The Burnhams in Kiwiland 2001-2

Monday, 7 January 2002, Nelson, South Island New Zealand

Continued from Episode 3: Page 1 Rotorua to Waikanae

New Years Eve was to be in Wellington, so we said goodbye to the Shands and set off on Dec 29 via the long route over the Tararua Range to Upper Hutt. The route was 14 K up on another of those typical NZ roads, very twisty, narrow and scenic, but it was paved. The route went down to Upper Hutt for 20 K in several stages, so it was a little easier.

We arrived in Wellington before noon, only to find the Backpackers hostel we had reserved had never heard of us. We were not pleased, but the manager phoned around for us and we got a double room around the corner at the Rosemere Backpackers. This hostel had room because it had been allowed to go downhill over the last ten years and has only recently been taken over and renovated. We found the management friendly and we were within walking distance of everything in the city, so we were satisfied.

Wellington is built on steep hills surrounding Lambton Harbour. We played tourist, following a self-guided walking tour of the waterfront, taking the cog railway up a hill to visiting the Botanic Gardens, touring the Parliament Buildings and Library and taking in Te Papa, the national museum.

On the Parliament tour, we were interested in the work done to earthquake-proof the Buildings. We were led to the basement to see where engineers have taken a slice out of the buildings at ground level and supported the two halves with a series of shock absorbers. Wellington is subject to a series of minor earthquakes, but they have not experienced a major quake in many years. If one does occur, the theory is that the two halves would be rocked independently and would not collapse. Apparently the same technique was used on a bridge in Japan that did experience a major quake and survived relatively unscathed. We were also interested to note that NZ does not have an upper house. It was abolished in the 1950s after it was determined that they had never made any changes to any bills introduced in Parliament over the previous years.

We spent some time exploring the natural history sections of Te Papa. Many of the exhibits are designed with children in mind and there were many families there to appreciate it. Just as we were taking a break in the lobby, I heard familiar drum beats and a troop of dancers and musicians from the Cook Islands arrived to perform. Most of the dancers were young children and they put on a very good show for their appreciative audience.

Dec 30 is our anniversary, our 36th this year, and we usually celebrate by going out to dinner. This year was no exception. We started out by having smoked salmon snacks and a bottle of the Lombardi wine we bought in Hawke Bay, then we found a very nice little restaurant near by where we could BYOB and have a nice seafood dinner.

On the 31st we packed a picnic lunch and took off on a tour of the eastern shores. We followed all the 'Parade' roads that follow the coastline around the bays and headlands of Wellington. As we left the shelter of the harbour and neared the open sea the strong winds were whipping the surf high against the rocks. Wellington is not called the Windy City for nothing. There were a few swimming beaches but many had signs warning of the dangerous undertow. One beach at the back of the airport was a favourite with surfers. Dozens of people dressed in wetsuits were paddling their boards out to catch the perfect wave in to shore.

Our destination was a beach walk starting in Owhiri Bay to see a promised seal colony and some red rocks. We stopped at some gates leading to an unpaved road along the beach and asked if the road was passable. We were assured it was so we drove Alice very carefully over the loose gravel, through the potholes and over a few shallow creeks. When we figured we had driven far enough, we stopped to find a spot to have our picnic out of the wind. Ray took our lunch bag over to the sheltered side of a large rock and was immediately attacked by a swarm of pesky flies out for blood. We quickly looked for another spot with fewer flies and ate quickly. We walked a few K down the rocky road, stopping to see the red rocks, but mainly keeping out of the way of the 4WD vehicles that were trying their luck navigating the bumps and holes. We did get our first look at the mountains of the South Island across the Cook Straight. We followed a side path about 1 K to the top of a ridge where we could look into the next valley and out along the beach. On our return along the beach we noticed a car stopped next to some rocks and the family out with their cameras. It was a large lone seal lazing in the sun. I guess he got left behind when the rest of the seal colony moved on since that was the only seal we saw.

New Years Eve found all of the residents of Rosemere Backpackers busily getting dressed up for a night on the town. We were told to make sure not to miss going to the local pub, the Fishbowl. The pub had been closed over Christmas and the residents were waiting for the promised free beer and wine to celebrate the New Year. But first we wanted to look in at the Civic Center where an outdoor stage had been set up for free concerts by several bands. There were already quite a few people present when we arrived after 9:00 PM, listening to an ABBA Revival group. When they had finished their set, we wandered down to the waterfront where a second band shell had been installed. They were featuring two groups well-known to Kiwis and wanted $35 admission. We didn't stay. We were in for free entertainment for the evening, so we returned to the Civic Center to hear a local band sing more contemporary numbers, then went to the Fishbowl for our free drinks. There was quite a crowd there, including several Rosemere residents, so we soaked in the atmosphere for a while, as well as the free beer and wine.

At midnight we rushed back to the Civic Center in time to join in on the big countdown to midnight. We stayed for a while getting nostalgic listening to the last band, The Drifters, a rock and roll type American band from the 50s. All in all it was a good New Years Eve.

We had a reservation on the Lynx, the fast boat to the South Island, for the afternoon of Jan 1. The boat was a twin hulled vessel, a larger version of the tour boat we had taken in the Bay of Islands. The passengers spend the 2 ¼ hour trip comfortably seated in airline type chairs on the top deck, watching the scenery through large glass windows. It was cloudy when we left Wellington, but the clouds lifted as we neared the south coast and we had a great view as we went through Marlborough Sound to dock at Picton. The mountains rise above the water, spreading their twisted fingers into the sea, creating a haven for sailors and vacationers.

Picton is a pretty little town at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound. Its main industry seemed to be to service the ferry and to serve as a base for hikers or kayakers. Beattie and Celia MacKenzie, friends from Wakefield who stay in NZ for five or six months each year, were there to greet us. They stay outside Christchurch but had arranged to meet us in Picton and take some day hikes with us. The very nice Backpackers we were staying in, the Sequoia, was full so Beattie and Celia were staying in a small motel nearby. We quickly established a routine of sharing our dinners together at their place.

Our original plan had been to do the four day Queen Charlotte Trail and to kayak in Abel Tasman Park, farther east along the coast. The next day we went to the DOC office to inquire about these activities and found, not to our surprise, that we were there at the height of the season. Bookings were at a premium. There were no huts available on the Queen Charlotte walk, so we cut our planned hike to two days and planned to tent out the one night. Meanwhile we tried to get a booking for kayaking in Abel Tasman. All the 15 companies were booked until Jan 9. That meant the waters were going to be jammed with kayakers, so we changed our plans and booked for a much quieter two days in the Marlborough Sounds.

In the meantime, Beattie and Celia took us on a few of their favourite walks around Picton. We had a nice half day walk along a ridge and down to the Snout, a point on Queen Charlotte Sound. From there we could look out over the bays and hills of the Sound.

The next day we took a picnic and drove along the coast to Anakiwa, the end point of the Queen Charlotte walk. We had a good day following most of the last day of the trail backwards from Anakiwa almost to Mistletoe Bay. It took us about 5 ½ hours for the round trip. When we were almost back to the car, we were passed by a group of runners. There is an Outward Bound school in Anakiwa, and the participants were out for late afternoon team building activities. Besides the runners, other groups were in busy rolling in the mud flats at the shore and others were holding hands in a circle and dunking in the waters to get rid of the mud. Some people have all the fun, but I am not signing up.

That night we had a horrendous rain and wind storm. We were glad we were safe and warm inside, but we starting having second thoughts about our hiking and kayaking plans. We had already seen quite a bit of Queen Charlotte Sound and were feeling a little over programmed, so we cancelled the hike. We managed to convince the Wilderness Company, to advance our kayak trip by one day, to start on Jan 5.

That decided, we packed up and took another typical NZ road around the coast east of Picton, ending in Blenheim. Instead of an easy 28 K drive straight south, we took a 50 K scenic tour up the hills and down to the bays. At least half of the road was paved and there was almost no traffic. We arrived in Blenheim for lunch at a very nice restaurant overlooking the town center. Blenheim is the center of NZ's most famous wine district, but we were not in the tasting mood. Instead we drove north again to the small town of Havelock, on the north coast, about half way between Picton and Nelson. We stayed that night in a good YHA, housed in a converted old school house.

Wilderness Company had their storage office right next door to the YHA so we were able to get waterproof bags from them that night and pack our gear ready to go. The next morning we met with our guide, Pania, and our fellow kayakers, Tom, from Belgium, and Jason, a young friend of Pania, along to help her out. Two other couples, traveling independently, were getting outfitted in their double kayaks and another guide, Jane, was escorting a fellow on a one day trip. All of the kayaks were loaded on a trailer behind a van and our luggage was stored in a second van.

We all climbed in and off we went. I was glad Pania was driving. The last 20 K was one of those typical NZ roads up over a hill and down to Tennyson Inlet, our starting point. The sign at the start of the hill said 'not suitable for caravans' but it didn't mentions vans towing boat trailers. At the boat launch dock, we all put on our kayak spray skirts, waterproof jackets and life jackets. Pania gave us our safety lesson and we had a dry land drill getting into and out of the kayak. We all loaded the kayaks up with supplies and Ray and I helped carry our double kayak and everybody else's kayaks down to the water. We all climbed into our kayaks and practiced paddling in the bay before setting out.

We followed the shore for a while getting used to paddling together. The view ahead looked lovely with the sun shining on the islands and forested hills surrounding the inlet. I looked back to see how Ray was doing and saw a big black cloud behind us. Sure enough, just as we were heading for our lunch stop on a small beach, the rain started and the wind came up. We all paddled like mad across the bay to the shore and beached the kayaks. Pania and Jane put up a tarp to protect us from the rain, but the rain didn't last long. We were able to enjoy our lunch in peace. Wilderness prides themselves on the food they provide and they had lots of goodies for us; make your own sandwiches, cheeses, dips and other snacks.

Lunch on shore

Ray and Jeanne in the kayak

After lunch we said good bye to Jane and her day client. Just as we were pushing off from shore, we disturbed a sting ray resting just off shore. Our afternoon route was around a large island and across the bay to Tawa Beach, our campsite for the night. The wind was still strong, so once we were on the other side of the island Pania suggested we rig up a sail from the lunch tarp and sail across the bay. We rafted our three kayaks together, Ray and I in our double, Jason and Tom in another double and Pania in a single in the middle. Ray and Tom had the job of holding their paddles attached to the tarp and Jason and I had to hold on to the cords along the sides of Pania's kayak to keep us all together. This was not an easy job. The wind was still very strong and Jason and I had to hold on to Pania's kayak with all our strength. Pania attached a tow rope on a carabiner to the side ropes so I could hold on more easily, but poor Jason was left to fend for himself. We were making good time until Jason couldn't hold on any longer and the bows started to veer off in different directions. We had to take the sail down and paddle the rest of the way in, but we had made it across most of the way.

Given that we had not encountered many other boats on our journey up the inlet, we were surprised to see a large family group already camped where we intended to stay. There didn't seem to be much space left, but it was suggested we go just 100 M up the beach to another good site. I'm glad we did as it was a much airier and better site for our tents. Our only problem was the sand flies, and I had forgotten to bring bug repellant. Luckily our guide had some and we all applied it liberally.

Pania cooked us another great meal, complimented with wines. The tide was out when we finished eating so we walked down towards the water to find the oyster beds at the end of a fresh water stream. You could eat them raw but built a fire to cook the ones we collected. They took about five minutes in the coals to open and they tasted very good.

Ray and I were warm and cozy in our tent. We were only disturbed briefly by a possum nosing around the campsite. Pania scared it away but it returned for a second try. Luckily everything was safely stowed away.

After breakfast the next morning, we pushed off onto a calm sea and paddled slowly around our bay. We disturbed a whole pod of sting rays. There must have been at least a dozen that kept trying to flutter away from us. We left them in peace and paddled around some of the larger islands to a small beach on the opposite shore for a snack and a break.

On either side of the beach were large mussel beds which we explored for quite a while. Long lines of plastic drums support ropes that reach down to the sea floor. The green-lipped mussels, a specialty of the area grow in clusters attached to the ropes. We picked some of the mussels growing on the ropes close to the service. I kept my catch on my spray skirt until we reached our lunch spot. We cooked them in boiling water and all had a nice appetizer for lunch. Jason had his fishing rod with him and tried to catch some fish with mussels for bait. Unfortunately he was outwitted by the fish who enjoyed the bait but were too crafty to be caught.

After lunch we tried sailing again, but unlike the day before, there was very little wind. We had our tarp sail up but it kept collapsing on us. A man on a sailboat, motoring past under power, stood on the deck making a paddling motion. We just laughed and tried again. We did make a little progress but eventually we gave up and paddled the rest of the way back to the dock. Pania, in the bow of the double kayak, tried to rig up the sail herself, but even Ray and I were faster than she was.

Back at the dock, we unloaded everything, secured the kayaks on the trailer and drove back to town. Everyone was tired but pleased with their kayaking. I'm glad we had opted for a two day trip as it takes a while to get organized and used to paddling. My muscles told me that two days was enough for this time.

We still haven't decided our exact route from now on. We want to travel down the west coast and back up the east coast, ending in Christchurch where we have our flight home at the end of February. The only problem is the weather. It has been terrible the last week on the west coast so we are not hurrying to get down there. Today, we left Havelock and travelled just one hour to Nelson, the largest town in the area. I have spent most of the day finishing this letter while Ray has been out exploring. Depending on the weather, we may stay around here another day or we may head towards the Nelson Lakes area. We haven't decided yet.