Motueka

I arrived in Motueka yesterday after leaving Nelosn in the afternoon. I bit the bullet and purchased some boots and gaiters in the morning as I feel that if i missed out on some of these great walks, I would miss out on a big chunk of what NZ has to offer. Following that I went straight into the i-site (tourist info) in Motueka and booked myself onto the Abel Tasman Coastal walk. This involved checking out tide times and buying a bed in the huts for the nights I would be on the trail. Also I booked the water taxi to take me to the northern end of the walk so I would walk North to South. This is billed as a 3-5 day walk, but at only 51km I should be able to do it in 2 days. However there are certain tidal river crossings that have to be made at low water which determines quite a bit!

Im staying in the Laughing Kiwi hostel which is in the centre of town. I spent the afternoon wandering around town and breaking in the new boots. Since it was friday, i treated myself to Fish+Chips!

Had a lie-in this morning and spent the day preping for the trip. I leave tomorrow. My water taxi is at 1.30pm to get me to the start of the walk by 3.15pm. The rain has started again but should shift by the time im in the taxi! Some parts of Nelson are still without water and power from the last storm! I went to the waterfront and photographed an old wreck which lay about 20ft from the shore. Time to have a muffin and a cup of tea I think!