Easter weekend in Tasman and Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand

Lots of pictures in this post.  We're having a great time!  We work hard during the week, but get to go out to enjoy this beautiful island.  We're enjoying our time with our hosts as well.  We're learning a little bit about the game of Rugby, although it's still confusing to us.  The house where we stay sits on a hill with cliffs nearby overlooking the sea at Tasmin Bay.  We've had some wonderful views of the moon rise in the evening and setting in the morning.

2 days before the Blood Moon

 More work pictures - Fixing a pull starter rope on a tamper machine.  Eazy peazy!

 Weeding the Raspberry Bushes - We both have war wounds now - even though they are thornless bushes, they still have them; we have scratches all up and down our arms!

 Cleaned out another raised garden (mostly grass) and found 3 strawberry plants.

 Feeding weeds & grass to George and Dudley

 After working on Friday, we took a drive to Nelson to try to find our host (David's) cell phone.  He called Gill (from another phone) saying he must have put it down on a trailer he was pulling and drove off.  Gill went on-line to trace his phone and was able to locate it.  The trace showed the phone was in the middle of the road near the airport.  We drove to the area and looked for about 20 minutes up and down the highway.  We finally found it near a concrete barrier in the middle of the road...completely unharmed, amazing!.

After finding the phone, Gill took us to a nice garden restaurant for coffee and cake.  

What a treat! 

For Saturday, we booked a hiking trip in the Abel Tasman National Park.  We were picked up by a bus from the little town of Tasman and drove 20 km to Marahau.  From Marahau we boarded a boat in the parking lot that was hooked up to a tractor.  The tractor drove us just down the road (while sitting in the boat) to a dock where it launched us into the water.  We rode the boat stopping at several points of interest along the way to the north tip of the park.  We were dropped off at Bark Bay to hike 8 miles back to a bay called Anchorage.  Very scenic views all along the coast.

Waiting at the bus stop.  Too bad the coffee shop wasn't opened yet.

Lining up to get on the boat in the parking lot.

Driving the boat down the road.

Split Apple Rock

Since it was high tide, our boat driver was able to drive into this little cove where we got to see some 3-4 month old seal pups.

The momma seal sitting on the rock.

Mutant Ninja Turtle Rock

Ready to start our hike.

The tide went out so at one bay we could have taken an hour off our hike and crossed this bay on the sand.  The water was still about waist deep in some areas so we took the long way around.

Made it to Anchorage Bay.

Tractors picking us up.  At low tide there is a drastic change in the beach.  The tractors drove out about 650 yards on the beach to pick us up.

We had some time before our bus ride back so it was a perfect time for coffee.

David had to try the berry cider - Really good!

We came home to a wonderful baked chicken dinner and then stuffed baked apples for dessert.

 On Saturday night we went to bed at 9 p.m. but set our alarm to get up at midnight to watch the blood moon.  We got 2 lawn chairs and 2 sleeping bags and set up in the yard.  The sky was completely clear and such a beautiful night.  The full eclipse happened at 1 a.m. so we watched it for about an hour and 1/2 before going back inside.

On Sunday morning we walked down the road to a little country church called "Tasman Bible Church."  They had tables and chairs set up and was serving tea and coffee and hot cross buns before Easter service.  It was a great service and really nice people.

 After church we took bikes to Mapua where there was an Annual Easter Fair going on.

We came back to the house this afternoon and David found this other redhead in the garden.