New Zealand (South Is) - Picton to Malborough

The crossing over to the south island was largely uneventful. We admired the view from the top deck for a little while and then headed down to the cabin to watch a film. We arrived into Picton and decided to take the 'scenic drive' towards Havelock. The road was insanely windy not to mention steep and although half the distance it definitely took us double the time of the main road. It was however incredibly scenic and we saw some very beautiful bays along the way.

We were heading for Nelson but thought we would stop en-route in the seaside town of Havelock. New Zealand being the home of the large Green-lipped mussel, we thought it would be rude not to sample the local produce and treated ourselves to a meal of mussels cooked in different ways. That night we found a nice little freedom camping spot just off the main road and after a day of traveling decided that instead of going for a run we would all just play cards instead :)

The next morning we continued on stopping off at the supermarket on the way to stock up on supplies for our walk. We stayed in the DOC (department of conservation) campsite the night before our trek and with our backpacks, hired sleeping bags and masses of food and snacks we set off keen but a little later than planned at mid morning the following day. The Abel Tasmen is one of New Zealands 'Great Walks' and is a
coastal trek. There are various treks you can do but we had chosen to do the three days/two nights one. We winded our way along cliff tops, mostly in the trees to start with, but emerging every so often to get a view of the amazing waters below. It was very up and down and there was definitely an 'adjustment period' where everyone got used to
carrying their packs. I say everyone...actually I had a small 'day pack' and Mike carried a large proportion of my supplies in his much larger pack. It was a tough and very selfless decision on my part but I thought it only fair to give Mike the real challenge he was after.

Freezing!

The hut for our first night was on a golden yellow beach and although the water looked nice it was freezing when we arrived and I have to say I wasn't even slightly tempted to go in. Hersha on the other hand had already made her mind up and Mike wasn't going to be out done by Hersha. So I stood on the beach in my full walking gear complete with
jumpers and coat (shivering) whilst the two of them went running down in to the sea in their swimmers!! Absolute nutters. The hut was split in to two separate dorms with mattresses all laid out in rows on two levels. Six on the top and six on the bottom. In
the middle was a little communal area with some tables. Whilst every one else took out their stoves and started cooking delicious dinners and making cups of tea...we took out our 'meal in 1' cereal bars and boring bottles of water. Although actually surprisingly filling and not bad tasting the bars weren't exactly satisfying as anything more than
a snack.

 The next morning we had to set off early in order to make certain crossings in accordance with the tides. Despite leaving early however the tide was starting to come in anyway and we had to remove our boots and trudge across the estuary in bare foot. The second day of the walk was much less sheltered and we were able to really appreciate the
scenery and coast line. The weather was really sunny and in the afternoon whilst waiting for another tidal crossing we took the opportunity to get some sun bathing in. We laughed as we watched two guys taking a very long time to build up the courage to go in the clear but freezing water and then all strode in pretending it wasn't cold in the slightest. Not quite as easy as it sounds when the water is so cold it takes your breath away! The afternoon walk was much further than we had anticipated and we all started to get very tired, continually hoping that we were nearly at the next hut and being nowhere near it. Then like a small haven for a weary traveller we saw a sign for a hotel that had a coffee shop offering a deal for hikers. We summoned our inner strength and practically ran to the coffee shop...I don't think coffee has ever tasted so good! The final stint
was a lot easier after that and we arrived at the second hut not quite as depressed about the prospect of a cereal bar dinner as we might have been otherwise. We spent the evening playing cards and were once again all tucked up in bed by 8.
Unfortunately there had been quite a few land slides on the track so we weren't able to do our final morning walk and instead caught the boat shuttle back to the DOC campsite to pick up our camper. Not sure how to spend the 5 days before our next walk we eventually decided to head back over to the north west and visit the wine regions.

The evening that we finished the walk we treated ourselves to a cheese and wine night – we stayed in a gorgeous DOC campsite in the middle of nowhere that was overlooked by mountains and enjoyed a nice bottle of red with various different Castello cheeses, chutneys and crackers. Despite the crazy dreams we all had that night it was a very enjoyable evening!