Abel Tasman

February 23, 2010

A few of the group left us at the National Park in hopes of doing the Tangariro crossing a few days later when the weather cleared up. I should have stayed with them but instead I headed down to Auckland with the rest of the group. Nick, the trainee, was our driver that day and we played some games on the way including one where you put in your earphones, turn on your iPod, turn up the volume and sing your heart out. It was quite entertaining.

When we got to Wellington it was raining. Since I had already visited the Te Papa national museum I decided to go for a run. I forgot to check what street the hostel was on as I was leaving but since it was on a main road I figured I would be able to find it quite easily. On the way back I turned off a street or so too soon. I still had an idea where the hostel was and asked one of the locals for directions. I got pointed up and around the corner. When nothing looked familiar I again asked for directions and was told to go straight down the street. After a while I was in a very residential area and asked for directions once again. This time I found the hostel although it had taken me an extra half an hour to do so.

That night we went out for Indian food. I’d never really had Indian before but it was quite nice. We all ended up sharing different curries with the person sitting next to us. Metro and Brad went out and bought four bottles of wine, which we drank with our curries until the restaurant closed down for the night.

The next morning we caught a ride on the Stray bus to the ferry. They played two movies on the way to Picton including one of Autumn’s favorites Tinkerbell. The other movie was a documentary about a singing group called Young at Heart, which is comprised of people mostly over the age of 65.

From Picton we loaded up the bus and headed out towards Abel Tasman. We stopped for wine tasting, which I passed on since I had done it previously, before driving to Nelson for pick-ups and drop-offs. After a brief stop to talk to Milan, who runs the sailing company, and another stop for those that wanted to go kayaking, we arrived at Old MacDonald’s Farm. They have a special camp for the Stray people and on the way you walk by chickens, cows, llamas and, of course, sheep. I went for a run that night before cooking up a small meal and having a few drinks.

The next morning I was up early and after saying hi to Daisy (my last bus driver who was staying next door at the Barn), I went on a full day sailing trip. Our boat was appropriately called the Stray Cat. We saw some seals and a penguin and had some magnificent views of the coastline. We stopped for lunch at Anchorage and picked up those that were doing the half-day sail and walk. On the way back we jumped out of the boat to take a picture on Split Apple Rock.

We returned to camp around 5 pm and after showering went out to the café for my leaving the bus party. Metro had gone into town and bought party hats, party poppers and balloons. Only Metro, Liz and I knew what the party was for, although Steve was also invited. We gave one of the hats to the kid at the next table who was celebrating his birthday as well as to the waitress that Metro knew and the Latino DJ that showed up later. It was a great party.

The next day the bus left but I stayed behind. I decided to hole up here for a while. The accommodation is fairly cheap at $15 a night and the weather is absolutely gorgeous. There is also volleyball. Milan had told me that the guys play beach every Sunday afternoon and indoor every Tuesday in Motueka. So Sunday afternoon I headed out to the beach for a few hours but no one showed. Instead I spent the day on the beach reading and chilling out. I think it was exactly what I needed.

That night a new Stray bus came in and some of my friends that had gotten off of Metro’s bus earlier were there. I nipped a bit of food from there BBQ but also cooked up some chicken korma curry that Liz and Metro had left me.

On Monday I had planned to go into town with Rob but slept in too late to catch him. Instead I went skydiving. It was kind of on a whim but I was in the mood to do something crazy. So a little after 2 the bus picked us up and took us into Motueka. The suited us up, and next thing I knew I was up in this little plane with 7 other people taking in the beautiful scenery. I wasn’t very nervous until they opened the door and I watched my friend Greg disappear from view. I was the last one in the plane to jump. The freefall was intense and I went from being scared to happy to scared and back again. They got the whole thing on video and also sent us away with almost 100 pictures and a t-shirt.

That night I saw a group of guys playing beach volleyball. I started walking over there but then stopped myself thinking that it was almost dark, they were playing two on two and I didn’t know them. I found out later they were looking for me and I’m still kicking myself for not going up to them and asking to play.

This morning I got a ride into town with Rob on the Stray bus. Debs was supposed to come with as well but was a no show this morning, which gives me the day to myself. I ate at a cute little café and made a little bit more progress on the book I am reading. They also have free internet at the library and adjacent park, which I plan to take advantage of. I also need to do a grocery shop and buy some new shorts, but the thing I’m looking forward to the most is volleyball. Apparently the Marahua guys come into Motueka on Tuesdays to play in a 6 on 6 indoor league and they invited me to join them. It’s been a while but it will be nice to play again.

I’m not sure how long I will stay here but long enough to clear my head and sort some things out. I might try to find work for a couple of weeks but it’s becoming a bit pointless to find a job. You can’t say I haven’t tried.