Oh Oamaru!

My current locum job took me further south in the South Island, down the eastern coast, past Christchurch, to a town called Oamaru.

 

It was over 7 hours of driving to get from Motueka (after the Abel Tasman walk) down south to Oamaru.

(thank you oamaruonline.com for the map!)

It's the largest town in the North Otago Region, with a population of about 13,000 (the red dot makes it look big, but it's really not).  One of the docs and his wife went on a 6 week overseas vacation, so they wanted someone to cover.   I agreed to cover for two weeks of his vacation.

Why did I choose Oamaru?     Because of this...

CHEESE!   Yeah baby!  Definitely my first stop in the town. 

Oamaru is the home of Whitestone Cheese, one of the South Island's leading Cheese factories.   Its name comes from the limestone which is found in this area--- many buildings in the town centre are made of it, giving the town quite a historic feel.  There's also a limestone quarry just outside of town.

So back to the cheese...

They have free tastings at the factory/cafe... but this hungry traveller wanted more!

My first meal in Oamaru.

From top to bottom-  Probiotic Blue, Creamy Havarti (great), Livingstone Gold, Totara Tasty, Mt Kyeburn (a maple smoked aged cheddar- fantastic!), and Windsor Blue.   Yum, yum, yum.

I needed to walk off some of that cheese, so I headed to the small downtown, which was also where the small harbour is located.

This town has such a Victorian feel in their archictecture and their businesses.  This cycle shop offered lessons on how to ride a pennyfarthing!

I *so* wanted to try it out, but was running short on time.  Plus, me + bikes usually = mishaps, and I didn't have anyone to take care of me in this new town!

I chatted with the cycle shop owner, and he said it's actually easier than a bike to learn to ride.  Really?  Why?   He gave the following analogy--- try to balance a pencil straight up and down in your palm-- hard.   Compared to balancing a broomstick--- much easier, right?  So the farther away from the ground, the easiest it is to balance!  (obviously some physics equation I forget).  Cool stuff!

This town is so hooked on pennyfarthings they have a pennyfarthing swingset.  Neat art!

Some of the limestome buildings in the Victorian section of downtown... galleries, specialty shops, etc.

A stroll by an old wharf and saw literally hundred of shags hanging out here.

It was a nice first little day exploring in Oamaru.    Oh, and another perk of the town:  I'm staying in the doc's house while he's on vacation.  His wife said the house may be small, but the view was awesome.

Check. it. out.

Yes, all these pics are the views out the kitchen/dining room windows. I CANNOT motivate myself to leave the house to go running in the mornings anymore--- I just sit at the kitchen table, with my coffee at the kitchen table, and admire these incredible morning views overlooking the ocean!!

So, job is going fine.  Staff very welcoming, patients nice, etc.   I only worked two days until I had a day off for ANZAC day, a public holiday in NZ and Australia, on April 25th, which commemorates those killed in war as well as honoring returned servicemen and women.   Each town holds a dawn service.   I woke early, bundled up, jogged down the hill to the center of town and joined a few hundred Oamaruvians for the very nice ceremony, with bagpipes, a brass band, a bugler, a speech by the mayor, and a wreathlaying on the WWI memorial in town.    We also sang the NZ and Australian National Anthems.  Very, very nice.

A jog back up the hill and time to get ready and enjoy my day off by exploring.  First stop was to check out one of the penguin colonies in town.  Yes, cheese *and* penguins.  Life doesn't get much better than this, eh?

They're located at a place called Bushy Beach.

It was mid-morning when I arrived, and knew I wouldn't see any, as penguin viewing is a sunrise/sunset activity--- they swim into the ocean in the AM, spend all day at sea getting food, then come back home to the beach at night.   

I was just doing a drive-by to check out the area, and planned to come back around sunset.

Continued driving south along the coast.

This place was called All Day Bay, in a town a bit south of Oamaru called Kakanui.

Kakanui has rich volcanic soil and is known for its tasty tomatoes and potatoes.   Bought this huge bag at a roadside stand for 3 dollars!  They were so sweet like candy!

Kept on driving south to a town called Moeraki.  It's the home of the world-famous Moeraki Boulders.

One may think that these big round rocks might've fell down from the sky or something...

Maori legend says these boulders are remains of calabashes (squash), kumara (sweet potato), and eel baskets that washed ashore after the legendary canoe Araiteuru was wrecked at nearby Shag Point.

Geologists will tell you they are mudstone concretions that have been exposed through shoreline erosion from coastal cliffs that back the beach.

There's over 50 boulders here.   It took them 4 million years to form their current size.  The biggest weighs 7 TONS and are about 2-3 meters wide

They are fun to pose with, too.  :)

Next stop on my coastal drive was Fleur's Place, a seaside restaurant in the quaint town of Moeraki.  

EVERYone I knew that had been to Oamaru recommended this place.

Of course, the seafood reigned supreme.

Bluff oysters au naturel..

Seafood chowder...

And a LOVELY patio table and sea view on a gorgeous sunny day!

Took a windy gravel road to see the Moeraki Lighthouse.

Then thought I'd walk out past the lighthouse to this little peninsula to check out the views and the coast.

Look what I found out there!  A lazy seal  :)

And a yawning one!

After watching those guys for a bit, I headed back north late afternoon, as it would soon be penguin spotting time.  There was a cafe on the hill by the Moeraki boulders--- got myself a coffee, and took a look at the Boulders from above.  I timed my midday exploration of them earlier quite well, as now it looked like high tide had most of them underwater!

After the caffeine boost, I headed back to Bushy Beach.  There were dozens of people there, dressed warmly, waiting eagerly with cameras on the viewing deck on the hill to see some penguin action!  (You must stay way away from the beach, as if the penguins see you, they get scared and won't come ashore.)

After patiently watching for about 10 minutes, a little white blip came out of the surf and started waddling across the sand.

Score!  Yellow eyed penguin sighting!  Us folks on the hill were all excited to see one, but also kind of disappointed it was so far away.

We saw two more waddle in down there in the distance on the beach, but next thing we know, a BIG blip of white popped out of the bushes high on the hill, just about 15-20 feet from where the viewing deck was!

It was this guy!

So close!  So crystal clear!  So cool!  

He had a look around, let out a little chirp, and went back in the bushes.  
Talk about a cameo appearance!   We were all delighted.  :)

So, Oamaru and the North Otago region is a pretty nifty place.  Cheese, seafood, big boulders, and pretty, pretty penguins.   

Until next time!

Abel Tasman Track

Walking the Abel Tasman Coast Track has been on my NZ bucket list for quite some time now.  It's one of New Zealand's "Great Walks", and probably the most popular by far.  The Abel Tasman National Park is located in the northern part of the South Island, less than 3 hours from where I was working in Blenheim last year.  Since it's a multi-day adventure and requires some planning, I never got around to doing it while in Blenheim.

My new locums position gives me the flexibility to work where and when I choose (lucky gal, I know!).  So, to coordinate this all smoothly, I took a week off between my jobs in Levin (North Island) and Oamaru (South Island) to make this walk possible!

 

This is a coastal track, so it's not your typical woodsy walk.  There are 4 huts and dozens of campsites, all practically beach located.    Many people choose to kayak portions, or take a water taxi to/from a part of the track.  I chose to walk the wholllllllllle thing, from Marahau (south) to Wainui (northwest).

51 kilometers or bust!!

(thanks to http://doc.govt.nz for the map!)

Since this track is so popular, it's well maintained and quite easy walking, therefore safe to walk alone.  I almost had a mate come too, but work didn't allow him to join me.  So off I was, on my own, to conquer the Abel Tasman Coast Track!

I stayed the night before in a town nearby Marahau called Motueka.  My vet pal Steve's mum lives here, so I  caught up with her for coffee and a chat.   My Blenheim coworker Duncan and his family were on vacation in the area as well, so I met up with them for fish and chips for dinner (my "last supper", as I called it).  I found a backpackers that let me park Smokey there for the duration of the trip (4.5 days).  I had a bus take me from Motueka to the start of the track on Tuesday morning, and had arranged for a bus to pick me up at the end and bring me back to Motueka on Saturday.

Day 1- Start of the Track!  Marahau to Anchorage

The weather forecast was perfect for the week-- but I was prepared if it wasn't!

Speaking of prepared, here was the contents of my pack.  

Probably the most bulky/heavy/annoying thing to carry was the food (4.5 days worth, plus tons of snacks).   I took "just-add-boiling-water" dehydrated meals, but still, a girl needs her dairy (milk = liquid = heavy, cuz I hate hate hate milk powder), fiber (apples = heavy), and chocolate (not too heavy).  But, a wise friend told me "remember, your pack gets lighter every day."  Great inspiring words! :)

Started the track off with some bird sightings (So fresh from my Kapiti Adventure!)
Heron.... (i think)

Quail (I think).... (babies were nearby too, but hard to photograph)

There were a TON of beaches and bays to stop at on Day #1.   

Which turned a four-hour walk into more like 7 :)

Tinline Bay and one of the sandstone arches

Tinline Bay again.  What a neato tree.

Coquille Bay

Apple Tree Bay

Stilwell Bay 

Akersten Bay (see I told you there were a lot of bays!)

Adele Island on the left, Fisherman Island on the right

Watering Cove

Which finally led me to my destination for night #1-  Anchorage!

The sand at the beaches is just so perfect!  This area is called Golden Bay due to the colour of the sand.  The rock in this area is primarily granite, commonly a whitish rock.   Where weathering has been intense, iron compounds penetrate the stone to stain the rock a reddish-brown.  Further waves, wind and river action turns the weathered stained granite rock into coarse, golden sand... as seen in all these photos :)

Here's Anchorage Hut, my home for the first night.  Full house!   It was still school holidays over the Easter Break, so there were many families on the track.  

My only drama on Night #1 was losing about 2/3 of a fresh gas canister as I had no clue how to reattach it to the burner.  Luckily I asked for help (as the gas was whooshing out real loud and making me look like a complete idiot) and some nice man helped me secure it in place.  Whew.

After my dehydrated Bobotie (an South African dish w/egg, rice, raisins and spices... pretty yum), I called it an early night.

Day 2!  Anchorage to Bark Bay

 

(still looking fresh, might I say)

I had some nasty dreams in the huts, not sure if it was due to the exhaustion, or the suspense book I was reading about a teenage mass murderer (great solo hiking reading choice, Linz), or just due to the fact I was sleeping in a hut with 25 complete strangers.  Still managed to awake refreshed each day, though!

I took some side trips on Day #2.  I could've taken the low tide track and been to the next hut in 3 hours, but decided to do some inland exploring.

Looking back on Anchorage, one last time.

Each day I was one of the first to start walking (one of the perks of solo walking-- not having to wait for your group to get ready!)  ... I loved the morning calmness, evident here.

And here.

The first side trip was to Cleopatra's Pool, a 1-meter deep pool fed by the Torrent River.  It's surrounded by smooth rocks.  A mate told me to take a swim here.   It was mighty cold swimming at 8:30 in the AM, but I got in up to my knees to say I did it :)

Heaps of bridges on the track for photography fun :)

Next sidetrip was a bit longer, further inland and uphill following Tregidga Creek to Cascade Falls.

And even further inland to these shorter but definitely more powerful falls at Falls River.

Both sidetrips were definitely worth it!  A nice change from the beach scenery for a bit.

On the way back downhill I caught some bright blue out of the corner of my eye.  Thought something that colour must be a gum wrapper or piece of trash.

Nope!  A teeny tiny blue toadstool mushroom.  Cute :)

The Falls River Swingbridge

Lunchtime was spent here, at Torrent Bay (low tide obviously).  A bubbly Canadian girl asked me to take her photo, so I had her do the same for me.  We shared "what are you doing in NZ" stories, and off we went in our opposite directions. 

Track headed uphill again (at this point I was kind of regretting doing those sidetrips!).  It's funny, on the track, you see folks of all ages/levels... mind you, some of them just get dropped off at one bay via water taxi and get picked up at the next for a short 2 hour daywalk, then transported back out of the park to back and sleep in their nice accomodation somewhere.   Obviously I look a bit different than them, with a bit of sweat/dirt and a huuge pack.  I bet they were jealous of my toughness.   Little did they know I was jealous of the shower they had that morning :)

Overlooking Torrent Bay

Medlands Beach

Then, 7 hours of walking later (damn you sidetrips!), my home for Night #2, Bark Bay Hut!

No dramas here at all.  It was low tide around dinner time, so after my dehydrated Beef Curry (hands down *the* best dehydrated meal they make), I took a walk out to see the pretty nighttime sky.

Come morning, the beach was a lot shorter!

Day 3!   Bark Bay to Awaroa Hut

Eyes a bit puffy, still looking ok :)

Morning calmness once again.  LOVED it.

First stop was Tonga Quarry.   This beach used to have a stone quarry on it.  It looks out to Tonga Island, where there is a Marine Reserve.  Due to fishing not being allowed in the Marine Reserve, apparently there's great snorkeling here.   Unfortunately wetsuit, fins, goggles and snorkel didn't make the cut-off list for what was making it into Linz's pack.   Maybe next time.

Here is Onetahuti Beach.  This is one of the trickiest parts of the track, as you MUST cross around low tide, as the track becomes impassable 1.5 hours beyond low tide.  Timed it pretty well here-- plenty of beach to walk along.

All this would be water at high tide!

At this point, I was getting quite excited, as the next destination was Awaroa.  I had booked a space at the Awaroa Hut, but *everyone* I know who had walked the track before told me about this *amazing* Awaroa Lodge where you could have a *lovely* proper coffee, a *delicious* woodfired pizza, or a *refreshing* adult beverage.   Wow!  Couldn't wait!   On the walk there I was deciding between an energizing coffee or a nice, cold beer.

Too bad the decision was made for me when I got there.

NEITHER.  Fail.   Awaroa Lodge closed til September.

Boo!

I finished the walk to the hut, coffee and beer-less. :(

Due to the tide situation, Day #3 was quite a short day of walking (just over 3 hours).

I plopped myself on this bit of grass and read all afternoon.  Bliss.

I met a nice family here from Wellington.  They live in a suburb called Plimmerton, where apparently there is a Polish Deli there.  I was salivating with just the thought of pierogies and halushki!  Too bad it was dehydrated spaghetti bolognese on the menu. 

Evening at Awaroa Inlet. 

No dramas on Night #3, but thankfully I brought two full gas cans, as I wasted most of #1 on the erroneous attempt to attach it to the cooker and it was empty by Night #2.   Asked for help straight away the second time around, and managed not to leak any, nor make an embarrassing hissing gas scene :)

Day 4!  Awaroa to Whariwharangi.

The first part of this day involved another low-tide only crossing.  I knew low tide wasn't until 2pm so the earliest I could start my day was 12:30.  BUMMER for a morning person such as myself!   Each night, the hut warden comes into the hut, checks your tickets, and answers any questions.  I asked to be certain if the earliest I could start walking the Inlet was 12:30 and he nodded. 

HOWEVER, later that evening, he came looking for me.  Apparently, another family booked a watertaxi on the south side of Awaroa that they would physically not be able to walk to in time to catch.  So, since he was already going to have the boat out to get them to the south side of the harbour in time for their watertaxi, he offered to take me across North after he dropped them off.  SCORE!   An earlier start to the day!!

Here are people I watched cross Awaroa Inlet during my afternoon reading the day prior.   It's not a completely dry crossing.  They *were* getting wet.

So, the next morning, instead of twiddling my thumbs at the hut until 12:30 in the afternoon, the hut warden came to pick me up in the boat below at 9:30!   SCORE!

Dry as a bone on the other side of Awaroa!   I'm a lucky gal.  Not everyone gets free rides in the Hut Warden's boat!  :)

It was pretty awesome, as the next part of the trail was some of the most beautiful spots.  The early start gave me heaps more time to explore it rather than just rushing to get to the hut before sunset.

Waiharakeke bay

Goat Bay 

(if you look closely there's some folks walking in the sand.. yep, a lot of this track was actual beach as the track!)

Neat sand formations

Shag

Skinner Point, overlooking Totaranui Beach

Most people choose to end their walks/kayaks at Totaranui, but here's where I think the most gorgeous portions start.

Anapai Bay, my favorite bay of them all!!  Mainly due to the fun rock formations.

 

Fun to climb, too!

Peek-a-boo!

Yes, probably getting a bit delirious at this point after 4 days of solo tramping!

They say there's nothing harmful/dangerous in NZ... then what was THIS?

But plenty of pretty ferns made up for that one scary spider :)

Mutton Cove

Short side trip up to Separation Point--- the point that separates the Tasman Sea from Golden Bay.   Spectacular views.  And the first place with cellphone reception on the track!

There was a fur seal colony here that provided some good entertainment.

Mom and a pup...

As humans, we stress and freak out about breastfeeding, positions, holds, etc.  Here the mom seal just lays there and the pup figures it out.

And then it's naptime.  Nice.

Final hut of the adventure was by far the coolest--- Whariwharangi Hut, actually a restored farmhouse built in 1897.

One of the coolest features was that it was 2 stories!  (quite unusual for NZ huts)  My room had a little balcony too!

Met some neat folks from NZ, Australia and Germany on this day, too, travelling as a group-honeymoon sort-of thing after two of the group got married in Queenstown earlier in the month.  What a fun idea!

Stars were gorgeous this night, too.

Day 5!  Whariwharangi to Wainui

The end is near!   1.5 hours, just down this hill to the Bay!

A few twists and turns of the track (I even admit, I jogged a bit downhill), and there was the end!  WAHOO!

51kms, 4.5 days, 4 huts, zero mishaps, one free boatride, and zillions of grains of golden sand in my socks/shoes/pack.

What great fun on this "Great Walk" of New Zealand.

Thanks for reading!