Friday 14^th. March.

Head down to Kaiteriteri Beach at 8.30am. in order to catch the Wilsons boat to Awaroa.

 

 

The Wilsons Shuttle. All the bigger boats run their bows onto the beach and extend the gangplank telescopically.

Lovely way to travel up the coast: 2 hours of sunshine, blue skies, blue water, rocky shores, bush covered headlands, islands and sandy beaches, some with a house or two or small village, which can only be accessed from the sea, a few seals on the rocks, and lots of Sea Kayakers (probably an even better way to travel these coastlines) and the occasional penguin on the water: I am lucky again, as it won’t be like this in 2 days time, as the tail end of a hurricane is about to hit.

 

The Famous Split Apple Rock in Towers Bay

 

 

 

At around 11.30 I am dropped off at Awaroa Beach and start my walk back south.

 

 

The track generally goes up, over and inland through the bush to the larger of the bays and beaches and some of the smaller; all very beautiful bluest sea and most golden sand. Some are accessed by offshoot tracks and I stop in one for a swim and am the only person there. I have now swum in Flea Bay on the Bank’s Peninsular and Sandfly Bay on the Abel Tasman Coast, and so far have not been bitten by a Sandfly.

 

 

 

My destination for the night is Wilsons Torrent Bay Lodge one of the buildings in this village only accessed by sea.

 

 

When I arrive there is a party of about 16 chilling out together, as you always find with these arranged group tours.

The Lodge is exceptionally comfortable, bedrooms wooden panelled and named after the ships that worked the coast in olden days, the lounge open plan with the inside dining area, and furnished with comfortable settees laid out for group togetherness.

After a quick shower I change into my best clothes and formal shoes, I am immediately drawn into the group as always happens here. It is obvious that even here in these luxurious lodges informality is the Kiwi way, so not to be out of place the shoes and socks come off immediately. The group is, as usual, mainly Kiwi and Aussie, but American as well, and are together on a 5 day stay with guided walks in the area using the boats on some of the trips: I am the only Brit. Most are couples as usual, but there are two singles, one of whom, Gordon is a Canadian, originally from near Oban in Scotland. However it emerges that his wife should have been there, but was instead in Nelson Hospital having a multiple leg break pinned and set after having tripped whilst rushing across a road in town. She was being looked after royally by the staff, and happy for Gordon to enjoy the tour as planned.

 

There are nibbles of samosas and dips for an hour from 5.30 and drinks from the bar, and during this Gordon drew in, and introduced me to the only other guest who was not part of the group. Terry Smith is Kayaking with a Wilson Guide, whilst I am walking, and is a retired lawyer from Seattle who does a lot of adventurous travelling and trekking, both at home and abroad.

From the picture at the Alfresco Dinner below you can see what Gordon and the others are up to, but she is a lovely lady and we get on very well together.

 

 

The Kitchen, Bar, Lounge, Dining Room and Patio are all one open plan which works brilliantly, drawing together all guests and the staff, who are absolutely lovely people.

Dinner is Salmon, Ratatoullie and coleslaw followed by a nice orange, lemon and vanilla cream desert.

After dinner we all repair to the lounge as the sandflies are coming out. I am bitten for the first time by what I had been warned to dread, but they just don’t seem to bother me as much as some of the others. Apparently this is the case, some people are hardly bothered, others react badly and are covered in red and white bumps.

We talk and drink, and watch the sky turn light pink, then light mauve before nightfall, the like of which I have never seen before. Everyone is reasonably early to bed, from where you can hear the gently lapping waves as we are literally on the beach. An evening I hope I will never forget.