Kayaking in Abel Tasman

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So the bus ride to Nelson took ages. I didn't get there until 7:30 or so. Somehow a guy from the hostel knew that two of us were coming on the bus and came to pick us up... the hostel was up a really big hill and I would have never seen the sign. I was happy to have the ride. The hostel was in a big old house on top of a hill, and I was in the apartment, a separate little house down the hill, with five guys. The apartment was cute, it had its own kitchen and everything. I dropped off my stuff and went out for Thai food, which was delicious. I even saved enough for my dinner the next day. I showered and went to bed early after reading and writing for a bit. I was beat.

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I got up the next morning and literally wandered around all day. I did a little shopping but mostly just wandering. I wasn't really in the sightseeing mood. I did, however, go see the jewelry store where they made the "one ring" and saw the replica there. It is solid gold, with about a 3" diameter and has the words carved into it. It was only NZ$1459 if anyone feels like buying it. I didn't want to feel like a tourist so I looked at all the other jewelry in the store first before looking at the ring (not that I could even come close to affording any of the jewelry... but hey what the hell)  So after much wandering I packed up and checked out of the hostel the night before I was leaving for my kayak trip (bringing my bag up the stairs to the main part of the house at 6:30 in the morning wasn't happening) and packed for the two day adventure to Abel Tasman. I packed clothes and for food a loaf of bread, some butter, and a jar of honey, as well as some apples and granola bars. I was just going to eat bread and honey for two days. I read until I went to bed.

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I made a grave error this morning. I had toast for breakfast even though all I had to eat for the next two days was bread. The bus for the kayak trip was supposed to pick me up at 7:15. At 7:35 he finally showed up - apparently he couldn't find a group of 20 people who were traveling with the Kiwi Experience (a big bus that herds groups of backpackers around to pre-chosen locations - I hate the idea... being stuck with the same people going to the same places... ew.) We did find them at a different hotel than they told the kayak company, and then drove the 35 minutes out to Kaiteriteri (pronounced with only one "teri" because, I was told, people are just too lazy to say the second one) and checked in. I was doing a one day walk, staying in a hut overnight and then kayaking back to Kaiteriteri. I took a water taxi up to Awaroa, where I was starting my walk. On the way we boated along with a group of dolphins (group? family? herd? these things always confuse me.) which were really cute. There was even a little baby, which the boat driver kept calling a "wee one"... silly Kiwis. We saw some seals also. Seal mothers will leave two mothers in charge of all the babies in a nursery area of shallow water so they can go out hunting, so the shallow part full of baby seals was adorable. We also saw a molting blue penguin, which is the smallest penguin species in the world. I thought it was cute, although slightly disheveled from molting. I got dropped off at Awaroa and started my walk to Bark Bay around 11. I thought the walk was going to be an all day affair, but the signs said it would only take me three hours. I had lunch a little after noon (bread with butter and honey) and then continued on my merry way. I did the walk in 2 hours and 40 minutes, so I got to Bark Bay just before 2, and had nothing to do until the next morning at 9:30. I was sort of disappointed - I would have walked farther, or at least just walked the afternoon so I wouldn't have had so much time to kill. I put on my bathing suit and lay on the beach reading for a while, and I accidentally napped on the beach while I was at it... wonderful until the sun moved and I was in the shade. I basically read the whole night. There was a group of nine American students studying abroad staying in my hut, and they were incredibly loud, and carrying packs as big as my large one for a two day hike. I had more bread, butter and honey for dinner, although some nice woman gave me some meat stew to put in a slice of bread. I was not satisfied with what I brought. I read for a while, but when there isn't any electricity, you get confused by how late it is, so I got in bed to read at 8:30. All the college students were in there talking and playing stupid games that I played in high school, which vaguely resemble truth or dare. They were loud and giggling for a long time, but shutup around 9:30. I learned more about their personal lives than I care to remember.

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I got up the next morning, had some more bread butter and honey, and tried to call my dad for his birthday, but alas, had no cell service. I had been woken up at 6 by the kids in my room leaving, so by the time we actually set off kayaking at 10:30 I was exhausted again. Our guide had a slight speech impediment which took a few minutes to get used to, but he was really nice. I was with a group of German people... well perhaps some Swiss and an Austrian, but they all spoke German. I kayaked with the Austrian guy, which was good, because by the end of the day my arms were killing me. We kayaked for a while and then saw some seals up close, which was cool. They rub their butts and then all over their bodies because there is an oil secretion gland on their butts, and when the oil is rubbed over their fur it waterproofs them and keeps them warm. It is kind of funny to see seals floating around rubbing their butts up in the air though. From there we kayaked to a beach where we had lunch, which was not bread, butter and honey. I don't even remember what it was, but it was good. I was getting in the kayak after lunch, and my partner wasn't holding it steady, so I fell right in. It wasn't that cold luckily, but I felt stupid. The afternoon was a very long kayak. The majority of it was across a huge open bay. The twisting of my wrists involved in the paddling was really painful, but luckily the Austrian guy felt like getting a workout, so he let me sit for short breaks... I just took a minute off every ten minutes or so. We got back to Kaiteriteri around 5 and I got back to my hostel in Nelson a little after 6 (it took everyone forever to get on the bus), checked in, and jumped right in the shower. I was freezing because I was soaking wet. After my shower I took myself out for a huge dinner, and my eyes were WAY bigger than my stomach. I had chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes, and couldn't finish most of it, but it tasted so good I didn't care. I did laundry before reading and going to bed.

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The next morning, I got up, had breakfast, and took forever to pack before I checked out, and walked down to catch the bus at the info center.