Torrent Bay with Ballon Rock (the rock with the few trees on it)

I look ridiculous with that hat

Torrent Bay Estuary, here we go as far west as possible (which was rather difficult with the low tide)

After parking the kayak we did the 15 minute walk to Cleopatra’s Pool

It’s rather busy here today

Back to Torrent Bay, tide is a lot higher now

Good times

Torrent Bay Estuary

Armchair Island in Anchor Bay

Watering Cove

Can you see the thirsty elephant?

Split Apple Rock

I couldn’t decide which side to post a photo of so posted both

And there’s the water taxi to take us to Bark Bay

Frenchman Bay

Kayak enjoying a rest

Walking from Torrent Bay Estuary to Cleopatra’s Pool

Cleopatra’s Pool

And again

Torrent Bay Estuary

Jasper wishing for an umbrella

The Anchorage

Looks familiar somehow…

Here we are in the Awaroa Inlet

Shag Harbour

One of the beaches in Tonga Bay, the photos below are all from Tonga Bay as well

GPS track of today’s trip

Towers Bay

With its famous Split Apple Rock

Continuing north

Torrent Bay

Sandfly Bay

Falls River

And again

At the southern end of Frenchman Bay

This as well

Around the corner should be the Totara Rocks

Ah, yes, there they are

Torrent Bay again

Beautiful little beach just north of Ballon Rock

Ain’t she a beaut?

It’s so pretty here

The whiteness is almost blinding to the eye

Continuing our way south

Torrent Bay Estuary

Still in the Torrent Bay Estuary

We paddled as far as we could towards Cleopatra’s Pool, which is pretty much here at this foot bridge

A less than 10 minute walk takes us to Cleopatra’s Pool

Not very busy here today

At the western end of the beach at the Anchorage

That man has been following me all day

Abel Tasman, so beautiful it had to be named after a Dutchman

Our next stop is Adele Island

Nice eh?

I need a yacht!

But for now the kayak will do

A map of today’s trip, starting in Kaiteriteri, then a water taxi to Bark Bay and kayaking back to Kaiteriteri

A little desolate place

The only place to go ashore was this nice little beach, in the distance the two Chetwode Islands

Nothing much to see though there should be plenty of life

We were just glad to be able to stretch our legs

We decided it was a good idea (it wasn’t!) to kayak to the little island on the left in the distance (Te Kakaho Island) next

The weather was still looking great, a bit of a head wind but that should be a tail wind on the way back

See those few tiny black dots just to the right of the rightmost island in the distance? I thought they were the gennakers of some yachts

Te Kakaho Island with another welcome beach to be able to stretch our legs, it took us 1:20 hours and it was 6.7 km from Titi Island

This is on the westernmost point of Te Kakaho Island

As is this

By now we should have looong realised the wind had changed…

…into a strong cold southerly and we still had to go all the way back to the mainland which is another 16 km! It took us 2:20 hours to kayak back to Titi Island where we arrived around 19:10. After a 5 min rest we continued towards Titirangi Bay (still 7.8 km away). By now the wind had become so strong that 45 minutes later we had still only done 3 km of that and it was 20:00 and almost dark (sunset was at 19:45)! We realised we would not make it back to the campsite and so we turned to the left, to try to make it to Alligator head where we landed on some rocks at 20:15.

A map of today’s trip. The colour is a measure of speed: the more orange the faster, the more blue the slower. We started at the bottom (Titirangi Bay), then to Titi Island, next to Te Kakaho island, around it, back to Titi Island and back towards Titirangi Bay but ending up at Alligator Head (on a few rocks). In the dark. In the cold. In a strong southerly. Contemplating what do to next. Long story short: I set of my Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and after receiving my signal Search and Rescue (SAR) sent a rescue helicopter from Nelson but the chopper had to return halfway because of the bad weather. Another helicopter from Wellington couldn’t even take off. SAR next located the nearest farm on a map, called the people living there who luckily were still awake (it was late in the evening by then) and asked them to find us and bring us to safety. Which they did! They were about to give up after a long search but then finally found us and brought us back to the campsite! Thanks guys and what a great investment the PLB is!

Looking back from the jetty

Portage Bay

Cicada basking in the sun at Portage Bay

Melville Cove and Port Gore as seen from Titirangi Rd

Titirangi Bay

Melville Cove, Tunnel Bay, Pool Head, Mt Furneaux

Glyn

Glyn plus kayak

Someone else with the kayak

Just the kayak, Guards Bay

Hikoekoea Bay

Looking west from the Mahau Sound

Looking east

Looking south

A well deserved break in the Kenepuru Sound

Hopewell Lodge, the best BBH hostel in New Zealand

Glyn is thoroughly enjoying a yummie ice crean

The evening sky back at the DOC campsite at Moetapu Bay

Our awesome camping spot

Glyn doing typical Glyn things

The superb Mono

The Scottish driver who towed my car out of the dunes after it got stuck in the sand… Thanks!

Picton

Glyn enjoying pittoresque Picton

Could it be Jochem?

Without sails I doubt that yacht will go anywhere

Still in Picton

Kayaking from Waikawa

To Allports Island

Glyn having the time of his life

The only thing missing are some dolphins

Back in Waikawa

View from the Whatamango Bay camping area