By taxi to paradise

We leave Nelson very early and continue to Marahau. There we find out about possible tours and times at the Visitor Center. After a hearty breakfast with a view of the beach, we go back to the center and book a boat taxi ride for the next morning. Unfortunately the first boat is already fully booked, so we have to reschedule a bit and take the second boat. We spend a quiet day at the campsite. The weather is very strange again and so in the afternoon I sit in the sun in the camping chair with a sweater and wool blanket. Here I discover a little visitor on my shoe who then makes himself comfortable on my tablet, or maybe he is simply confused by his shadow. Five minutes after Maren goes jogging, the wind stops and it gets excessively warm. I put cream on myself and lie down on the meadow in short clothes. Maren comes back from her round feeling exhausted. In the morning we drive back to the center and get into a boat in the parking lot, which is on the trailer of a tractor. He then drives down to the beach and over the ever-long ebb sand to the water. He lets us back into the water and the taxi ride can begin. I quickly get wet and we freeze for the entire journey (approx. 45 minutes). We get out at Torrent Bay and have to wade ashore through water up to our knees. From there our hike starts through the forest and over a suspension bridge. Again and again you can see through the trees down into the beautiful bays. Maren runs barefoot for a large part of the route and (probably) breaks her little toe on a root. I leave and Maren limps down a slope to a huge sandbank and river mouth. Shortly afterwards we reach our destination, lie down on the beach and wait for our taxi back. I go into the sea armed with a mask and snorkel, but apart from a small crab, I see absolutely nothing. According to Maren, two minutes after I got into the water, a ray was swimming right along the beach and everyone was running after it. I'm really sad, but before we leave I'll actually see him again. This time with dry feet we get on the taxi boat and drive back to the campsite. At the end we treat ourselves to a wood-fired pizza and wine.