Day 19: Marahau (Abel Tasman NP) - Motueka Valley

11.2.2019

At 7:00 we get up, make sandwiches and eat breakfast. At the kayak rental we receive the equipment as well as a very extensive introduction on what to do if we capsize, etc. Well, at 10:30 we finally arrive at the beach and are ready to paddle. Since it's low tide, the kayaks are driven to the beach and to the sea by tractors. Let's go...

In the shallow water, a huge ray swims past us. The sea is calm, we make good progress. At a small island and a lonely beach, we are visited by two small seals playing around. On the rocks, there are larger seals and even a clumsy little one!

We happily paddle on, through slightly bigger waves and headwind blowing around the cape. Another great stop at a lonely beach and a swim in the turquoise water. Since we are going to be picked up at the beach at half past 4 and we are still several bays further north, we give it our all for the last hour (muscle soreness guaranteed)...

Whether it was due to the combination of a left-handed person and a right-handed person, or the fact that we are now a well-coordinated team after more than two months of travel, remains unclear, but we paddled fantastically!

Camping: Alexander Bluff Road Reserve (looks great in the picture, but is actually the very last but very nice spot on a totally crowded free parking lot)