After a week of work in Blenheim, it was once again time to play.  I made my way back to Mapua outside Nelson to see Mary, the cousin of Ginny who is the wife of Gerry, who manages Halfway Bay Station.  Mary is a wonderful person, filled with positive energy, so there was no better person to be with after hearing the news of my grandmothers passing when my brother called on the morning after I returned from Blenheim.  I decided Bama would want me to carry on enjoying the beauty that New Zealand beholds, so Mary, two of her friends, Brad and Ketter, and I went to Golden Bay and Farewell Spit at the very Northern end of the South Island.  We enjoyed a fantastic time at Fahariki, the sand dunes above, roaming the rolling green sheep paddocks right on the West Coast,  and enjoyed a beautiful evening watching swans, catching shellfish and walking forever at low tide on the sandbar at Farewell Spit.  The next day, Mary and I departed on a three day sea kayak trip around the Abel Tasman National Park.

Mary and I have been kayaking from Totaranui south.  Last night we stayed at Anapai and today we've made it to Mosquito bay.  The coast of Abel Tasman is astounding.  Crystal clear turquoise blue water, dramatic granite coast, sea birds, seals, the sound of cecadas and paddle strokes as we float by endless beauty with the backdrop of endless green bush blanketing coastal mountains.  It has been great.