VictoriaApril 6
The sunrise was amazing this morning and brought everyone outside to marvel at the beauty and take lots of pictures. What a fitting send off of this beautiful part of the country.
Getting ready to kayak is no simple endeavor. Over our clothes went a waterproof jacket, spray skirt and life jacket. Sounds simple enough when you put everything on in the correct order, which of course I didn’t do the first time around. I’m learning so much on this trip. It’s our third time kayaking since we’ve been in NZ. I should have it down to a science by now. Guess not!
We climbed into our kayaks and set off paddling towards Watering Cove, our first stop. It was a beautiful day, sunny with calm waters.
Mitch and I were trying to perfect our synchronous paddling (left, right, left, etc.). We did OK I guess, but probably won’t qualify for the Olympic rowing team any time soon.
After about an hour of paddling, we arrived at Watering Cove, accessible only by foot or boat. It was a really nice spot to stretch our legs and have a snack before heading back on the water.
French sailors from Dumont d’Urville’s ship the Astrolabe, arrived here after their voyage in 1829 as Dumont, a botanist and navigator, was on an expedition to chart the waters around New Zealand. In the lithograph below, you can see them on the same Watering Cove we landed ashore, washing their clothes in the river.
Back on the water, we rowed across to Adele Island. The island is known for its wildlife, including penguins, seals, and rare birds. It’s also famous for its chorus of birdsong that rings through the treetops. We could hear it so clearly from our kayaks as we paddled along the shoreline. Listen to the birdsong here and the video of the story our guide shares about how the island got its name. We also saw a few more fur seals basking in the sun and some guys fishing in the water.
An hour later we pulled up to Fisherman Island. You know when someone tells you to picture your happy place, the place that is beautiful and tranquil? Well, this place is now mine.
Clear turquoise water, granite cliffs, golden sand beach and totally empty apart from our kayak group, this beach was pristine. We ate lunch, chased away the seagulls vying for our chips and begged to stay longer. We also saw a new kind of seagull, the largest gull of them all, the black-backed gull.
Interestingly, we haven’t seen too many other insects on our trip except for the mighty sandfly. Our Kiwi friends introduced us to a new kind of bug, the wētā. It’s similar looking to a cockroach and found here in NZ. They are related to grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, and katydids and are known for being large, spiny, flightless insects with large mandibles and powerful hind legs for jumping. Wētā are nocturnal and live in trees, under ground and in caves. Our guide wanted to take us cave exploring to see more of these critters up close, but we opted to skip that tour. Here’s one a fellow traveler found for us on the beach.
Reluctantly, we climbed back into our kayaks for our final 90-minute paddle crossing the windy Towers Bay to Kaiteriteri.
We passed Split Apple Rock again and got a much closer view as we kayaked completely around it for fun.
Scientists believe the granite rock was split due to a process called ice wedging, when water enters the cracks of the rock and then freezes, causing it to expand and split.
Māori legend claim the boulder, Toka Ngawha, was split in half when two feuding gods were fighting to possess it, hence the translation “burst open rock.”
The wind picked up as we cut through the channel between Breakers Bay and Kākā Island. The water started getting choppier as we headed south. We were already tired after several hours of paddling and my shoulders were telling me “no more.” But the waves of the Tasman Sea were rising and I knew we had to paddle hard and fast to safety, so we went back to orchestrating the perfect stroke count, “left, right, left….” As we cornered the headland into Kaiteriteri Inlet, the wind was at our back and the waves turned to a flatter sea. It was smooth sailing to the finish line and the checker flag was flapping on the shore.
Twenty minutes later, after ten miles of kayaking, we glided into the beach sand at Kaiteriteri to finish our Abel Tasman experience.
We changed into dry clothes, boarded the bus back to Wilsons office in Motueka, and bid farewell to our new friends, promising to visit when we toured the North Island and beyond.
Call us completely crazy, but after our tiring day of kayaking in the blistering sun, we then drove an hour and a half west and over the treacherous and extremely dangerous Tākaka Hill mountain pass to Collingwood, the start of our Farewell Spit tour the next morning.
Mitch drove the very steep and windy Tākaka Hill Highway up and over the pass. Thirty two miles of twists and turns from Motueka to Tākaka. So much fun for the passenger 🤢.
We should have really known better than to attempt this drive after a long, tiring day. I guess we didn’t realize what a difficult mountainous road it was. Quite beautiful of a drive, we got a glimpse of the danger as we passed sections of the road cordoned off with red tape from cars that accidentally drove over the edge. So Mitch pretty much slowed to a crawl and did the climb and turns slowly — very carefully. We’re thankful it was still light out, so at least we had that in our favor.
We made a few stops to rest and admire the views, and finally arrived in the small town of Collingwood. Courthouse Cafe was one of two open restaurants. Lucky for us, Saturday is the only night they’re open for dinner — pizza night. We grabbed a table and ordered a pie with a salad. Friendly staff and good food. A great way to end the day.
After dinner, we took a walk on the high street. It’s a small town. We lasted only 15 minutes walking and then headed to bed.
