Mārahau

 Next morning it was back over the hill. Not quite as scary this time as we were on the inside for most of the way. The one-lane section is being strengthened, and presumably will be two lanes again in the future, though right now it is difficult to see how.

The locals in Golden Bay have a saying, “It’s just a hill, get over it”. Well, we’ve been there, done that and were hoping to get the T shirt, but unfortunately the pub in Pohara where the staff wore them was closed and for sale. 

We had decided to head to Mārahau rather than Kaiteriteri, but I had forgotten there is quite a substantial hill to get over in order to get there too, so I was not very popular with Chris and Graham by the time we arrived. Definitely a beer needed with lunch!

We went for a walk around the corner and on to the beach. The golden sand and clear blue water were beautiful, and no one else in sight most of the time. 

Next day we all walked to the start of the Abel Tasman track. Graham and I continued across multiple bridges over the wetland area and a small way into the bush.

That night we all had dinner together and were enjoying a Sting concert when the news of four community COVID cases came through. Not the best of ways to finish our last evening together. So next morning we said “see ya next time” to Chris and Ellison and we headed back to Rolleston via a night in Hanmer Springs, while they found a camp in Richmond to hunker down for a while. We travelled through some fog, and back to a cold, grey afternoon.