The Sunshine, Golden beaches and National parks of Nelson
Wednesday 12 February
An early start to get the good weather at Cook Strait and the right tide at French Pass – we were up at 6.15am and off. What a difference to the day before, sunny skies and blue seas! We made great time and cruised through French Pass at 10.00am, just at the right time. A lovely leisurely cruise followed and we arrived in Nelson Marina at 2.30pm to see the friendly faces of Sharon and Louise at the end of F Dock, with a trolley full of delights they had brought along for the cruise – including a home-made lasagna, pates, cheeses, biscuits, fruits, cake and chocolates and 8 bottles of wines and champagnes – looks like we’re in for a rip-roaring, gourmet weekend!
We left straight away and made our way across Tasman Bay to Adele Bay – and not without incident I’d like to say. The seas had changed in the space of about an hour and it was pretty rough going. We were all sitting in the cockpit and next minute a pole passed us by and when we looked out, we were aghast to see that we were in the middle of a huge fishing area – frustratingly not marked on the charts! We were surrounded by barrel-shaped floats each with huge hawsers attached, and I assume, fishing nets below, and suddenly they were absolutely everywhere….and then the inevitable happened, the engine started labouring. Yep, one rope had caught on the rudder. For a few minutes it was looking like Geoff might have to dive in and try and untangle it, but fortunately - and I don’t say that lightly, given the problems we would have had, especially if Geoff had had to dive and work in those choppy seas - it worked itself free. However, we were still surrounded by them and in rough seas too. Thankfully Geoff expertly got us out of it all without any more problems, but it was a bit stressful there for a while. And whilst I would like to share some photos of those bloody nets, I didn’t think it was prudent to abandon my watch for sightings of more of the floats on the starboard side, whilst finding my phone to take photos!!! Sharon took a few, but we didn’t get any close up, it was pretty scary being stuck in the middle of them I can tell you, they were like a maze!.
Anyway, another crisis averted, and we ended up anchoring in Adele Bay for the evening. What a glorious spot! Pina Coladas all round, followed by G&T’s and then that delicious home-made lasagna – all under a Snow moon!
Thursday 13 February
A lovely lie-in, then a leisurely breakfast accompanied by the sound of a South island Saddleback bird singing to us – it’s one of New Zealand’s rarest birds and has the most delightful birdsong. And then we were off again and as I’m writing this we are anchored in beautiful Onetahuti Bay, opposite Tonga Island, surrounded by golden beaches and Abel Tasman National Park. It’s so irresistible, we can’t not go in and walk the length of the empty beach with it’s thick, golden sand, grasses and pretty pieces of driftwood dotted around. We walked the length of the beach and bumped into a few hikers who were camping right at the far end, so we also popped in and had a nosy at the DOC camp, which was very well kept. A full moon today which means spring tides and by the time we walked back to the dinghy we were surprised at how quickly the tide had come in….fortunately Geoff had put the dinghy anchor down! Then it was back to luxuriate on the boat with a few sundowners. What a spot!
Friday 14 February
Back across Tasman Bay on this calm and sunny morning and we’re heading for d’Urville Island. It’s the largest island in the Marlborough Sounds and was named after the French explorer Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville who, in a feat of navigational daring, and after several attempts, sailed his ship Astrolabe from Tasman Bay through the narrow French Pass and into Admiralty Bay and the island that he passed was named in his honour. It covers an area of 150 square metres and the stunning coastline was formed from peaks between sea-drowned valleys. There used to be farming and fishing here, but this has pretty much diminished and there are now only four fishermen among its population of forty people, and four large farming operations, all now operated by women!
It was the second time through French Pass for Geoff and I in two days, and once again it was an exciting experience with its tidal flow, whirlpools, eddies and surges - and counter-currents around the edges - necessitating Geoff to motor hard and fast when we went through the section between the two lighthouses, one on the shore and the other on a rock in the middle of the pass. Plenty of steering wheel action for him, and he managed it with his usual aplomb. A couple of hours stop in Kapowai Bay where Sharon and I bobbed about in the water and caught up on plenty of gossip, and then it was off to the d’Urville Island Wilderness Resort for dinner. According to their website they are the “The Sounds Best Kept Secret” and it certainly is beautiful, located in Catherine Cove with the most spectacular views.
We booked a table for dinner and were especially excited as it advertised itself as “one of the finest waterfront dining experiences in New Zealand, with dining alfresco on the outside deck”. It was such a stunning evening, so it called for a glass of champagne, or two, before our gourmet dinner, and then off we went. They certainly did a great job of selling themselves on their website – the inside tables looked like an old cafeteria set-up, complete with the old plastic ketchup bottles, and the outside tables were very basic with wooden blocks for stools. The place was pretty empty except for a group of fishermen on a boys’ weekend (no wonder they thought I was ridiculous when I phoned earlier in the day to see if they could squeeze us in for dinner and insisted they take a booking instead of us just rolling up!). But I have to say, the fish and chips (yes, again!) were bloody delicious and the camaraderie with the other guests was fun, but the highlight of the day was the incredible view we had of the most stunning sunset over the bay. Of course, I was totally overdressed for the evening – but hey, I thought that that alfresco dining was going to be the business, and it was Valentine’s Day after all!
Saturday 15 February
We had an important mission before we left Catherine Cove this morning, Geoff and I were in the dinghy at 8.30am and over to the fishing boat where our four fishermen friends were waiting for us before they set out for another day on the water with their rods – they had kindly offered us some of their blue cod fishing quota last night – so we rocked on over to pick it up. There they were, all four of them waiting for us, with the bounty all packed and ready to handover for tonight’s dinner. Such friendly, generous people down here.
Now we are on our way to Okiwi Bay which is in Croisilles Harbour where we will anchor for tonight. We’ve had another successful cruise through French Pass this morning, well done Geoff, that’s three out of three, and we have been admiring the stunning scenery of Abel Tasman as we cruise past. I feel so lucky we are on a boat and able to experience all these incredible places.
We were just sitting in the cockpit having an early evening drink when we had a visitor (Em)Manuel – what a character! He’s a fisherman with Talleys and lives on his fishing boat in the harbour and came over “for a yarn” which was very interesting. His whole conversation was peppered with “f***ing” - almost every other word in fact - but he was very knowledgeable about the area which was very handy for us for our visit around these shores, and he told us a little of his life story, which was actually quite sad as he had lost his wife last year. He rolled a couple of fags whilst he was on board, refused our offer of G&T’s as he had a bucket of BYO Bourbon & Cokes in his dinghy, and certainly didn’t enjoy the tasty blue cheese and crackers I made for him. He was very amusing and has promised to bring Geoff oysters and mussels when we return to this Bay in a week or two – and that news went down very well with the Skipper!
Sunday 16 February
Big day today. Sharon and Louise are leaving us, and I am also having another short break and fly back from Nelson to Auckland tonight for some time with my daughter Bex and family, and also a couple of days at the end of the week to Havelock North to see my son Dan and his family. Mike, Jacqui and the kids will be flying in to join Geoff as I disembark so it’s three off and four on today!
We arrived at Nelson Marina around 11.30am and the three of us ladies disembarked, said our goodbyes to Geoff and headed off for lunch. Sharon has her car here as she drove over from Blenheim, so she drove us to Mapua Wharf which is at the mouth of the Waimea Estuary and a 25-minute drive from Nelson. What a place! A vibrant little area with a collection of restaurant’s cafes, galleries and quaint little stores showcasing local artisans. We arrived in time to have a quick look around the Sunday morning market before it closed and then made our way to the Apple Shed, sat at a great corner table overlooking Rabbit Island and the kids jumping off the wharf and enjoyed a delicious lunch.
Next up a look around the Port Mapua Maritime Museum located on the original wharf building, which is the focal hub of the village, and one of the few remaining historic working wharves in New Zealand. Great interactive displays along with maritime memorabilia and very interesting to read of the history of Nelson and its coastline of Tasman and Golden Bay.
Then it was back to Nelson town centre, and what a pretty one it is too, with some lovely old buildings, a stunning Cathedral, streets lined with pretty hanging baskets - and I never realised it….but the centre of New Zealand is here! Sorry folks, only a photo of it from a distance, I didn’t have time to climb to the top and take a photo of the plaque as I have a flight to catch. Another interesting fact here, the park below is also the site of New Zealand’s first rugby game on 14 May 1870.
I’m back in Nelson on Tuesday 25 February, so keep tuned for more blogs then!
Oh, and by the way, you’ll be pleased to know – it was indeed a very rip-roaring, and very gourmet weekend!!! Bye for now!