Queen Charlotte Sound

We had two days left before we would get back on the Interislander ferry and be whisked back to the North Island. After a tearful goodbye to Brenda, we headed to the tourist office in Piction to find ourselves a bed for the night on one of the outer Marlborough Sounds. We found a little cabin in Mistletoe Bay and after stocking up on provisions, we headed along the windy road to our home for the night. Mistletoe Bay was a lovely spot to land, and as soon as we dropped our bags, the kayaks were off the van and in the water. We had a great time exploring and wished again that Scholarship was there as she would love the countless calm and protected anchorages. Our plan the next day was to hike part of the Queen Charlotte Track. The 71km long hike can be done like the Abel Tasman, in several different ways. Our plan was to hike for about four hours and then head back. We ended up having a gorgeous hot day and we just kept going. Our plan was to stay on the trail those extra hours and then hitchhike back to Mistletoe Bay. After we had a rest at Torrea Bay, we gathered up our stuff and Mark's plan came to fruition. Some Kiwi's we had chatted with on the trail not only offered to drive us back, but insisted that we come for a beer at their cool Kiwi bach (holiday home). We had a great time meeting them and enjoyed snacks as we watched the Tui birds and enjoyed the view. This was Kiwi hospitality at it best.

As I mentioned, the track is 71km but we were doing our best to see as much as we could in the on day we had. After we were returned to Mistletoe Bay by our new friends, we hopped in the van drove up the hill so Mark could mountain bike the last 13km section. Because of the serpentine roads it took me over an our to reach the trail head at the other end. It took Mark just over an hour and half. Tired but exhilarated we headed back to Piction for the night. We were very glad we had already book a hotel. The next morning we returned to Wellington and began our journey back to Scholarship.

Cormorants Tui bird feeding Our lovely Kiwi hosts Mistletoe Bay's pet alpaca Mistletoe Bay Camp Vinne Van Go filled with toys and stuff for the South Island