This was a treat to ourselves at the end of our South Island odyssey. We has planned to do one of the Great Walks backpacking and the other in style. And as we always like to relax by the coast on holidays, this ticked all the boxes. We booked onto a 5 day guided walk and arranged for a pickup from the airport so we could return the rental car.
It was fortunate that another couple had booked on in the last 4 weeks as the walk looked like being cancelled. It was one of the last guided walks for the season, with March being unseasonably quiet and slow for the tour company. That was the silver lining for us though as we had a small group and most of the track to ourselves.
At the airport pickup, we met the other couple and headed to the office in Motueka. There we left our excess luggage, packed our duffle bags and met our guide, Pippi. We then drove to Kaiteriteri, a 20 min drive to catch the ferry, lunched on the beach discovering the beauitful golden sands of this coastline, followed by a ferry ride out to the start of the track.
The ferry stopped several times to drop off and pick up travellers that were doing day walks along the track. We also went past Tonga Island which has a seal colony and were lucky to see a few adult seals and pups frolicking in the shallows and sunning themselves on the rocks.
We stopped at Awaroa Bay where one of the lodge staff had driven a quad bike out to one of the beaches to collect our duffle bags. The last ferry stop on the outward bound journey was Totaranui, which is not the official start/finish of the Great Walk, but is as far as the ferry can safely travel avoiding the strong winds and ocean currents further west of this point.
We disembarked here with our day packs ready to tackle the first section of the Track. While having a photo at one of the track signs, I found a well-worn wooden stick, which I picked up and decided to use as a walking pole for the entire trail.
It is only a 3 hour, 6km hike from here back to Awaroa Bay. Apart from a few 100-200m ups and downs, the track is fairly flat along the section.
Pippi was a knowledgeable guide able to point out all of the local fauna and flora. She was a local girl brought up in Kaiteriteri and this park has literally been her childhood backyard.
Very passionate.
From Totaranui, we walked through mature beech and rata forests, and along secluded golden beaches to the breathtaking expanse of the Awaroa inlet.
To reach our accommodation, we needed a boat crossing across the estuary at Awaroa River. Another guide met us with a boat and 15 mins later we docked at Awaroa Bay. There is a small settlement of houses here, with a Peppers Resort tucked away in the bush at one end and Meadowbank Homestead at the other. We were greeted by the cooks and hosts followed by happy hour.
Meadowbank is owned by the Wilson family who are descendants of some of the first European settlers in the 1850's. Meadowbank Homestead provides accommodation for walkers and kayakers on their guided excursions. Awaroa is a faithful re-creation of the Wilson family's original home
It overlooks the estuary inlet and you can sit and watch the tidal changes from the verandah. A beautiful tranquil location.
Dinner was a gastronomic feast and the evening drifted away chatting to other guests.
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