Day 2 on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track
We arrived at Awaroa Bay a couple of hours after saying
good-bye to the guide and kayaks. The hut was about a forty-five minute walk
from the Bay and the Awaroa Lodge
where we had decided from the beginning that we would have dinner that night.
We stopped there first to see if our packs had been dropped off as promised
(they were) and to enjoy a cold beer and a bit of "civilzation." The lodge
is beautifully situated on the Bay and commands a good tariff for the rather
posh accomodations. The beers were cold and not very pricey.
We toted our packs along the shore and estuary to the
Awaroa Hut, changed into "going out to dinner" outfits, and walked back for a
fine dinner and wine, an unheard of luxury on a "Great Walk," except on guided
treks.
We returned full and tired, and fell into bed for a good
sleep. During a night-time visit to the bathroom, Judy was stunned to see
that the tide had reached the edge of the grass in front of the hut. In the
morning, of course, the tide had gone out, leaving the wide expanse of estuary
as dry as earlier in the afternoon.
