North Bound

First off, I cannot rave enough about the quality and price (well, considering the current exchange rate) of food. It is excellent--or at least the few places where I've dined.

After yesterday's post, I got on the road and headed to Abel Tasman. Sophia is clearly a Kiwi, because she decided to quit working for me about thirty minutes after I got back on the road. Fortunately the signs were well posted and I had no navigational problems. I slept in the parking lot of the National Park and awoke this morning to do a little bit of hiking. Initially I had planned to go via water taxi to a more remote portion of Abel Tasman, but out of convenience, time, and cost, I decided to just walk the first portion rather than take transportation to the more advertised areas. I walked 2.5 hours in forest, over trickling streams and little waterfalls, and alongside the ocean. On the way back, I stopped off at a little piece of heaven (Apple Tree Bay, I believe it was) where the sand is actually more of little pebbles, gravel really. It was nice to not have to deal with the sand factor. I swam in the aqua and extremely chilly waters (had to be in the sixties!) and then laid on the shore for about thirty or so minutes. I have been in NZ over two weeks now and am still pasty, so I did what people are warned against doing--I went sans sunscreen (which I've actually been doing all along, but haven't had the benefit of water to reflect the sun until today). Save for some on my face (Melaleuca sunscreen works great, btw. No allergic reactions and no blistering and burning where I use it), I let my skin soak up the sun. Fortunately this story does not end with me complaining about how crispy I am. It was just enough to get a good base going on in preparation for more rays next week. :-)

I finished up around 3 PM, and then drove a bit until I came across an i-site (basically it's a national travel agency that will arrange as much as they possibly can for you). I booked my ferry out of Picton to Wellington for tomorrow afternoon, and then headed off to Picton from where I am writing. I'm finally getting a weeks worth of laundry done and am so pleased! One of the things you grow to miss about home are free laundry (and not having to do it in a bathroom sink for it to be free) and hair dryers. I never used the hair dryer often at home, but when it gets in the forties or fifties at night, it comes in quite handy. That's all for now!