It has been a fair while since the last update but, seeing as we are now leaving Motueka, we thought we would provide you all with an update of what we have being getting up to and what lies ahead.
After finishing work at the packhouse we got back to exploring the local area. We visited Kahurangi National Park with the desire to summit Mount Arthur (1800m) but, despite a fantastic weather forecast, the clouds set in and the temperature dropped as we reached 1600m forcing us to turn back. Prior to this the views from Flora Saddle (950m) up to Mount Arthur hut (1400m) were beautiful so at least we did get to see some of the mountain and valley scenery. Doing the walk, one can understand why the weather is so fantastic around Motueka as all rain is simply deposited on the mountains to the west.
After our failed summit bid of Mount Arthur we set off to Takaka hill for a shortish 10km walk through lovely karst scenery. Takaka hill is home to New Zealand's largest cave systems and after completing the walk we decided to check this out for ourselves with a visit to Harwood's hole - a 180m deep, 50m wide tomo leading down into vast cave sytems below - quite a sight!
Asides from walking we have visited Nelson (pretty town but very quiet Sundays) and Laura has been busy making Apple crumbles and cakes that Ruff has spent his time gorging on. Niall has continued in his bid to photograph as many Kingfishers as possible. :)
Tomorrow our stay in Motueka comes to an end. We cannot thank John, Sharon and Raewyn enough for their generosity in allowing us to stay at their pad in Motueka. It has been a great 5 weeks and, when back in Luxembourg at Christmas, we hope to be able to thank them properly.
Our plans from here take us East to Picton and the Queen Charlotte trek that winds its way through Marlborough Sounds. The walk will take us 4 days and cover 58km. From there we head South to Kaikoura for whale watching; to Christchurch for the Rugby (Eng v NZ 21st June); to Mount Cook for more treks; Oamaru for penguins; Dunedin for access to the Catlins before rounding the south tip of the South Island so as to begin winding our way back north via Invercargill, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Wanaka, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier, Hokitika and Arthur's Pass. Deep Breath - Phew.
The map at the top of the blog shows you where we have been (in brown) and where we intend to go (in green). We haven't decided on our itinerary for the return leg on the North Island just yet so it has not yet been added. It looks a bit small and basic for now so when we have the time we will find a better map and better photo editing software!!
Bye for now and keep and eye out for further blog updates,
Ruff (+Niall & Laura)
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