All Ashore at Anchorage

Another day in paradise dawned bright and sunny with enough clouds to make for an interesting sky. We drove over to the water taxi depot at Marahau, took our places in one of the taxis, kitted up with life jackets and then were trundled down the road to the launching ramp. It was near on high tide so it was a simple matter for the skipperr to launch the boat. Off we went up the coast of the Abel Tasman National Park to Anchorage. It was a fun trip with a lively skipper and an exciting northerly swell....bump...bump...bump. The kids thought it was very exciting.
Once ashore, we organised ourselves for the long walk ahead then stepped out along the beach.
One of Wilsons' Abel Tasman Enterprises catamarans pulled into the beach in front of us. Out came their innovative ramp and then a large group of young people disembarked. They turned out to be students from the University of Delaware in the United States. They were studying "Hospitality"...what a lucky bunch they are to be visiting the Abel Tasman as part of their studies. They told us they had also made a visit to Manly Beach in Sydney. What a contrast!
We, of course, gave them a taste of our own unique hospitality by offering advice on the best beach to head to for lunch. We caught up with them at Stilwell Bay where they were swimming and sunbathing in their tiny bikinis and swimming trunks. They were having a ball.
We had a wonderful hike all the way back to Marahau. We must have walked over 15 kms in the end. I had a "Sports Tracker" set on my iPhone to track our distances, time , elevation and all sorts of other stuff. Alas, the GPS ran the battery flat on the iPhone before the trip was completed. The two nine year olds in our group coped splendidly with hardly a grumble between them. A great day finished with oven fired pizza at our favourite Park Cafe.