Bye-bye South Isle

Arriving back in New Zealand was a bit of a shock. We had gotten so used to living in a house again, cooking in a kitchen and generally not worrying about where we were going to sleep each night that by the time we reached ChCh at 11pm we had no idea what we were going to do.
We found a camping spot and slept in the car on the way towards the west coast near Hamner springs. Our intention was to stay just long enough to get groceries and gas but the faithful steed that is our station wagon decided it no longer felt like starting. Lucky for us the gas station had a garage attached operated by the most helpful little man of a mechanic. He squeezed us in just long enough to figure out what was wrong and promised to work on it the next day between calls even though Friday was Waitangi day.
Waitangi day, also New Zealand day, is the celebration of the signing of the treaty between the chiefs and the white people in New Zealand. I guess if you don't have independence you need some excuse for a drunken holiday with fireworks in the middle of summer. The real news about that is that nothing is open in NZ on Sundays or holidays and if they are they usually charge 15% surcharge. Well it turned out one of our fuses went out because of an old alarm that had been removed and somehow it kept our fuel relay from working. $80 in labor and 24hours later we were out of there and on the west coast in Karamea.
Karamea is awesome- likely the place in NZ with the most sand flies ever- but beach for miles and really just postcard beautiful. We camped again at the end of the road on the beach near the beginning of the Heaphy track-a NZ great walk. We spent two days there. The first walking the long-seemingly endless beach and the second walking the last day of the Heaphy. The last day is the best really- apparently there are good views from the second day- just outside of Abel Tasman – then the last day is all beach. We saw no one on the track the whole time and besides the sand flies it was a perfect day.
From there we drove to Nelson Lakes.
Nelson lakes seem to be one of those forgotten areas of New Zealand, looks over for the difficulty of their tracks and the fact that their lakes have less dramatic views than Queenstown – our guide book didnt even mention them. Here we spent a day and a half or so. The hikes were steep and beach forest- which seems to be the norm here- and when we finally reached tree line the views were forever reaching. The rest of our time was spent resting by the water. Aaron jumped off the dock while I waded in by the rocky beach unwilling to risk coming in contact with the eels that swim under the dock for its shade. A woman swimming near us even had one nibble her toe! That was the end for me – HELL NO was I going to risk that happening.
The drive through Takaka and Collingwood up to farewell spit was windy and long and we thought that the clouds would never lift. By the time we reached the end of the road and the little cafe that marks the end of society there the views were lengthening and we decided to go for a walk. We had to walk through farm land among the cows- and of course their poop- before reaching the outside of the spit. The beach along there was that of dreams! Flat white sand for 30 or more Km, a tide on one side that goes out at least the length of three football fields leaving behind more gorgeous flat white sand, and awesome rolling sand dunes on the other. The dramatic tides attract tons of birds to the area so walking along we got to see many different species, but still no spoonbills : ( Crossing the sand dunes was one of the most enjoyable things I have done in a while. We sunk into the sand knee deep climbing the tall dunes, and after taking in the view from the top we would jump down the steep side and start over. The beach on the inside of the spit was less exciting but the tides no less dramatic. The beach was covered with shells and instead of sand there was mud, but we were able to amuse ourselves by getting stuck in the mud so that our “jandals” flicked it up when we stepped out, and crushing the shells into new sand under our feet. That evening after dinner at the holiday park we went for a sunset walk to Whaririki beach- the eye of the kiwi. It was another walk through farm land- sheep this time- and then a long stretch of sand dune before the beach. The sunset was poppy colored setting behind the hills and the wind blew so that only the sand was sent flying flat across the beach. On the way back we must have passed 8 different girls all trying to catch the sunset, sprinting past us on the sandy path- we didnt want to tell them but they all missed it.
The following day was our last on the South Island and we made sure not to waste it. In the morning we walked the single street of downtown Takaka. Takaka is a wonderful little hippie town and the main street contains only organic shops, free trade clothing, local artists and bakery/ coffee shops serving environmentally friendly food. All I know is that their pastries were absolutely delightful I could have spent three days just exploring the cakes and pastries.
Next we stopped at Pupu springs- the purest natural water in the world! They wont let you swim in it because now that didymo has been leeked into NZ they are not willing to risk it being brought to this spring. Rightfully so, after seeing in I was enchanted by the dancing sands and constant bubbling flow of 14 cubic meters/sec of water from the spring below.
From there, about half the distance to Montueka, we stumbled across some privately owned caves and decided they couldn't be passed up. Right we were. This cave was the first “dry” cave we had seen- meaning it had no water flowing through it- so it has more formations and of different types than we had seen in any other caves, most notably cave coral and calcite crystals as big as a softball protruding from the floor and walls. In the 80's some excavation turned up skeletons from eight different family of Moa with relatives that had fallen down sink holes and died of injuries and starvation in the pitch black cave. While the national museum has taken many for research several, including a full body skeleton, have been left exactly where they were found for the enjoyment of tourists such as ourselves. One tibia bone has even been resigned for the use of being held and felt by people on the tour! So cool!
We stopped in Nelson one last time to see if this deli the guide book suggested would be open and an hour later we ended up eating a flourless almond white chocolate cake and a flourless chocolate cake- they were both rich and decadent and worth every bite. A note on baked goods in NZ; They are served with plain yogurt on the side instead of whipped cream, but it really cuts into the richness of it and I really don't know why we don't do that in the states.
We camped in the Queen Charlotte sound area finishing our South Island adventure the same way we began it. The outgoing tide exposed some of the biggest mussels we had ever seen so we gathered them and had them for dinner. After being kept up all night by the possums eating the trees above our tent and fighting with the weka in the bush, we got up early to board the ferry to the North.