Abel Tasman to Picton....

Howdy everybody, I think the last time I blogged we had left Kaikoura and headed up to the Abel Tasman national park. It was awesome up there and we enjoyed exploring the sandy beaches and the little coves. We strolled along the beach and just enjoyed having the sun on our backs. It was dampened somewhat by Biff acting up. We were just cruising along one day when we heard this massive crash noise from the back. Kate noticed something had fallen off him and told me to pull over. I parked up and ran back down the road to find the cover of Biffs front roof vent. We headed back to the campsite with some araldite, borrowed a ladder and I stuck it back on. It seems Biff got upset with us and quite literally blew his top! Kate joked that he probably just needed to vent all the farts trapped inside him. We were a bit dubious about driving anywhere too far until we knew the vent would stick so only really went to the local Pupu (yes that was really what they were called) springs. They are a sacred Maori spring which produces the clearest water in Australaisa. Shame they were sacred as it would’ve been an awesome place to snorkel. Especially since the visibility of the water was something crazy like 60 metres which is about as clear as water gets!

Anyway, Biffs vent seemed to stay in place so we braved the next leg of our trip. As it was my birthday the other day we decided to head back to Nelson, as it was somewhere we knew we could have a nice meal and a few drinks. On the way we stopped at Kaiteriteri beach. Oh my god it is easily the most picturesque beach I have ever been to. We leapt out of Biff and explored all the little coves and inlets in the glorious sunshine before heading onward to Nelson. We stayed in the same place as before and got a nice little discount from the owner. On my birthday we sat out in the sun and had a few beers. It was very odd being so far away from everyone for my birthday. I mean I have had my birthday in other countries before and spoke to my family but couldn’t help but feel a bit lonely and distant. I am 34 now and starting to feel it! I have noticed a few white hairs in my beard and had a mysterious craving for werthers originals the other day! Nah man, I feel closer to 24 than 34! Kate reckons I’m closer to 14 but I think she might be trying to insult me with that one. Having a birthday here was good in a way though as it felt like I had a 2-day celebration. I got texts from my Qtown friends when it was my birthday here then got texts and facebook messages the following day when it was my birthday in the UK. Pretty cool.

So on my UK birthday we decided to head into town for a game of poker. It was at a pretty swish bar called 623. It was a welcome change from the dives we had played in since leaving Qtown. Most of the poker games were held in pretty nice bars there but we have also played in a few TABs, which are NZ betting bars. All the betting shops here have bars in them so you can get rid of a few vices at once. I joked that all they needed was a brothel upstairs and there would be no reason to ever leave! Brothels in NZ are legal by the way. They are government run so all the hookers pay taxes and stuff. They are still seen as taboo but it gives the working girls a clean safe place to work, they get a pension and contribute to the economy. The way forward perhaps?

Anyway, the poker game was in an upstairs bar and as soon as we got there I was feeling good. The 6 warm up beers probably helped. I won the first hand, which immediately relaxed me too. Always a good sign. Well, I ended up smashing everyone! I think I was playing so confidently that I intimidated a few of the players. I didn’t mean to it’s just that I felt so good. At heads up I ended up beating the other guy by hitting a pair of 3’s and smashing his “big chick” which is a hand of ace – queen (which is like one of the top hands). He took it well and the $70 bar tab was mine! Sweet! It was so nice to win again, especially since I played so well. The bar tab came in very handy too and we enjoyed a slap up meal and a few drinks the following night. So nice having the game in a nice venue as the food was pretty nice. I think we are going to consider looking for more poker games as we travel north. It is a great way to kill time, meet new people and maybe, just maybe win a bar tab or 2.

We left Nelson yesterday. Now it is supposed to be the sunniest place in NZ with around 300 days of sun a year but it has pissed down for the last couple. We left there under grey, cold gloom and headed to Picton. We drove the Queen Charlotte route from Havelock (which, apart from Qtown is the only place in NZ we have been to more than twice) along the Queen charlotte sound and were greeted with some stunning views. It was probably the windiest road I have ever driven and my arms where aching from the effort it took to keep Biff on the tarmac. So we are back in Picton now until tomorrow when we get the ferry back to the North island. I will be sad to leave what I consider the best of the 3 big islands that make up New Zealand. I have enjoyed pretty much all of this island and will always hold a spot in my heart for Qtown. A place I still consider my home. Getting back up north though will mean we get to do all the things we omitted on the trip down which will be good. It also means warmer weather as it being the Southern Hemisphere, you head north to get warmer weather. I just hope Biff decides to not blow his top!

Thank you so much everyone for all the birthday messages. They really meant a lot to me. Just keep hold of any presents until I get home. Ha ha.

Peace

D

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