Motueka And Takaka Hill, 2023

Our drive to the Cape Farewell area took us from Marahau back through Motueka and over Takaka Hill. Motueka has lots of memories...basecamp for our first Abel Tasman trek, location of my 2009 flight in a micro-light, some good opp shopping, the Hop Federation brewery in nearby Riwaka. We passed through this time for gas and provisions and some high street shopping--Vicki found a fine silver art nouveau picture frame--and discovered an enormous Monkey Puzzle tree we just happened to park by.

Takaka Hill is actually a mountain or mountain pass that gets you over to the Tasman side of the narrow peninsula that becomes Cape Farewell and then the Farewell Spit. It's an unpleasant, twisting, turning, climb and descent, which has been closed for weeks at a time by various slips and slides. Nearer the top there's a geological display of interest and also a viewpoint looking back to Golden Bay. We stopped there on the way and then actually spent the night there on the way back...along with ten other campers.

A micro-light above Marahau

The big Monkey Puzzle at Motueka

I'd guess the circumference at about 10-12 feet

Motueka not known for its art deco, but there is some...

View from Takaka Hill toward Golden Bay

Motueka, apple orchards, hops 

Some of the fluted limestone rocks on Takaka

Abel Tasman, 2023: Totaranui And Skinner's Point

After our Bark Bay hike, we decamped and drove across Takaka Hill to the Cape Farewell area, the far north bit of the South Island, to see several sights there. On the way back, however, we drove over to Takaka port and then the twisting 13 mile gravel road to Totaranui, the only stop on the Abel Tasman coast track one can actually drive to. Our intent was to do a little day hike north of Totaranui...which ultimately was foiled by high water on the trail. Instead we walked south along the beach to Skinner's Point. But the drive to Totaranui was interesting in itself.

At Takaka harbor

No stopping

Why it's called "New Zealand" and why Tasmania is called "Tasmania"

Colonial/imperial version..."discovery" of New Zealand

Tasman Bay

The first encounter did not go well for the Europeans [click to enlarge]

Maori version, such as it is

The monument

The gravel road is a place of excitement, especially after heavy
rains

But we made it

Walking south of Totaranui, looking north

High tide, big surf

Unusual cross section of a fern tree...try counting
those tree rings!

Kiwis are very serious about eradicating all the
foreign-introduced predators that attack the native
(flightless) species; one sees traps like this on trails
everywhere; and other types, even in cities

View from Skinner's Point, toward Whariwharangi

And toward Awaroa

Abel Tasman, 2023: Torrent Bay To Bark Bay

The next day we did the water taxi/day hike/water taxi thing...Marahau to Torrent Bay, on foot to Bark Bay, and then back to Marahau. We might have done more, but the time and tides did not serve well. Still, it was one of our better days on the Abel Tasman.

Students of this blog will recall that embarkation and debarkation 
of the water taxis from Marahau involves boarding the boat, on
a trailer in the parking lot, and then being tractored down into the
water, whether at high or low tide; on the various beach landings,
the boat has a ramp which sometimes keeps your feet dry

Our skipper took us on a detour down to Kaiteriteri to see the
Split Apple boulder

Letting some other passengers off at Anchorage (see map, previous
post)

Now ashore at Torrent Bay; on the map you can see the low-tide
bay crossing from Anchorage...but it's high tide now; later we
learned the high-tide trail was closed due to a stream crossing
bridge that was out

The spit at Torrent Bay; the low-tide bay crossing from Anchorage
is at its right, now flooded

On the trail

More clear stream water

Ritual photo of Vicki on a swing bridge

A slip from yesteryear, now repaired

The bush can seem pretty intense at times, but there's
nothing within that will harm nor eat you...except 
the sand flies, which seemed strangely absent this 
year...or maybe it was all the Deet I marinated in

Abundant, informative, and timely trail signage

Another huge slip, across Bark Bay

Welcome to Bark Bay, where we've camped and
also stayed in the hut in previous years

On our taxi back to Marahau

Picking up more passengers at Anchorage

Back at Marahau, angling to get on our tractor/trailer