Nature...

On Wednesday we went for a day trip to Abel Tasman National Park, which is a little over an hour away from Nelson. We signed up for a boat/hike combo and a return bus ticket. Note - this bus was only supposed to be a bus ride, NOT a tour. The pickup was early so I pretty much planned on napping for the drive. Unfortunately for us, our fifty-something-passenger coach had only one other girl on it, and the driver, Reneè fashioned himself much more than a bus driver. So both ways, not only did he talk ( about everything), but he would also wake you up if you were sleeping and make out of the way stops to show us irrelevant sights.
Some sample topics that would get him started on long tangents:
On the topic of his pet pig: "Oh yeah I have some pigs... Just imagine a grown man being chased by a pig! It was hilarious!... wife's too scared of her for me to be able to leave for a few days, that's why I got to get rid of her... We'd keep one or two of the babies for breeding but eat the rest as pork!.."
On the topic of North America: "...back in the '70s you could just travel with greyhound $99 for 99 days... I stayed illegally in Canada for a few years... then that marriage didn't last..."
It was impossible to get him to stop talking. He was really a character and a half. But the best part of the whole thing was when we were in town the next day in a jewelry store and we told the woman who was helping us about our bus driver who wouldn't stop talking and she said, "is he, perhaps, called Reneé?"

The park itself was incredible. In the summer it is apparently a buzz with people everywhere, however, being here in the middle of winter (but on a spectacularly clear and temperate day) we had the whole place to ourselves! While hiking we settled into being alone with all the native birds who sang us along and only the steady sounds of our footprints.



The famous split rock. This rock was split, they don't know how!



A look back at the beach where we were dropped off.


Super rickety bridge. No more than 5 people plowed at a time.



The silver fern. A symbol of New Zealand and THE symbol of the All Black Rugby team. Early in the team's history they wanted to make the Kiwi bird the mascot but the Maori team members insisted that would give the wrong message because they don't come out during the day, they can't fly, and the Maori people used to eat them. The silver fern is a symbol of strength.



One of the crystal clear beaches.


Anchorage, the beach we were to be picked up. On arrival. It was so peaceful and beautiful. And then the sand flies found me. They are my new enemy - mosquito-esque insects that I appear to have horrible reactions to. This wasn't the last time we met them either...


Just a little beach doodle!

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