Thursday 13^th. March. 

Take a walk out to the Pancake Rocks before I begin the next drive proper.

 

 

The early morning sun not conducive to good photography here. Indeed that applies to the fairly frequent vertical and nearly vertical rock faces, some of which the road cuts into, as they are all in shadow with the camera lens pointing into the sun if you can find a stopping point at all.

Head north, then turn east at the Buller River – wide and beautiful in the sun – then up the scenic Buller Gorge, where I find it difficult to stop, but I am in driving mode, but I do get a photo here in each direction where the road is cut into the rockface like a half tunnel, known as Fern Arch.

 

 

 

Pleasant driving on bends and hills of varying degree especially steep at Hope Saddle

 

 

 

In looking for a route from Nelson to the Buller River and West Coast Goldfields, this route was discovered, debated and finally pushed through by hand labour into a cart track. It is a long route and very steep and winding near the top, so how in hell the carts and stagecoaches ever managed it I really can’t imagine. The picture of this Stagecoach is on the level top.

 

Arrive at Motueka on the Tasman Bay around lunchtime, and needing to research what I can do on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, I head to the i-SITE, where I stand in a queue for an hour (many people take that long to glean information and do the bookings for tourist attractions and accommodation) before spending the best part of an hour with the very knowledgeable Lois, who helps me hatch a plan which has to take in tide times, availability of accommodation en route, and an approaching hurricane.

My package of travel and accommodation is with Wilsons, probably the biggest and best of the Tasman Tour Operators, and I have to nip a couple of blocks down the town main street to pick up a holdall to put my overnight things in so I don’t have to carry everything on the walk; all highly thought out and organised for the trip.

My appointment at the Wilson Office is for ½ an hour later, so I wander up and down the High Street, and spotting a Barber’s and Hair Salon, pop in and get a haircut and beard trim from a very nice young lady, coming out trim and neat, having gone in a bit scruffy after 4 weeks of travel.

In the end we cut short my original plan, and I agree to a package of boat travel to my start point, studio apartment before and after the walk, and very expensive accommodation for the night on the walk (see next instalment) I then drive up to Kaiteriteri to my studio lodging. Have a little walk down to the beach to sus out tomorrow’s departure point, up to a small headland lookout that splits Kaiteriteri and Little Kaiteriteri Beaches, down to the next beach and back for evening meal and settle down for the night.