The last day in 2017

Clouds came over but it never really rained until our walk into the Abel Tasman was nearly over.   We walked from Wainui to Whariwharangi Hut just under two hours walk each way.  It was a fairly easy walk and we stopped for lunch at the Hut which was once a homestead built in 1880’s.  House had that old age charm, but home for another isolated family.  Just like at the Spit - both families had tamed wildernesses - one cut down the trees to make farmland and the other brought in top soil and trees for the same purpose.  On the way back we spent time admiring baby quail and young weka.

We took off to the Dangerous Kitchen for another coffee and carrot cake, and then looked for a place to have New Years’ Eve dinner since the restaurants in Pohara were fully booked.  The old wooden hotel on the corner, was disappointingly more of a pub than a restaurant and so we decided to risk the outside café area in Plan B at Pohara.  Plan C was fish and chips and Plan D was back to the supermarket and a barbeque.  It didn’t rain so Plan B it was.

It is now 2.5 hours to go before 2018.  We are sitting outside in the dark, with some lighting from the cabin.  It isn’t raining, or windy, and reasonably mild. Christmas lights flash on the trees and caravan awnings, children ride their bikes, and the stars and moon are struggling to shine through the clouds.  We have completed four more 5 minute quizzing with the reader having to charade answers we didn’t know.  Some of us certainly have more talent than others but our skill levels will remain only to us.

The gold carders decided to go to sleep and the young one couldn’t party alone so our good bye to 2017 was only dreamed.