Days 4-6 of Fall Break: Nelson/Abel Tasman/Westport

3:30 a.m. came very early on the 4^th day of our trip.  We had to be at the airport by 5:30 which meant our taxi was at my flat to pick us up at 5 a.m.  We were early, but I figure it is always better to be early rather than late.  In fact, I cannot stand when people are late, but I won’t get off on that venting rampage of mine at the moment.  We had to go to a remote area of the airport.  I had heard about flying through Sounds Air, which was really our only option to arrive in Nelson in a timely matter that day.  Well, this particular airline only allows a carry on so my extra luggage and my mom’s luggage had to be paid for by the kilogram.  It was our lucky day because there was only one other gentleman on our flight, so our extra weight did not matter and the guy who checked us in did not charge us anything.  This is why I love NZ.  In the planning stages I had booked the flight to Nelson on the wrong day and they simply just let me change it with no fee!  Oh, and the guy who checked us in, Gordon, also loaded our bags, also gave us our flying debriefing, and also flew us to Nelson.  My first experience on a 12 seat plane was a pleasant one.  Everything from check in, to take off, to the actual flying time, and to the landing was completely smooth.  The sights from the flight made me feel as though I was dancing along the light of day as I watched the sunrise along the horizon. 

Our tiny plane

On Thursday we were to meet up with Kiwi Experience, a hop-on, hop-off traveling bus at 2 p.m.  Since we had no other way to get to Nelson by that time, we had to fly early and I figured we would find something exciting to do in Nelson in the meantime.  We left the airport about an hour after we arrived, which was an hour too soon.  I figured we could store our bags at our pick up location and tour the city.  Unfortunately the place did not open up until 11 a.m. so we sat underneath an overhang and out of the rain on a cold day for an hour.  Luckily, we tried again at 9 and someone was around.  We spent the morning shopping around shops in Nelson.  It was an enjoyable morning and early afternoon.  My mom and I usually spend Wednesday’s together shopping, running errands, and going out to lunch, so it felt like a Wednesday all over again, only this time it was in New Zealand.  We had lunch at a place called Mango because it was the cheapest we could find!  I still cannot seem to get over the prices for food—especially when it comes to going out to eat.  I introduced my mom to cider (a fruity beer is the best way I can describe it) at the bar that held our bags all day (we had to do something to thank them)!  I’m not sure if she enjoyed it or not, but I know I did.

Sights of Nelson

We arrived at our first hostel, Kaiteri Lodge, for the night in Kaiteriteri around 5.  It was raining out so it made it very easy for my mom and me to have a relaxing night in to catch up on our sleep.  On Thursday morning we were able to do a hike in Abel Tasman National Park, which is one of the most beautiful places in NZ.  After spending only a morning there, I already know I want to try and go back at some point while I am here.  We took a water taxi to our starting point and passed Split Apple Rock along the way.  This rock literally split right down the middle one day and it was on my list of things I definitely wanted to see while in NZ.  We arrived at Te Pukatea Bay to begin the Pitt Head Trail.  It was a leisurely hike that we ended in Anchorage, another bay a little further north of where we began.  There simply are no words to describe the beauty of the golden sand and the clear blue water.  There was an area at the end of the beach that had some unique rock formations so we checked that out as well.  It was the best part of the day for me.  I enjoyed taking my hiking boots off and dipping my feet in the crystal clear water.  I am glad I did it because I spotted a stingray close to shore.  And to make things even better, during the walk back down the beach I also spotted a jellyfish and a starfish.  Abel Tasman was absolutely beautiful and I only saw a small part of it. 

Abel Tasman

We left Kaiterteri at 12:30 and headed for Westport.  There was an opportunity to do some adventurous activities, by my mom and I decided to pass since we had already done something that day.  It was a low key night once we arrived, but the low key nights have provided me the opportunity to reflect upon each day.

Split Apple Rock

On day #6 we cruised down the west coast of the South Island of NZ.  It is called Highway 6 and I’m a nerd and appreciate the irony of it being on our 6^th day.  This was mostly a day to travel down the coast, but Kiwi Experience allowed us to stop at numerous locations and do some hiking.  Unfortunately, it was raining, but I have learned to not let weather bother me much here.  After all, I am living in Wellington and it is always either nice or not nice—not much in between.  Our first hike was the Cape Foulwind Walkway.  We were able to spend an hour taking in scenic views of the coast that even included the sites of seals.  I took tons of pictures because it is what I do when I travel, but the pictures just will never do justice to the sights I see here.  Our next stop was a viewpoint along the coast called Irimahuwhero.  It was a short stop, but again, the sites were worth it.  Stop #3 was at Truman Track.  It was a short hike to the coast.  My mom and I were able to take in the unique sights of the coastline.  Our last stop of the day was at the Punakaiki Pancake Rocks.  This was also a place that I had on my list of must-sees before arriving in NZ.  They were awesome!  I am completely in awe of the beauty the God has created in this world.  We did stop at one last place our bus driver compared to the Great Ocean Road in Australia called the Apostles.  It was gorgeous, and even though it was raining, I can see why he compared it to this place that I have seen pictures of.

View from Cape Foulwind Walkway

We arrived in Mahinapua for the night.  Our hostel was called Mahinapua Hotel, also known as the legendary “Poo Pub.”  This place has been on 20/20, and the Prime Minister in NZ calls the owner, Les, who is 87 to wish him a happy birthday.  They say he’s the oldest bar owner in the country.  It was wonderful to be greeted by him and to meet him.  Every Kiwi Experience bus traveling the South Island stops at this place; it’s really quite remarkable to think about how he makes a living.  We were able to walk down to Lake Mahinapua upon our arrival.  It was breathtaking and I met a woman from Christchurch who said it would be the most remote spot in NZ we’ll ever be.  It was peaceful.  Les and our bus driver, Bods, cooked us a wonderful steak meal inclusive of potatoes, rolls, pasta, corn, and green beans.  I always jump at the opportunity to stuff my face so that’s what I did that night.  After that, we had the bar (which looks the same as it did 20 years ago) to ourselves and we had a dress theme of “Bad Taste.”  It was everyone’s goal to offend other people in the room.  “Bad Taste” with a combination of alcohol made for a very fun evening that I’ll never forget.  There we were partying with people from Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Brazil, Holland, and everywhere in between.  Anyone who walked in that bar would have never known we were strangers.