The Life of a Dreamer: 4 days, 3 nights, 0 showers

Day 1

The day of my journey had begun. Before the sun was up on Monday morning, after having a quick breakfast and getting ready, I was waiting outside the hostel by 7am and my bus taking me to Abel Tasman arrived shortly thereafter. Easter break was over which means that hostels and other touristy things have gotten quieter as well which is perfectly okay with me. With three others on board, after an hour long drive we made it to Marahau, where the track begins, shortly after 8am. Upon checking in and confirming the location and date of my returning water taxi, I began putting one foot in front of the other making my way to the track. I hadn’t even walked 1 km before my pack was weighing me down. It felt like it had bricks in it. Why had I brought all that I had? Although I had left over half my belongings at the hostel until I returned and half my pack was food for the next few days, I probably brought more than what was necessary. It’s when you literally have to carry everything that you realize that you can survive with less. I thought, if I eat more now my pack will be lighter but than there was the counter argument, if I eat all my food now, I won’t have any for the days to come. Oh well, I would just have to deal with it. Within minutes of beginning the trail, I was amazed by the beauty that surrounded me and thankful that I had decided to take the track slow taking 4 days rather than the day or two hike that some people do. I was walking amongst lush green bush with the turquoise blue water and fine golden sand to my side. Astounding. As I was walking I did a lot of thinking, looking forward to the future, reflecting on the past, and enjoying the present. I took a few side paths to the coast line before taking a long break 2 hours into my walk at Akersten Bay. I laid there for quite sometime enjoying the views and eating a nice lunch of salami, cheese, and chocolate. Christina, the girl I met at the Center of NZ, had been walking the opposite direction and also happened to stop at the same place so we were able to catch up and swap stories of the trail ahead. At mid-afternoon, I continued on my way towards Anchorage Bay. I made several stops along the way talking several photos and enjoying the beautiful views. Removing my Chacos, I sunk my toes into the fine golden sand of Anchorage Bay shortly after 4:30pm. Although I have many pictures of the scenery that surrounded me, none will do it justice. I walked along the beach towards the campsite; passing the DOC hut along the way, as well as saying hi to a guy I had met previously on my trip. There were about 3 tents set up already. I got the tent set up before going to the beach before it got dark. I had dinner of apple with peanut butter, bread, salami, and cheese before joining two girls at their fire nearby. Although they had it going, their fire needed a little help. Iliesha and Sheila (I’m probably butchering the spelling of their names) were sisters from Ireland who had been traveling in South America for 4 months before coming to New Zealand. We had a delightful conversation, sharing traveling experiences with one another. Most of all, I thoroughly enjoyed the fire. I love campfires. They remind me of camp and I find them to be quite mesmerizing. I’ve decided that I want to have a fireplace someday. The fire may have been the highlight of my day.

The pace of life changes when you go camping. When it gets dark you go to bed and when it is light you get up. Simple as that. Okay it may not be quite that simple but I think you get the jist. After a final trip to the bathroom with my flashlight, I made my way to the tent. I bundled up wearing my merino, fleece, wool socks, leggings, hat, and gloves before wiggling my way into my sleeping bag, prepared for the cold night ahead.

The beginning of the track. Yes, I wore my chacos.

My lunch spot: Akersten Bay

Lunch: Cheese and Salami

Above Anchorage Bay

Watering Cove

Dusk at Anchorage Bay

My campsite the first night

Day 2

The night started well but as the temperatures outside began to drop, so did my body temperature. I can’t say the tent was of the best quality and it did little to secure the heat inside the tent. I tossed and turned throughout the night and by morning my feet had grown cold. At 7:30am you would have found me by the fire pit, starting a fire trying to warm myself back up. I must say, not only have I grown to enjoy early mornings, I also take pleasure in being able to take my mornings slow. I sat by the fire for quite some time before filling my stomach and preparing myself for the day. After 24 hours with no hot water, my hands were feeling quite grimy and dirt had collected under my nails but little could be done; cold water and hand sanitizer would have to do for the next 4 days. I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon at the beach relaxing and reading the book that the guy gave me when I was hitch hiking. It was quite enjoyable. With about 4 hours worth of hiking for the day, I started on my way shortly after 1pm. The sun was shining as I walked along Anchorage beach to the trail. It wasn’t far before I made it to the Torrent Bay tidal crossing. The tide was beginning to go down so taking of my sandals, I made a go at it. The water went from my knees to my thighs; maybe this was a bad idea. I stood in the middle of the water for a bit contemplating my options. I could continue on through the water or turn around and take the high tide route. I decided to turn around. As I was walking the high tide route, I saw that the tide was going down. Had I waited 30 more minutes, I could have easily crossed. Part way along the path, I was able to cut across the tidal area to the shore cutting my time down a bit. I continued on my way. Like the day before, the views were great. The afternoon sun had faded by the time I made it to Bark Bay, my next camping destination. Given my experience the night before, I did my best to find a campsite that was the most protected from the cold. After setting up the tent, I made my way to the fire pit which I shared with Clive and Isabelle, a couple (although I’m unsure of their relational status) that I would guess to be in thier 50’s. Clive was a Kiwi and Isabelle was from Scotland. They have been traveling and cycling around NZ. We were later joined by Juan Pablo, a young man of 24 from Chile. We sat around the fire enjoying our dinner and a nice conversation. As night came, knowing that it would probably be cold again causing me to not get a very restful nights sleep, I decided to sleep outside on the bench by the fire. I bundled up again with my sleeping bag underarm and went to the fire. The others had gone to bed and I lay on the bench enjoying the warmth of the fire. A clear starry night, the crackling of a fire, and the crashing of waves against the beach…what more could a girl want? I guess someone the feed the fire throughout the night would have been nice. While warm, my rest was often interrupted by the need to add wood to the fire and once having to physically get up and walk to get more wood from the wood supply.

The fine sandy beach at Anchorage Bay

walking Anchorage Bay

Anchorage Bay

The first tidal crossing which I began but later turned back

overlooking Anchorage Bay

The bridge over Falls River

Coming into Bark Bay at dusk

Day 3

I woke up as the first hint of light entered the sky. Because I was already awake, I meandered to the beach with my sleeping bag and with only my eyes visible to protect me from the sand flies, watched the sun rise over the ocean. A beautiful sight it was. Now that the sun was up, the coolness of the night began to fade. I made my way to the tent where I was able to get some more rest before beginning another day of hiking. Of all the days, the timing this day would be most critical as there were two tidal crossings which didn’t have an alternate routes. I walked two hours before making it to Onetahuti beach, the location of my first tidal crossing of the day. I was there ahead of schedule and waited for a short time for the tide to go down. As I was waiting, along came Clive and Isabelle. When the time came, with shoes off and water to my knees, I made the crossing and carried on my way walking another 2 hours to the next tidal crossing. Again I was early and had to wait for the water to recede. Clive and Isabelle came along again. Seeing people multiple times on the trail creates a unique bond between hikers. The distance of this next crossing was more significant and took about 18 minutes to cross. This time I wore my flip flops due to the sharp shells that covered the ground. It was close to 4:30pm by the time I finished the crossing and with an estimated 2 hours left to go before the next campsite, I pushed on in order to get there before dark. I made it to Totranui at dusk and there was not a soul in site. With an unpaved road to the campground, it appeared to be a large campground attracting large crowds in the summer. Summer was gone and autumn had come. The campground was barren. My first task was to collect fire wood before the light had completely vanished from the sky. At this campsite, no wood was supplied so I had to scrounge around to find some. With the remaining light, I set up the tent before getting the fire started. I heard something skittering in the grass within a few feet of me. Not knowing what I would find, I pointed my flashlight to find a weka wandering around. To it I said, “What do you think you are doing?” I admit it, I talked to the bird. It’s not a usual occurrence but it does happen occasionally. The night was pitch black and even with the fire going I couldn’t see the outline of the trees. Here’s the thing; I’m not scared of the dark and I’m not scared of being alone but I can’t say I’m to keen on the combination of the two in the middle of no where. Although I had a calm demeanor, there was a part of me that was a bit scared. Don’t laugh at me, if you were there by yourself, I’m sure there is a part of you that would be scared too. Yes, it was quite refreshing but scary at the same time. Let’s just say, I made a big fire. By 8pm I went to the tent. I was determined to go to sleep as quickly as possible to avoid thinking about my situation.

The sunrise over Bark Bay

Stunning

Bark Bay

You know, just a man in a row boat

Beach at Tonga Quarry

check out that water

waiting to cross the Onetahuti Bay

the Awaroa Inlet tidal crossing

Goat Bay

Skinner Point

Perhaps I should go into the postcard business

Day 4

That night, I slept the best I had in the past three nights. I didn’t get cold and managed to get a decent night of rest. It was awesome. The sun was shining as I made my way to the bathroom in the morning. When I returned to the tent, I had a pleasant surprise awaiting me. Okay, maybe it wasn’t pleasant but a surprise nonetheless. Inside, was a weka flapping around. “Get out!” I said to it. Yes, I spoke to the bird again. After running into the side of the tent a few times, it finally found its way out, pooping along the way. I had closed the tent when I left, but apparently not enough. Dew covered the ground so I didn’t feel like leaving the tent in the morning so instead I just had breakfast in bed. As I sat there, along came the DOC warden, the first person I had seen in over 15 hours, to check my campsite pass. I talked to him for a bit before finally getting ready for the day. I packed all my belongings, leaving them in the tent for the afternoon while I set out for an afternoon hike to Separation Point. No need carrying my stuff along with me if I would be returning there. It’s a great feeling; not having to carry anything but a map, my camera, a few muesli bars, and my water bottle. My trip to Separation Point would have to be quick since my water taxi ride back to Marahau was to leave Totaranui at 3:15. Walking at a quick pace, it took me about 2.5 hours to get to my destination. I sat there for a bit taking in the beautiful view and watching the seals before beginning my journey back to camp. It was going to be cutting it close. I took an alternate route via the beach in hopes that it would cut my time down. On my way back, I crossed paths with Clive and Isabelle again and after a quick chat, I continued on my way. It was my fourth day of not showering and my hair was beginning to get plastered to my head by grease. God then decided that 4 days is too long for this girl to go without a shower. Okay, that may be far fetched. Needless to say, it started to sprinkle and the sprinkle soon turned into rain; a shower all natural. I picked up the pace a bit. It wasn’t that I was concerned about getting wet; that didn’t bother me. It was the stuff I had left in the tent that I was worried about. I wasn’t confident in the durability of the tent in the rain. My stuff was dry when I made it back and I lugged it and the tent to the nearby cooking shelter where two others waited out the rain. I changed into dry clothes and waited for about 45 minutes before the water taxi arrived. We hopped in and cruised along the coast back to town picking up a few others along the way. Taking an hour and a half to get back, it was great to get a different perspective of the land I had covered over the past few days; about 53.5km. I had planned on spending the night and the following afternoon in Marahau but because the forecast was for rain, I decided to go back to Nelson that same night. Can I just say that after having no hot water and not showering for 4 days, that first shower felt oh so good!