13/05/2018 - Stop here and no further

Three days ago we disappeared from civilization. We went back to the "Abel Tasman National Park".

We left the campsite at "Pohara Beach" and searched for the "Rawhiti Cave". This cave is located on private property. During the approach, we had to open and pass through a gate to use the narrow path to the parking lot.
The hiking trail started flat and harmless. We climbed over a dried up river bed and walked along it. Once again, we were accompanied by many curious "Fantails". Suddenly, the route led steeply up the mountain. We struggled uphill on unpaved steps and slippery tree roots. With small breaks, we reached the cave entrance after about 40 minutes. In front of us, the view opened up into an overwhelming, large and open cave! The hiking trail ended on a small wooden platform. Thousands of stalactites hung from the ceiling. Some were longer, others even longer. You couldn't look far down - many stalagmites soared upwards. We were speechless. We stood there for a long time, looking around over and over again. According to information boards, the age of Rawhiti Cave is estimated at an incredible 1 million years! We did our best to capture the natural wonder with pictures.

Once again, we are impressed that such "attractions" in New Zealand are free to visit. - Except for finding and getting there, of course. ;)

After half an hour, during which the fascination and enthusiasm had not diminished, we started the descent.
We made the next stop at a waterfall. The 21-meter-high "Waunui Fall" can be reached by a leisurely walk. It was two kilometers long through New Zealand bush and across several bridges. On the last meters, the noise became significantly louder. In the midst of a green oasis, the masses of water shot down. A beautiful place.
Thanks to our foresight, we packed the tripod and exposed the waterfall for a long time. When we were satisfied with the pictures, we returned to the car.
To reach our last destination of the day, we had to take a gravel road. Past events made us fear the worst. But it quickly turned out that the gravel road was in very good condition and the drive to "Totaranui", where our next DOC campground was located, was relaxed. We arrived around 3:00 p.m. and were right on the "Abel Tasman Coast Track".
To end the day, we set up the camping stove and cooked ourselves dinner under the open sky, surrounded by native birds. When it was time to go to bed, we felt a slightly uneasy feeling. Because apart from us, there was no other car in sight for miles.

The campground is operated by the Department of Conservation. You forego any kitchen facilities and hot water. However, it provides flush toilets and a small shelter with sinks. The price was $13/7.50€ per person.

After a refreshing night, we wanted to start a hike in the morning. Unfortunately, the persistent heavy rain put a damper on our plans. So it was "car day". After quickly rinsing the dishes with cold water and checking the weather forecast for the next day, we spent the rest of the day in the car. The forecast for tomorrow looked much better, so our mood improved slightly. Well, what do you do all day long when the rain in New Zealand doesn't seem to stop and there is no internet reception? Writing a blog, looking at pictures, entertaining each other (maybe even cursing) and waiting for the rain to finally stop.
In the afternoon, we set up the mobile stove near the toilet block, where the sinks were also located. This made us a little more protected from the wind and rain. After eating the delicious leek noodles in the car, we watched a movie for the first time in a very long time. When it was over, we realized that the rain had subsided. Around 8:00 p.m., we got out of the car and the night had already fallen upon us. Countless stars sparkled in the sky. After brushing our teeth, we took one or two pictures of the night sky and shortly afterwards snuggled under the warm blanket.

The next day woke us up with rays of sunshine. Fortified by breakfast, we were able to start the planned hike today. The path led us from Totaranui to "Awaroa". This section of the track belongs to the Abel Tasman Coast Track and has a small but important peculiarity that requires good timing.
We started the hike at a leisurely pace. But it quickly and unexpectedly became steep. Right at the beginning, the trail took us over a mountain. The route, we believe, has not been there for very long - because we could find old signs that marked the previous route. Oh well, be that as it may - from up here we had beautiful views of Totaranui and its beach.
The coastal walk went as expected. Mostly through bush and occasional lonely beaches. The first notable bay was the "Goat Bay". Even though there were no goats to be found here, the bay looked very pretty.
After a total of two hours, we reached the most exciting part of the track. We left the bush and soon stood on the seafloor. This passage of the hike is only passable at low tide. When we arrived, the ground was already partially exposed. On the other side of the river, far away from us, we saw a large, orange, round signpost. The closer we came to the river, the wetter and muddier the ground became. We observed that on the opposite side, a few hikers were preparing to cross. They took off their shoes, rolled up their pants as high as possible, and waded through the river. Were we too early? A passing ranger gave us a clear answer with these words: "You won't reach the other riverbank with dry feet." So our decision was made. Since we were only doing a day hike, reaching the hut in Awaroa was not a must. We turned around and after a total of four hours in light drizzle, we arrived back at the car.
On the same day, we left the campground in Totaranui and drove back to "Motueka". So we still had another two hours of driving ahead. Shortly after departure, we discovered a personal highlight. At the roadside of the gravel road, there were "clay walls" into which people had carved names by hand. And there it was, written in big letters: "Sam". We could not just pass by without stopping. ;) We parked our faithful companion in front of the engraving and took one of the most beautiful memory pictures of the trip. :)
The rest of the drive was a bit slow. We reached Motueka in the early evening, where we spent the last night.

We used today's Sunday to go shopping at the weekly market, do two loads of laundry, and upload a blog. After the food in the past few days was dominated by noodles, today it was time for something more elaborate. We roasted a pumpkin in the oven and then mashed it. We had meatballs and almond broccoli with it. Yummyy!
The food and the warm shower felt really good after the past few days.