Three weeks in paradise - NZ trip report
 

Greetings fellow Fodorites – we’ve just returned from a wonderful three week trip to the SI of NZ. This was our 7th visit, and quite possibly the best. It was one of those rare trips where the stars were aligned and everything worked out perfectly. No delays, no breakages, great accommodation, excellent food and wine, friendly people, and surprisingly cooperative weather.

The travelers:

Bill & Mel, Americans currently living in Indonesia. I’d say we’re middle aged, but that would suggest we’re going to live until we’re 100 and 92 respectively. We love the outdoors, but abhor the climate in our current host country, so we head for cooler climes whenever possible. Hence, the South Island of NZ in early August. We try to incorporate as much walking/hiking into our trips as our round, high mileage bodies will allow.

The itinerary:

Singapore – one night (transit)
Hanmer Springs – one night
Upper Moutere (between Nelson and Motueka) – three nights
Golden Bay (Takaka) – three nights
Marlborough Sounds – three nights
Punakaiki - three nights
Haast – one night
Queenstown – three nights
Wanaka – three nights
Christchurch – two nights
Singapore – one night (transit)
Pekanbaru, Indonesia – one night (transit)

All trips from our neck of the woods go through Jakarta or Singapore. We prefer Singapore, so we took the one and only daily flight from Pekanbaru to Changi Airport. Naturally, this flight doesn’t connect with most flights leaving Singapore, so we spent a night and the better part of a day in Singapore prior to leaving for Christchurch. No worries, as we finally got a chance to visit the Singapore Zoo.

We each redeemed 75,000 United Airline miles and paid about US $23 in taxes for the privilege of flying from Singapore to Christchurch in business class on Singapore Airlines, our all time favorite. As expected, we were well looked after during the 9.5 hour flight. If only we could fly SIA business class all the time…

We arrived in Christchurch the following morning around 9:30. First off the plane, but last to clear Customs as we made the mistake of getting sidetracked in Duty Free. The Customs folks were very thorough and pried a few rocks from the treads of Bill’s hiking boots before letting us through.

We collected our rental car and went out into that sunny, but cool weather – temps in the 40’s! Thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

Christchurch to Hanmer Springs –

We headed north on SH 1, stopping first at the Brew Moon Brewery/Café, which seemed a popular choice on this Sunday afternoon. Next stop was Pegasus Bay Winery, where we sampled their wonderful wine and bought a bottle of their Merlot Cabernet. That didn’t take long did it? I’d read that Waipara Valley is the fastest growing wine region in NZ and since we’d never been, I figured it was time. Here’s a good site for my fellow winos:

http://www.waiparawine.co.nz/

At Waipara we picked up SH 7 and headed to Hanmer Springs. After getting settled in our motel, we were off to the thermal pools, where we spent 30 minutes in a private pool ($22 each). The fee includes free run of the public pools as well, but since we were taking the sans swimmers approach, we figured the private pool would have to suffice. It was a nice way to end a long travel day and relax before bed.

The thermal pools are undergoing renovation, and while I’m sure it will be very nice once complete, for the time being, it’s a bit of an eyesore. I suggest going after dark.

We’d planned to have dinner at The Laurel’s, but after a huge serving of Tip Top ice cream (the first of many) and that relaxing soak in the pool, it was all we could do to keep our eyes open.

Our lodging:

Settler’s Inn Motel - http://www.settlersinnmotel.co.nz/ - $145 per night

This was our fourth stay at this motel, which speaks volumes as to our satisfaction with the place. The rooms are a bit small, but the beds are heaven and it’s a perfect spot for an overnight stay. The motel provides towels for the thermal pools, which is a nice touch.

Your trip sounds fabulous! We leave in a few weeks and I look forward to reading more about your trip.
We live in the US...southeast where the weather has been very hot. What would you suggest we take in the clothing department. I know layers, but just how warm should our layers be? Thank you for your help.

Hi Mirsy -

We always take a fleece jacket and a waterproof jacket (with hood) that fits over the fleece. This time we also took rain suits as we like to hike regardless of weather, but we only wore them once and ended up overheating once the sun came out.

We also took fleece hats and gloves, which came in handy a few times, (especially on the water taxis) sturdy hiking boots which we wore every day, and silk long underwear, which we never needed. We also had rain hats, as a brim can be nice when you're hiking in a downpour, but we never used them.

Don't bother packing heavy, bulky clothing - think fleece and waterproof and you'll be fine.

Hanmer Springs to Upper Moutere –

We’re early risers, so we were surprised when we didn’t wake up until 9:30 am, especially since we’d gone to bed before 8 pm. New Zealand is five hours later than Indonesia, so it makes sense, but it still caught us off guard. Check out was at 10, so we sacrificed our morning coffee and toast and quickly showered and packed.

It was 3c when we left Hanmer Springs around 10 am (that’s about 37F) – perhaps a wee bit cold for some, but we thought it felt wonderful.

We took SH 7 towards Culverden, picking up 70 to Kaikoura. I much prefer this route to SH 1. It’s pretty through here, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing along the riverbed. Granted, the trees were bare this time, but it was still a nice drive with a lot of relief and an abundance of baby sheep.

*We intentionally took the longer route from Hanmer Springs to Nelson

The next winery on my short list was Kaikoura Winery, and as luck would have it, we arrived just in time for the daily tour of their underground cellar (tour with full range tasting - $9.50 each). We so liked their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc that we decided to stay on for lunch and a glass of grape. This winery has an ideal location with sea and mountain views.

http://www.kaikourawinery.co.nz/

After tearing ourselves away from the winery, we were back on SH 1 (70 joins SH 1 before Kaikoura). Just north of Kaikoura at Oahu Point, we saw a seal sign and decided to pull over and walk down to the rocks. It was fantastic – there were seals everywhere! They blend in with the rocks, so they were hard to distinguish at first, but there were literally dozens of seals basking in the, er, complete lack of sun. Despite several trips to the area, we’d never seen so many seals in one place – it was a definite highlight.

We continued north, driving through the Wairau Valley wine region. We’d hoped to call in at the Seresin Winery in Blenheim, but I didn’t have adequate directions. It was getting late and we still had a long way to go, so we decided to look it up on our next pass through Blenheim later in the trip.

Past Blenheim, we picked up SH 6 to Renwick and Havelock, then crossed over to Nelson at Havelock Road, which was curvy and slow going.

Once in Nelson, we headed to Little India, for our first of several fabulous Indian meals. While chatting up one of the owners, we learned that Little India now has an outlet in Melbourne. After a wonderful meal of lamb vindaloo for the carnivore and dahl makhani for the quasi vegetarian, we forged on, taking SH 6 and 60 to Mapua and Ruby Bay, finally arriving in Upper Moutere just before 8 pm.

Our lodging –

Maple Grove Cottages - www.maplegrove.co.nz/ - $145 per night

A big thanks to the Fodorite who recommended this cottage, and apologies for not remembering who it was! We were in the Akaroa Cottage and enjoyed meeting the owners George and Judy, who as it turns out were friends of the owners of the cottage we’d booked in Takaka. Our cottage had many nice personal touches – fresh flowers, homemade cookies, high quality linens and duvets, candles, and breakfast provisions including bacon, homemade preserves, fresh fruit and bread. A lovely place in a peaceful country setting.

Brava, brava. Keep making us jealous. ;;)

Looking forward to more installments. I may have to consider traveling in winter! I second the recommendation for winos to visit Waipara, especially if you are passing thru Christchurch and don't have time to go farther north. It is an interesting region with an amazing range of varieties beyond the usual suspects.

Day 1 –

Upper Moutere is located about 10 minutes from Motueka and about 35 minutes from Nelson. I’m partial to the north end of the South Island, and Upper Moutere is a good central location for accessing the wineries of Richmond and Nelson as well as the Abel Tasman area. There’s so much to do, but never enough time.

We were interested in taking a water taxi into Abel Tasman to walk a section of the track we’d not walked before, so we went to the Motueka Visitor’s Center and made arrangements for the next day. FYI – water taxis operate on a very limited schedule during the winter months.

We then walked the Motueka Walkway, an easy 5+ mile coastal path along Tasman Bay. The walkway is located in the Raumanuka Scenic Reserve, and traverses the Motueka Sandspit, an internationally recognized site for local and migrant shorebirds.

Then it was off to Fossil Ridge Winery in Richmond where we sampled four of their wines and fell in love with their 2003 oaked Chardonnay. Next stop was The Grape Escape, where we tried wines from the Te Mania and Richmond Plains (organic) vineyards and visited the art gallery. We really liked the Richmond Plains 2006 Admiral, a smooth, easy drinking red blend.

On our way back to the cottage, we detoured to Flax and The Smokehouse, two restaurants we like in Mapua, which just happen to be side by side. Unfortunately, both were closed until September, so it was back to Nelson for another Indian feast.

Day 2 –

We had a water taxi to catch, so we were up early and off to Kaiteriteri for our ride with Abel Tasman Sea Shuttle ($45 each return). Our skipper was an insane barefoot Kiwi who wore swim trunks over long underwear bottoms and slogged through the sea like it was mid summer. We, in our fleece jackets and hats, watched in amusement as this fellow backed up the boat and lowered the hydraulic loading ramp to the beach, then jumped into the freezing water to steady the ramp as we climbed aboard.

After a scenic but cold hour long boat ride, we were deposited at Tonga Bay, where we began our walk on the Abel Tasman track to Torrent Bay. This section of the track is undulating with a few hilly bits, and offers some great views, especially during the decent to Torrent Bay. I was surprised to find flush toilets along the track – no long drops here! The 7.25 mile walk took us just under four hours, and we arrived in Torrent Bay with 40 minutes to spare before our 3 pm boat pick-up.

It was low tide, so our crazed skipper anchored the boat a long distance from the shore, and then slogged through the water to collect us. He gave each of us a huge bright orange hip wader-like garment to put on and then we slowly waded out to the boat. It was hysterical.

Mel, your report is truly worth waiting for. Keep 'em coming!

Hey Mel,

I laughed out loud reading your report about the barefoot Kiwi! I think I saw this guy, or a mate at Marahau - same thing - bare feet, freezing water! These guys have just become immune!

Regards,

Melodie

Thanks guys.

I've been plowing through hundreds of photos as I write this, so progress is slow.

Here are some photos for the areas already covered in the trip report - more to follow.

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/335646/index.html

Up next - Bill and Mel become sandfly food...

It was time to leave our cottage in Upper Moutere. We’d learned during our stay that the property was a former berry garden and one of the buildings on the property had been used for making jam. We were sorry to leave this quiet spot in the country; we could easily have spent much more time here.

Before heading to our next destination, we poked around Motueka for a bit, checking our e-mail at Video EZY ($4 an hour) and grabbing a bite to eat. Then it was off to Golden Bay via 60 and good old squiggly Takaka Hill, which separates Golden Bay from Tasman Bay. I suspect that Bill secretly loves this drive, but it tends to make me a little carsick.

We stopped and walked to Hawkes Lookout for some wonderful views of the Riwaka valley. There was even a little bit of snow up here. We also stopped at the Takaka Hill Walkway, a 2-3 hour track that sounded promising on the information board, but ended up being steep, muddy and littered with masses of cow poop. We lasted all of 30 minutes.

We arrived in Takaka mid afternoon under gloomy skies – the wind was up and it was rather chilly, even for the likes of us.

We checked into our cottage and spent the afternoon lazing about in front of the wood burning stove.

Our lodging:

Ashlea Downs - http://www.ashleadowns.co.nz - $120 per night

This was our third stay at this peaceful cottage, which is located on a beef and dairy farm above Takaka. The cottage has two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a wood burning stove in the lounge. It’s warm, comfortable and has a wonderful deck overlooking the Takaka Valley. Owners Stuart and Lynley are helpful and friendly while completely respecting the privacy of their guests.

We were awoken at 2 am by howling wind and it sounded as if the cottage was going to be swept away. The wind set off the carport’s motion detector throughout the night and the following morning we found lawn chairs strewn across the yard, potted plants knocked over and firewood under the car. Wow.

Day 1 -

By morning the wind had dissipated, so we were off to Totaranui via Pohara. I had my heart set on walking the Abel Tasman track from Totaranui towards Whariwharangi Hut. Totaranui is the final stop on the Abel Tasman track for boat and bus service, and many walkers stop here, yet the track continues on around the headland to Whariwharangi and Wainui.

Totaranui is about 28 km from Takaka, 10 of which are unsealed squiggles. It’s a pretty drive and Bill commented that it looked like something out of Jurassic Park. We parked near the Kaikau stream bridge and walked the track to Mutton Cove via Anapai. The day began gloomy and wet, but soon cleared up and became beautiful.

This walk was undulating, with descents to three beaches, and ascents back up. The path meandered through meadow, rainforest and along the coast. It was narrow in spots with some steep drop offs, but it was a wonderful walk, and one of our favorites of the trip.

We walked as far as Mutton Cove, where we had a quick picnic. Quick, because we were soon discovered by the sandflies and became the main course. We considered continuing on to Whariwharangi, another hour up the path, but decided to turn back instead, making this a leisurely three hour, 6.5 mile walk.

On the way back to Takaka, we took a detour on the road to Awaroa, thinking it would lead us to Awaroa Lodge. WRONG. We parked in the Awaroa Bay carpark, walked down to the bay and with no lodge in sight, decided to walk along the bay for awhile. It soon became apparent that the lodge wasn’t nearby, so we turned back. We later learned that Awaroa Lodge is only accessible by boat, by air, or on foot via Marahau or Totaranui two hours either side of low tide. Oh well.

We headed back to Takaka, stopping for a drink in Pohara at Penguin Café before continuing on.

Back in Takaka, we’d hoped have dinner at Wholemeal Café, a place we knew from previous visits. Wrong again, as the café wasn’t open for dinner in the winter. Instead we decided to try out The Brigand. It was a good choice – salmon for Bill and vegetarian filled filo for me – excellent.

Day 2 –

We began this beautiful, cold day with breakfast at Wholemeal Café, where Bill chowed on the biggest omelette we’d ever seen and I had a savory muffin (tomato, cucumber, pepper and broccoli). Both were very good.

Our misguided attempt to visit Awaroa Lodge the previous day had piqued our interest, so we went to the Visitor’s Center to look into our options for visiting the lodge.

http://www.awaroalodge.co.nz/

We ended up booking a water taxi from Totaranui to Awaroa Lodge and back ($26 each return). We were told that if we left immediately, we could make the 10:45 am taxi, so once again we found ourselves driving those squiggles to Totaranui. With the help of the Visitor’s Center, we also made a tentative booking for lunch at the lodge.

This time our Kiwi skipper wasn’t barefoot, but he seemed oblivious to the sandflies as he stood on the beach, munching a sandwich.

The boat ride to Awaroa Lodge took all of five minutes. We changed our lunch booking at the café, and soon found ourselves back on the Abel Tasman track on our way to Onetahuti. This was yet another nice walk with plenty of sandflies. We saw dogs with tracking collars and later learned that they’re used to track wild pigs which are then shot by hunters. Wild pigs are incredibly destructive, as we discovered firsthand later in the trip.

We couldn’t go any further than Onetahuti as it was high tide, but we knew this going in, so we turned back.

Less than 90 minutes and 3.5 miles later, we were back at Awaroa Lodge having a leisurely lunch. The lodge staff was kind enough to let us take a look at one of their eco-friendly rooms for future reference. After lunch we roamed the grounds, checking out the airstrip and the organic garden. I certainly wouldn’t mind staying here for a few days.

On the return boat ride to Totaranui, our skipper pointed out the only privately owned sandbar in Abel Tasman, which was currently on the market for 5 million (20 acres). Any takers?

Loved the photo's you have posted so far. Yep the bushes with the yellow flowers are gorse.

I have only been as far as Totaranui, like a lot of Nelsonian's we haven't throughly explored our neck of the woods yet!! Although my husband has done a few walks from Totaranui when he has been on school camp with our daughter, a good few years ago.

Loving your report, and it's great to put a face to the name! The photos are wonderful - I'm looking forward to reading more!

Thanks guys -

nelsonian -

Sorry to hear that the yellow flowering bushes are gorse. I understand gorse is really destructive and we saw it just about everywhere.

I envy you living in Nelson!

Hello Melnq8

Enjoying your report. Are you a travel writer ? You should be!

I must say you have excellent taste in ice cream. Did you try Tip Tops " Cookies and Cream " ? If not , be sure to next visit. My husband keeps ticking me off for buying it - he can't stop eating the stuff !

Good news regarding the gorse. Latest research by DOC shows it makes a wonderful nursery plant for native seedlings. Once the plants are well established the gorse dies off.

Hi heathy -

I guess you could call me a wannabe travel writer. I'd love to get paid to travel and write!

How did I miss the Cookies and Cream? I'm ashamed to admit that I had just about every other Tip Top flavor I could get a spoon into. My husband had nothing but vanilla the entire trip - how boring is that?

That IS good news about the gorse - I was under the impression that it choked out all the other plants.

We had to be in Picton by 1:30 pm to catch a water taxi into the Marlborough Sounds, so we were on the road by 7:30 am headed back over Takaka Hill. We stopped briefly at the Harwood Lookout for some early morning views of the snow capped peaks over Golden Bay. We’d been told by a local that the Riwaka Resurgence was a sight to behold in the mornings, so we also wanted to make a stop there. At the base of Takaka Hill on the Mouteka side, we made a sharp right turn and drove seven kilometers on Riwaka Valley Road to the Riwaka Resurgence. There were many sheep on the road, and we created a virtual sheep stampede as we worked our way through the valley.

We parked and walked ten minutes through the cold, dark rainforest to the resurgence. The sun hadn’t yet reached the valley, and it was a little creepy. Apparently, Takaka Hill has cracks and caves which act as a drainage system. Rain on the hill collects and flows underground to resurge at Riwaka, hence the Riwaka Resurgence. Nine-thirty to 10 am would have been an ideal time to see the sun shining through the resurgence, but we were too early. As suggested by its name, the water in Crystal Pool was incredibly clear.

We left the area via 60 towards Nelson, where we picked up SH 6. We were treated to more of those infamous squiggly roads as we crossed the mountains and worked our way towards Havelock. We took a Tip Top break in Rai at the Brick Oven, a busy little convenience store/fast food joint. As we sat at a table pigging out on ice cream, we watched what seemed to be every resident of Rai stop into the store. Meat pies were flying off the warmers and I was almost tempted to try one.

At Havelock we crossed over to Picton via Queen Charlotte Drive, stopping at Cullen Point Lookout to take in the views. Sections of this drive are seriously winding and there are some wonderful views of the sounds from here.

We arrived in Picton about 12:30, as did the ferry. We left our rental car keys at the Budget office. They were more than willing to keep our car for the next three days and save us the parking fee while we were in the Marlborough Sounds.

At 1:30 pm, we boarded the Cougar Line water taxi for the 30 minute ride to our next destination, Bay of Many Coves ($70 each return).

We’d discovered this resort a few years ago and so enjoyed our stay that we just had to go back. This was the splurge of our trip and a celebration of Bill’s 50th birthday.

We were met at the dock by the resort manager (Lisa), promptly checked in and taken up to our one bedroom apartment, which incidentally was the same unit we had in 2005 (#103). Our luggage was delivered shortly thereafter via golf cart.

That afternoon was spent relaxing on the deck, where we enjoyed another beautiful day, while drinking some lovely local wine.

Our lodging –

Bay of Many Coves Resort - www.bayofmanycovesresort.co.nz - $320 per night, third night free during August.

I’m not sure I know enough superlatives to adequately describe our experience, but I’ll give it a go.

Our unit was as we remembered - king sized bed with mink blanket, plush bathrobes, spacious bathroom with plenty of quality towels, generous amenities, comfortable lounge area with small LCD TV, music system, well equipped kitchen complete with mini fridge, stove and dishwasher. It was bright and airy with louvered windows and had a fantastic deck with an unobstructed view of the sounds.

The room was great, but the ambiance and service, well, that’s what made this visit really special.

When we booked back in April, they asked if we had any dietary requirements. Bill will eat most anything, but I’m more of a challenge and I try to avoid set menus. When we arrived I asked to see the menu before we booked dinner, and was discouraged that there wasn’t anything I would eat, save one item on the starter menu.

When we went to the office to book a water taxi for the following day, Lisa informed me that the chef was prepared to make a special chicken dish for me, or I could have the starter as a main. This was a pleasant surprise, particularly since I hadn’t mentioned my preferences since our booking four months ago. This was just the start of some wonderfully attentive service.

With the help of Jian, we checked the weather forecast for the next day and promptly booked a 9:30 am water taxi to Ship Cove, with a pick-up at Furneaux Lodge at 3 pm ($48 each return).

When we entered the tranquil, softly lit restaurant that evening we discovered that we were two of only six guests. A fire was burning; mellow music was playing and the ladies were all offered an incredibly soft, warm shawl to wear during dinner. A very nice touch!

Dinner was chargrilled sirloin and gratin Dauphinois with mustard cognac butter for Bill (I have no idea what some of that is, but he said it was excellent). I took a leap of faith and ordered the chef’s special mentioned above, which turned out to be smoked chicken breast and roasted vegetables over a puff pastry with some sort of sauce. It was delicious and just what I had in mind. When we left the restaurant I went to the kitchen and thanked the chef.

Day 1 –

While waiting for our water taxi, we had a nice chat with Lisa, who with partner and chef Mark, have been running the resort since it opened four years ago.

The boat ride to Ship Cove took about 40 minutes and we were on the Queen Charlotte Track by 10:30. We’d walked this section once before, making the mistake of taking a side path, which caused us to almost miss our water taxi pick-up. No side trips this time; we walked directly from Ship Cove to Furneaux Lodge, stopping only to soak in the scenery and eat a picnic lunch.

We were blessed with a sunny day, enabling us to get some nice photos. The walk was undulating (yeah, I know I’ve used that word a lot), the hardest part being the first 45 minutes to the lookout. This section was steep and slippery thanks to plenty of mud on the track. The 15 km (9+ miles) walk took us just under four hours and we made it to Furneaux Lodge with plenty of time for a drink before our taxi pick-up. We only saw six other walkers on the track.

Upon our return to the resort, we conferred with Lisa about other walking options. We were interested in walking from Punga Cove to Bay of Many Coves, but we weren’t sure we were up for a six hour walk with a very steep 90 minute descent. Lisa suggested we walk from Punga Cove to Craglee Lodge, taking the steep one hour descent to Craglee, and then Jian would come collect us in the dinghy. She called Craglee Lodge to check the status of their path and to get permission as we’d be on private property. This sounded good to us, so we booked a 9:30 am water taxi to Punga Cove for the following day ($24 each).

We decided it was time to try out the resort’s 38c hot tub, so we headed to the pool area with our plastic tumblers of chilled Chardonnay. We had the hot tub completely to ourselves and enjoyed a well earned soak.

Dinner that night was crispy skin Marlborough salmon fillet with mozzarella mash and parsley caper butter for Bill, chicken breast with gratin Dauphinois and mustard cognac butter for me. Delicious.

Day 2 –

Today was Bill’s 50th birthday, and once again, the weather gods were on our side. Before getting on the boat bound for Punga Cove, Jian lent us his cell phone asking us to call if we needed a pick-up before 4 pm. How’s that for service?

On the boat ride our skipper spotted a pod of dusky dolphins, a seal and a flock of gannets circling above, so he pulled up alongside. Apparently the dolphins round up the fish and the seals and gannets have a feeding frenzy. It was fun to watch the dolphins leaping about and the gannets dive bomb into the water.

To access the Queen Charlotte Track from Punga Cove, we had to first walk uphill 1km along the road. Before long we were on the track working our way up to the ridgeline. We took the side trail up to Eatwell’s Lookout; a difficult 20 minute climb. We were rewarded with an awesome, 360 degree view of the sounds. It was absolutely gorgeous and the perfect spot for a picnic.

We enjoyed this section of the track, and found it more challenging and scenic than the walk from Ship Cove. It was also different; at times we felt like we were in the mountains surrounded by pine trees, and then we’d find ourselves back in the rainforest. Wild pigs had torn up the track in spots and we saw firsthand how destructive those beasts really are.

We reached the Craglee Lodge sign some 3.5 hours later, and began that steep, 1,400 foot descent down to the water. Oh baby, this section was tough – very steep, slippery and treacherous. The ropes tied between trees and the steps cut into the earth helped a little bit, but we found ourselves clinging to anything we could get our hands on to keep upright. Walking sticks would have really come in handy. This portion of the walk was rough on the old knees, and my left knee was swollen for three days afterwards. But, we made it, arriving at Craglee Lodge, 4.5 hours after leaving Punga Cove (12 km, 7.7 miles). We didn’t see another soul on the entire walk.

We met Steve, the owner of Craglee Lodge, who was busy shucking scallops with a friend on the dock. We introduced ourselves as the weary trespassers from Bay of Many Coves and he offered us a beer and invited us to sit on his boat to catch the last rays of sun while his partner called for our dinghy pick-up (no signal for the cell phone).

Back at the resort, it was time for a soak in the hot tub and pre-dinner drinks on our deck.

Dinner that evening was Indonesian fish and prawn curry with coconut, lemongrass and coriander for Bill and smoked chicken, green peas and fresh spinach risotto with shaved parmesan and extra virgin olive oil for me. Both were excellent.

As a surprise for Bill, I’d arranged for the resort to make a small birthday cake. Chris, the chef on duty, made a lovely chocolate raspberry cake with a birthday greeting written in chocolate on the plate. It was a perfect end to a perfect stay at Bay of Many Coves.

Not only am I jealous, but now I'm hungry! :-D Great trip report, Melanie.

Lee Ann

Thanks Lee Ann.

Photos for all areas mentioned in the trip report to date are now online -
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/335646/index.html