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| View from Hope Saddle |
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| Hops |
Off again and today we were aiming for the Abel Tasman area on the north coast. Another scenic drive. We took the left fork at Kawatiri Junction and drove on through more spectacular scenery in the Hope Ranges and up to Hope Saddle (467m) where we stopped to take in the wonderful panoramic views.As we approached Motueka we could see many orchards of apples and pears and lots of hops growing in the fields. We parked in Motueka to have a look around and found a Sunday market/boot sale so we had a good look around there too. Motueka seems to be a busy little town, quite big for this part of the world. We went into the tourist office and quizzed the girl there about where to go next. She recommended Kaiteriteri but on further questioning it sounded a bit too big and busy for us so we explained that we wanted somewhere quieter and she told us about a campsite at Collingwood which we decided to make our destination. As Nigel had driven up from Murchison and we set off with me at the wheel to drive the last lap. It didn't look too far on the map but it soon became apparent that it would take quite a while as the road wound onwards and upwards for quite some way before then going downhill for an equally long distance. I definitely needed to concentrate and keep my eyes on the road. There was a large lay by at the top of the hill so we pulled in their for lunch and to admire the spectacular views down to the coast. We finally arrived at the Collingwood camp site
http://www.holidayparks.co.nz/collingwood and it certainly ticked all our boxes. I was so pleased to find that it was right by the beach and what a beach it was! After we had parked up and settled in N went off down the beach to watch some men casting from the beach. I soon went to join him and got there in time to see on man pull in a huge sting ray. Apparently he wasn't pleased with it and he just cut off the line and chucked it back in the sea complete with the hook still in it;s mouth,
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