Two options for this mornings hike. One is definitely more difficult and Dirk basically said if you're afraid of heights, don't really want to get wet and have any balance issues you probably shouldn't go
on this one. We quickly chose the easier option but it was still challenging.We twice had to take off our shoes and socks and wade through above-ankle ice cold water and our guide had towels waiting for us to dry off with! But it was worth it. Imagine being able to say, 'I was walking on the beach beside the Tasman Sea!' And the weather, again, a fabulous day! Bright, sunny and cool enough to make the hike very pleasant. We hiked with Jerry, the gregarious host of the lodge who is giving us lessons on geology, rocks, sea-life and vegetation as well as history of the Maori and Captain Cook and Abel Tasman - he is like the energizer bunny!
And he hops out into the surf and harvests a bagful of green lipped mussels, dashes back in, enlists our help in gathering driftwood and sticks, and soon has a roaring fire going. He has already served us mid-morning tea and biscuits from this huge backpack he's been hauling around. Now he produces a great big fry pan, throws in a stick of butter and some garlic. Aw, he feels bad because he forgot the wine, but he has a bottle of water instead! Adds in the mussels, stirs them a bit and after it all comes to a boil and the mussels start opening, he has tongs to pull them out and serves them up to us on a log he dug up from somewhere to use for a table! Amazing! No one misses the wine! He then leads us back in to a rain forest setting where his information just continues to entertain and amaze us! This has been the best day for me so far - I love the water and the combination of the cliffs, forests, caves and little waterfalls here and there - just incredible! | |
| my collection of rocks and driftwood |
Supper at the lodge, two choices for starter, main and dessert- everything is good! Off to bed because I'm bushed!
Fitbit, 14 km; MA, 11.2 km
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