After breakfast, + sitting around chatting after coffee, J + G gave us a ride to Montueka, which is most of the way to the beginning of the Abel Tasman park, + so was a great help, but somehow there seemed to be an underlying reluctance, + I wasn’t sure whether it emanated from J or G. Neither of us like not knowing where we stand with people. Ho hum. However, there we were in Montueka, thinking we’d have to delay starting our walk until tomorrow. We hitched, + after about 45 mins we got ourselves a ride, to the very beginning of the track. Diane (of Blue Moves, Rarotonga) had recommended this particular track to us, as beautiful + relatively easy, + that recommendation had been seconded by others. So here we were.
Most of the afternoon’s walk was thro’ rainforest, tho’ we were offered tantalising glimpses of the coast. The weather wasn’t all that could have been asked of it, but this was probably just as well, since we both were wearing long trousers, + were mildly overheating. The most annoying thing of all was when we arrived at our destination… almost. There are 2 huts there respectably close to each other, + we decided to go to Torrent Bay, the further. However, crossing the mud-flats, – we were taking a low-tide short-cut – we were given bad directions + couldn’t find the hut. We were directed instead to a small holiday village, about which we wandered for about an hour. Eventually, we received better instructions (tho’ even then we didn’t hit the hut first time.) By this time, my temper had deteriorated greatly, + was by no means improved when we discovered the hut was small… + full.
However, it wasn’t too bad a walk to the other hut, the Achorage, + tho’ that was on the dirty + seedy side, it had some room. It was pretty late by this time, so no more than dinner + bed. We slept close to the fire, which made it a hot + uncomfortable night.
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