sailing the abel tasman

Wednesday we headed to the Abel Tasman, parked our car and boarded a yacht! We spent 2 nights on the yacht - Ariel - captained by Adrian. We had a relaxing sail along the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park and anchored by Adele Island, a bird sanctuary, for the evening. We had a lovely meal, watched the sun setting on the ocean and listened to birds singing on the island.

Kaiteriteri Beach

The Ariel anchored in Kaiteriteri

A muscle boat anchoring for the night

The following morning, we hiked some of the Abel Tasman trails, setting foot on land at Torrent Bay and hiking to Bark Bay. It was a beautiful walk through the wooded forest with views of gorgeous beaches and rivers. I even stopped for a quick dip in a cold river pool (yay fresh water!) midway on the hike.

Torrent Bay at Low Tide

Abel Tasman

On Board Ariel

The second night of sleeping on the boat was far calmer than the first night and we awoke ready for another hike through the park. For our last morning in the Abel Tasman Park, we hiked near Anchorage Bay and walked down to Te Pukatea Bay (perfect for camping!) before sailing back to Kaiteriteri. The park was beautiful both from the land and from the water and we had fabulous weather (though not too much wind).

Te Pukatea Bay

See the rest of the photos from the Abel Tasman in the ALBUM.

golden bay and north

After a couple days in Nelson, we left the Tasman Bay and headed north over Takaka Hill to Golden Bay.

View of the valley on the southern side of Takaka Hill

After crossing the hill, we made our way through Takaka and walked out to Pupu Springs, known for being some of the clearest spring water in the world. The water was gorgeous, the colors were brilliant, and it was a beautiful day for a walk along the springs and rivers.

Pupu Springs 

In the afternoon, we reached our destination - Patons Rock - in the middle of Golden bay and enjoyed a lovely evening on the beach, swimming, collecting shells, and soaking up the setting sun. The following morning we drove north to the northern tip of the south island to Wharariki Beach. We enjoyed hours on the beach at low tide, walking around the huge rock formations, exploring caves and arch ways and watching seal pups play in the seaside pools.

Views of Golden Bay at LOW tide

Views on the walk to Wharariki Beach

First views of Wharariki Beach

One of the walkways only available at low tide

After walking the length of the beach, we sat and watched the seal pups play. There were about 10 seal pups and 2 adults lounging on the sides. The pups were majestically graceful in the water, leaping up and out of the water, diving back in to the pool's depth. The lounged on their backs, twirled around like corkscrews, and floated on their sides with a fin in the air to check the wind. They were having a blast, and we had a blast watching them.

Seal pups playing in the seaside pools

Sand Dunes on Wharariki Beach

After a lovely afternoon at Wharariki Beach, we headed over to Cape Farewell to see the Farewell Spit - New Zealand's longest sand spit that just far out into the Tasman Sea and is a vital stopping point for many migrating birds. We then returned to our lovely beach at Patons Rock, stopping at the famed Muscle Inn for some food and to enjoy its unique character.

View of the Farewell Spit

Sunset on Patons Rock

We enjoyed our last morning in the Golden Bay by taking a long walk along the beach, swimming in the calm ocean, and watching a local ride her horse up and down the beach, training it to do all sorts of step formations.

Tractors used to bring the fishing boats to the sea

View of the valley on the northern side of Takaka Hill

For all the photos, visit the 2014 New Zealand Album.

nelson art

We arrived in Nelson in the dark, seeing only the many lights dotting the harbor. The following day we did a art walk, exploring the downtown and enjoying the many art galleries, cooperatives, and studios within Nelson. We were even treated to a private reading of a brand new children's book (still in its initial scribbles form) about Dirty McSquirty, a young elephant that was written by one of the artists while she manned the gallery.

Some of Nelson's Art

After exploring the artsy downtown, filled with glass, pottery, felting, painting, and even the jeweler who made the "one" LotR ring, we enjoyed views of the Tasman Bay where young kids were learning how to sail in a variety of little sailboats.

Sailing Class

We then enjoyed a lovely dinner with friends at the Tasman Bay Cruising club with a beautiful view of the sunset over the south island.

On a lovely Saturday evening in Nelson, we went to Trafalgar Park for "Nelson Opera in the Park" and enjoyed an evening with Maori music, opera, jazz, and much much more, including a firework finale.

Trafalgar Park

For all the photos from New Zealand, view the ALBUM.

chasing the light

After arriving on the South Island in Picton, we got our new rental car and headed for the Queen Charlotte Road, a windy road through the sounds to Nelson. It was a gorgeous evening but due to the more than an hour delay of the ferry, the light was fleeting. We zoomed around the windy road taking in beautiful views one after the next, chasing the sunset around each of the little inlets. Having enjoyed the silhouetted landscapes most of the way, we entered Nelson to a starry sky and the lights blinking in the harbor.

Views from the Queen Charlotte Drive

For more photos, visit the ALBUM.

a glimpse before the fog

After a lovely 4 hour drive south from Napier, with a couple quick stops on the way to see Raewyn's school and then take a midpoint break in Shannon and check out the funky shops in the somewhat empty yet pretty town, we arrived in Wellington. We had no real plan and only a few hours to spend in the city. We found a 30 minute parking space, grabbed a map from the info center near by and did a speed walk up and down Cuba Street, known for its funky shops, cafes, street performers, and nice atmosphere. We listened to some pan drum music and watched a funky water fountain dump water all over the surrounding bricks before dashing back to the car to avoid a parking ticket.

We then headed to New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa, where we got a rooftop view of the city, saw a wide variety of New Zealand art, explored Maori culture, and learned about New Zealand indigenous wildlife. We also saw a small snippet of the world famous World of Wearable Art (WOW) exhibit, with some very elaborate and not at all practical dresses that were very fun to see.

View of Wellington from Te Papa

Traditional Maori Hall

With the day quickly fading, we headed back north of the city to Paraparaumu Beach, making a quick stop to see the Beehive Parliament Building on our way out of the city. We enjoyed the beautiful views from the west coast and looked across the Tasman Sea to the South Island in the orange glow of a sunset. We walked the long beaches, enjoyed collecting tiny pieces of drift wood (pieces small enough that we thought we might actually be able to carry them with us to the south island), and took a stroll through an estuary path. The beach in the evening had a beautiful sunset with a view of Kapiti Island and the following morning, the entire beach was engulfed in a thick fog (so thick that you couldn't see a thing and all flights to and from Wellington were canceled, making us glad we had chosen the ferry).

The Beehive

View of the South Island from Paraparaumu

Paraparaumu Beach

The fog coming in...

After a relaxing morning, we drove back to Wellington, all set to catch our Interislander ferry, only to find out that the fog had also delayed the ferry by over an hour. Having already deposited our rental car, we took advantage of the spare hour on foot. We sped walked through the not so pretty industrial areas of the harbor, passing the Westpac stadium, cruise ships, and huge cargo ships (many of which were loading wood), and arrived at the pedestrian harbor front. We walked along cafes, street art and music, and even made a quick stop to see a portrait gallery exhibit before walking back to catch the ferry.

The Wellington Waterfront

We positioned ourselves on the ferry for perfect viewing of Wellington City as we pulled out of the harbor, but the moment the ferry left the sheltered bay, we were engulfed once again in a thick fog (so much for seeing the gorgeous views from the Cook Strait!). Nevertheless, we passed the majority of the 3 hour and 10 minute journey relaxing and watching some rugby (doing our best to figure out the rules). However, as luck would have it, after making our way far enough into the Queen Charlotte Sound, the fog lifted (swirling around the hills) and allowed us a gorgeous evening view as we made our way to Picton.

Wellington from the Ferry

The fog coming into the Wellington Harbor

The ferry in dense fog on the Cook Strait

The fog leaving us behind in the Sound

Picton Harbor

The Interislander Ferry

To view all the photos thus far, visit the 2014 New Zealand Album.

art deco and sheep

We arrived in Napier and had a lovely time walking along the beach covered in perfectly smooth pebbles and stones, walking along the Marine Parade and the colorful gardens lining the shoreline. We walked the downtown streets seeing the many famed art deco buildings and ducking into shops along the main walking street. We even made a stop in the Art Deco shop, where you could purchase all your wears and adornments to re-enter the art deco era, something many people were doing in preparation for the upcoming Art Deco Weekend (Wed-Sun) where people come from all over dressed from head to toe in art deco era garb, drive old cars, and even hop a ride on the steam train that fires up its engines for the occasion. Had we stuck around to see it, I'm sure it would have been a site to behold.

Napier Coast

Art Deco statue

Lady playing a wonderful tune on a public piano (there are lots in NZ as well!)

Art Deco Architecture - this is the famed Tobacco Building

Having had our fill of art deco architecture, we got the wonderful opportunity to experience an essential part of New Zealand - sheep farming! We went for a drive with Ross to the McDonald family sheep farm, 2 hours north of the city, just slightly north of the Wairoa town. It was a gorgeous day and we got to help inoculate 730 sheep and then tour the very hilly pasture lands that the sheep, cattle, and the occasional wild goat graze on. The views were spectacular and it was impressive to see such an extensive operation (5000+ sheep) dotting the extremely steep slopes.

730 sheep waiting patiently for inoculation

Look at those faces

The eldest of the three sheep dogs, taking a much needed water bath

McDonald Farm Views

Cows grazing on some of the highest peaks

Panorama of the McDonald Farm Pastures

After enjoying a hot morning on the farm, we were treated to the site of a beautiful lake not far to the north of the farm, tucked in the hills at the end of some long dirt roads with not a single building around its edge. The water was beautiful and a wonderful temperature (though we were told by others that the water was in fact cold - all relative, I suppose). We returned to Napier to watch some local tennis and enjoy a lovely evening with friends before we headed off south toward Wellington in the morning, but not before checking out Raewyn's school and becoming utterly impressed with the relaxed and freeform classroom setup of the local elementary schools.

Lake Waikaremoana

Cool floor of a cafe in Wairoa

Elementary school near Wairoa - I liked the spiral design

The areas surrounding Napier were laden with vineyards and orchards

Oddly pruned apple tress

For more photos, view the 2014 New Zealand Album