Abel Tasman, 2018, 1

One of the world's great treks is the Abel Tasman "Great Walk," which we did in 2009, all the way from Marahau to Whariwharangi, and again, less happily, in 2014, from Marahau to Totaranui. For me, this was to be the rubber match; alas, it was a losing effort. But we did a bit more, a few days later, near Wainui, and, despite the weather, the bugs, even the bed bugs, I am game to do it again some day...as a series of day hikes, no tents, no huts, and the farther from the Marahau crowds the better. All this will be explained. Previous posts on our walks on the the Abel Tasman (for those contemplating a trip, those writing a doctoral dissertation on this blog, or those with terminal insomnia) are:

http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.nz/2009/01/mozzies-boaties-and-turning-custard.html
http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.nz/2009/01/time-and-tide.html
http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/abel-tasman-1.html
http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/abel-tasman-2.html
http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/abel-tasman-3.html
http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/abel-tasman-4.html
http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/kayaking-on-abel-tasman.html.

We had wonderful sunny weather in 2009. In 2014, it was warm, humid, even foggy the first two days. In 2018, there was torrential rain our first day out. Five (5) inches. This and the previous tropical cyclone had washed out bits of the trail. We wisely elected to take the water taxi from Marahau to the Anchorage Hut and to carry on from there as the weather cleared. We spent the afternoon and evening at Anchorage, enjoying conversation with a Kiwi couple we kept seeing later on down the trail, and with an Australian couple, our age, whose trekking experience dwarfed ours, at least in New Zealand and Nepal. They had done the Everest trek to Gorak Shep and Kala Pattar twice and also the Annapurna! My hiking bandana ("My home's in Montana, I wear a bandana...") is a map of the Himal Khumbu, and it was fun to retrace routes and experiences. Alas, we did not know it at the time, but at Anchorage Hut we also slept in one of the worst bed bug infestations yet, which began manifesting itself as the next day, the hike to Bark Bay, unfolded.

Part of the hut at Anchorage; wet clothing and gear hanging
everywhere; it rained, hard, all day, stopping early the next
morning

Anchorage welcome and weather

In the commons area

Next morning

Washed out bridge

And sign

Water taxis at Anchorage

Kayaks and taxis

Tidal flats to be crossed at Torrent Bay

Typical Abel Tasman; on a nice day

Always turn your boat over before torrential rain

Many of the creeks, pools, and waterfalls are crystal clean; others
display tannin from the abundant fetid rot and corruption of the bush

Vicki climbs through one of the slips

Approaching Bark Bay

Slips and slides on the trail here

Beautiful Nelson, 2018

After soaring through Blenheim, we drove on to beautiful Nelson, New Zealand's sunniest place, on the north coast of the island, the gateway to Golden Bay, Abel Tasman National Park, Cape Farewell and more. As in 2014, we spent a few days in Nelson, certainly my favorite South Island town. Additional posts on Nelson, from 2014, are at http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/saturday-in-nelson.html and http://roadeveron.blogspot.co.nz/2014/02/nelson-cathedral.html. All this on February 8-10.

Few towns are kinder to travelers than Nelson; smack in the center
of the city, in a large square converted to parking, is the Montgomery
Solar Superloo...parking for self-contained camper-vans, toilet and
shower facilities, even a coin-op laundry, all for nominal fees

The Montgomery Solar Superloo; the solar panels are osbcured
by the tree

We spent a couple nights in Nelson, as in 2014, enjoying the
art deco, the shopping, and especially the Saturday market

Tower on Church Hill

The Saturday market is not to be missed: excellent local artsy-craftsy
types, locally grown produce and other food stuffs; plants; much
ethnic cuisine; no crap, none at all

Wine barrel tops made into trays; lots of wine in this part of
the world, Marlborough back toward Blenheim

Topo-map cloth pillow covers

Locally designed, made, dyed...

Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, 3

But wait, there's more. In a separate hangar is a collection of WWII fighters, some on loan (and some for sale), of interest. All are late models, and the Stuka (I think) is a reconstructed replica. As in "Knights of the Sky," "Dangerous Skies" tells many stories through many media, all impressive.

True story: 1940, the Brit pilot parachuted to safety, landing square in the middle
of a garden party going on in Kent; the doctor depicted offers him a drink after
attending to his minor injuries; guest of honor; he was stunned some weeks later
to receive a bill for her services

"His" Hawker Hurricane, depicted after he had parachuted to safety; personally,
I felt the Hurricane should have been presented with more dignity: Hurricanes,
not Spitfires, accounted for 80% of the kills in the Battle of Britain

Much in the way of apparel, accoutrements, paraphrenalia

And posters

Avro reconnaissance plane

Late model Curtis-Wright P-40; a favorite, though it was not
a star of the war

Mainly because of a boyhood infatuation with the Flying Tigers, a John Wayne
movie; interest in such things lead me eventually to libraries and books, so it
is not an altogether bad thing; it wasn't long before I learned what a patriot/
scoundrel Claire Chennault was; my interest waned...

A reconstructed/replica Stuka, the famous German dive bomber that terrorized
Europe from the Spanish Civil War on

The Jericho Trumpets (propellers) clearly in view on the landing gear

And, the pride of the show, a Spitfire

Great museum!