Abel Tasman

Up about 7:30, showered and made an awesome breakfast, hashbrowns, bacon, eggs, toast and tea. I did good today, and didn't burn anything.

Packed everything in my car, then called Thai Airways and changed my departure date back to Sydney from Sept. 5 to Sept. 12. Gives me an extra week in New Zealand!

Drove up to Marahau, a town at the edge of the Abel Tasman National Park, and at the head of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, one of NZ's Great Walks. Checked into The Barn, a barn converted into a hostel. The dorm section is very cool, it's in the main part of the barn, so very large, and we sleep pretty much on a big shelf that runs most of the length of the barn. Every three feet or so is a piece of wood that separates your bed from the next bed. There are essentially two sleeping shelves, one below and another one quite high up. I was the coolest dorm I've been in yet! Only two other people in the dorm rooms, two girls, one from Austria, the other from, hmm, not sure. They also have double and twin rooms (as most hostels do), and campsites for those with campervans, and the best thing, they have teepee's, if you want to sleep in a teepee, you can! Cool.

The hostel is perhaps a kilometre from town, so drove into town and stopped at Ocean River kayaking, and booked the Golden Sands and Lagoons kayak trip for tomorrow, $133.

Went for a walk along part of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, walked for maybe 3 hours. Then back to the hostel.

Had supper, played chess against Miriam, the Austrian chick. She's a really good chess player for a girl! We played three games. To bed shortly after 10:00.