Abel Tasman Day 3 - Out of Order Due to Glitch

Abel Tasman day 3

 

Today was just more of the same. Same old aqua blue water ringed by inlets and headlands. I stopped taking so many pictures because it was getting to be so repetitious. Here are some pictures I did take. It's starting to get more populated, the closer we get to Marahau.

 

At the hut this morning, I let a French family borrow my stove to make coffee. Unfortunately, the stove ran out of fuel during the process. They were so grateful that they insisted I come stay with them in Paris when I'm there. Their names are Alain, Hanelore, and Manuela Caron.

 

My original plan was to get up early tomorrow morning, around 4:30 and hike out to the car. That should have given me enough time to get to Picton to catch my ferry. Everybody thinks my plan is crazy.

 

Arriving in Anchorage Bay was awesome. The hut is right on the water and the weather could not be nicer. I took a swim, keeping my arm out of the water.

 

I ended up bending to pressure from the crowd. I talked to one of the water taxi guys and he was able to put me on a boat that was shuttling a bunch of kayakers back to Marahau.

 

The Kiwis saw me off at the beach. It's hard to explain how we formed a bond so quickly, but I already miss them. They all seemed sad to see me go too.

 

I found a cool little backpacker lodge that had one bunk bed left in their dorm room. The cost was cheaper than my campsite fee for one night. I'm staying with a bunch of local Kiwis who seem like they're here to party. The hot shower was nice and I have Internet access again.

 

As I stepped out of my room I ran smack into the Carron family (the French people I had shared my stove with). They kissed me on both cheeks and insisted that I come to dinner with them. We ended up going to Fords, which Tom and Trish has recommended. The food did not disappoint. I had the polenta and they all had shrimp pasta. We all shared a bottle of 2010 Mount Difficulty Pinot from the Otago region and laughed at my attempts to speak French. They paid for my dinner. When I tried to pitch in the refused.