Day 22

in Clifton/ Abel Tasman (north). Another glorious day in Golden Bay. We started with a stop at a gallery EarthSea where we bought a beautiful print of a painting we loved. There were quite a few originals, but nothing that grabbed us as much as the print. Then we drove through to Pohara Beach which is a beautiful crescent. I sat in the shade and read my book while Keith and Zack played in the water, built sandcastles and enjoyed romping on the sand. Ah, it is so wonderful watching the two of them playing together - I know how special this time together is, so it's important to store up each moment in my heart. Zack ended up running around nudies again. I wonder if he's fashion-conscious yet ? I'm aware that his swimming costume is a rather inflated yellow speedo, and lots of the boys his size are wearing faded baggies that look very hip. I hated my first swimming costume, so maybe I'm just over-sensitive. I'd made sandwiches which we ate in the shade, sitting on a huge piece of driftwood with New Year 2008 graffiti scrawled on it in coal. Zack was fading so we decided to drive through to Abel Tasman and absorb some of it's glory and reputation. We were welcomed by a very winding dirt road and then a glorious avenue of the biggest trees you've ever seen, leading up to the DoC hut & beach. This beach was different - it was honey coloured and the grains of sand were like sugar crystals and really crunched with each foot step. It was hard going because it was so soft, dissolving under your feet as you tried to move forward.
We had to walk for miles to get to the rocks on the furthest end of the beach, where a small river ran down into the sea. I was relieved to reach this marker. There were gulls bathing in the shallows further upstream and a brunette sunning herself a few feet from us. We settled ourselves down and took off Zack's shoes so that he could enjoy the sand. I'd fished out a large serving spoon from our canvas fridge bag (holder of all things Tasman Beach Excursion'ish) and set about digging sand for his pleasure. After a few returns, Zack was off to befriend the brunette who was now pulling sand onto her, I'm guessing here, sunburnt feet. Yes, mine were feeling pretty sunburnt and tight too. He has a real knack for "the approach", when it comes to strangers - he knows exactly what to do to endear himself. This time he just plopped down on his knees, smiled and started to help her add sand to the growing pile. In no time, he'd won her over. (Charlie, you would be proud!)
We played in the sea too, looked at schools of small silver fish swim this way and that to escape our wading-legs, smiled at more bathers, and then it was time to head home - the sandflies were out in force. We packed it all up, including the now sandy lens-cap (Oh dear me), and waded across the now thigh-deep river and to a nearby jetty and a route into the campsite and easy walking. Keith went on ahead and came back to pick us up.

Abel Tasman is another beautiful place - completely covered in rainforest and giant ferns. We were sorely tempted by a sign at the top of the hill saying "For Sale" with details that sounded heavenly - sea views, 10 hectares of land, indigenous forest and wood, etc. etc. Ah, if only it was closer to home !
We wandered home via the Totally Roasted shop for cheesecake. We weren't sure what our temporary "home" would look like this evening, after the bee-escapade last night. We were shocked to see hundreds of bees against all the windows - what is it with bees that they can't do a U-turn ? I just don't know. So Keith had to take the lead and make a path for us to walk in, collect some toys and then exit promptly while he stayed to sweep and cajole all of them out of our house. It proved to be a tortuous task, as some where lying on the floor from exhaustion, but others were hell-bent on staying at the window pane. In the meantime Zack was determined to "go and have a look", instead of staying outside where he was safe. The shouting and the dragging of the toddler ensued. I thought that distracting him with hanging our washing would be a good ploy, but then I discovered that the bloody washing machine had been doing our clothes ALL DAY. It's a bit messed up and doesn't seem to do a spin cycle any more either. %*&$! So I had to take the dripping wet clothes out the machine and wring them by hand before putting them on the line, all the while telling Zack to stay out of the laundry (those little fingers love pressing every button), and to bring the peg-bag back to me. By the time Keith joined me to say "all clear," I was frazzled and swearing. My hands are badly chapped from the water, and now I'd been wringing out litres of water from our clothes so I could hang it on the line. I'm not sorry that we're going to Nelson tomorrow.
I'd been cooking some brocolli and carrots for Zack's dinner, in between all of this going on, so we sat him at the table, and I went out to read my book. Karen turned up to pick fruit, so we had a chat, and paid her for our time here (she was kind enough to give us a discount because of the bees) .
Zack faded in about 10 minutes this evening, which was a blessed relief for a rather care-worn and exhausted mummy. Keith went off to photograph the spectacular sunset and I sat down to type the blog and read my book. Quite a balm for the soul really.
It was one of those evenings, where, as time passed, you knew it was going to breath-takingly beautiful: a gentle building of the golden tones on the blue-gums behind the cabin, and the high cirrus clouds, blowing away from west to east like candy-floss fingers, purple on one side and the palest pink, turning gold, on the other. I can hear the wind picking up, picking up, in the gum trees, and I know the weather's going to change. There's washing on the line, and I've a feeling there'll be a storm tonight... Ah well, I'll have to rescue the sodden mess in the morning.
Hot tub, BBQ'd Halloumi at 10:45pm and off to bed.