Exploring Aotearoa in Sunshine and in Rain

“We could not have asked for a more spectacular summer day when we set off from Awaroa Lodge on our walking/kayaking adventure in Abel Tasman Park,” Sue-Ann Levy writes in a travel piece for the Toronto Sun.

“We’d arrived at the secluded lodge in the northern part of the South Island the day before via sea shuttle from the beachfront town of Kaiteriteri, where we’d driven through winding mountainous roads from Marlborough wine country,” Levy writes.

“On the day of our kayaking trip there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, even though New Zealand means the ‘land of the long white cloud’ to Māori.

“The country is an outdoor enthusiast’s delight with its mixture of steep mountains, deep fiords, lush forests, sandy bays and spectacular turquoise seas full of marine life.

“My wife, Denise, and I began our day-long adventure with a 4km trek along one section of the 60km Abel Tasman Coastal Track to Onetahuti Beach to meet our hosts with Kaiteriteri Kayak.

“A few days later we experienced the exact opposite weather – pouring rain – when we walked with guide Becs Howe of Trips & Tramps on the Milford Track, New Zealand’s most famous Great Walk located in the southwest area of South Island.

“Howe, a native Kiwi who dabbles in teaching and admits to being a ‘bit of a roamer’, came armed with Gortex jackets and pants to try to keep us as dry as possible, although we still got soaked.

“We soon found out that this beautiful fiord experiences up to 200 rainy days per year but as Howe put it, ‘some of the best views are on a rainy day’ when waterfalls stream off the mountains.”

Original article by Sue-Ann Levy, Toronto Sun, April 6, 2019.