we got given when we last tasted wine many miles away in Chile).

We enjoyed the tastings so much we felt compelled to stop by one more the following lunch time (after an early morning hills session) on our way out the region... 

Omaka aviation heritage museum

Having seen this place advertised as one of the best museums in the world and it being only a short detour off the main road, we went for a visit.

Turns out it is largely funded and stocked by Sir Peter Jackson (director Lord of the rings) and set up by a production company ( which we suspect was also the folk from LotR). 

We got a tour from a chap called Bunty, a Kiwi WWII fighter pilot who was ace. In summary it is a lot of old planes, both originals that still fly and replicas set up wonderfully and often with an associated story. It will be difficult to do it justice in words so here are some of the pics....

Whales, fishing, and a big cray fish in a little pot

Kaikoura is a lovely town where sea life (both seeing it and eating it) are the order of the day as the continental shelf is only a few hundred metres off shore. 

We started with an early morning (sidebar: you'd have thought that not working would equal lots of lie-ins, but actually we always seem to be getting up early to do something) trip to go whale watching.

A company run by the local Maoris has custom made boats with viewing edges. The Sperm whale has a routine of popping up to the surface for ~ 10 minutes, then diving for 40mins or so, so they are actually quite predictable. Once one of their fleet of boats has seen one dive they plot a gps mark so everyone knows when and where to expect it.

As as a result we saw 4 whales of differing sizes and colours:

And a pod of dolphins (as we'd got lucky with the whales we had some time free):

Kaikoura means meal of crayfish in Maori so it seemed fitting it should be on the menu, but once we saw the prices of a crayfish dinner (~£55) we decided it would be better value and more fun to go fishing.

Turns out deep line fishing gives you one tired arm from all the reeling in. Having joined a group on a fishing boat we caught a blue cod, a weaver cod and 4 perch between us which they filleted for us on board (phew- Gerty is well stocked but she doesn't have a filleting knife). Given the tide was hiding the cray pot buoys they also gave us one of the mornings catch to take home. Now we only have a small chilly bin so the cray had to travel in a carrier bag held up on a bungy, but on arrival at yet another beautiful beachside government camp site (£6 per night), he seemed no worse for wear. 

What followed was a Fawlty towers 20 minutes whilst we worked out how to not only get him out the bag (he was understandably jumpy and has spikes),  kill him, but also fit him in the tiny saucepan (whilst we took every precaution possible to avoid cruelty suggest Megan- look away now).

We were told if we couldn't boil him whole the best way to kill him kindly was to drown him ( 15 mins in fresh water):

Yes that's him under there in a washing up tub of fresh water!

Then we found if we removed a few of the longer appendages he would fit in the pot! 

What followed was a delicious meal about as fresh as it is possible to be. Life's good.

The biggest and best ice coffee in the world

After a hard day looking at whales and catching our dinner (see Whales, fishing....etc blog post) we stopped in a cafe in Kaikoura for a coffee. Given it was a hot day, Sam opted for an iced coffee. To say it was huge was an understatement and it was so good she is still talking about it. I've even heard that she is planning on making us drive past the cafe on the way to the north island so she can have another one.

If you're in the region, go to Why Not cafe, you won't be disappointed.