Humphrey

Most people probably don't know that I once played piano. I took lessons from the age of 6 or 7 and played until I got sick with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at the age of 12. I was too weak to hold my hands up to the keys, and when I was finally well again at the age of 16, my priorities were school and friends. But, for many years now I have wanted to learn to play again. So, I scoured the TradeMe site for used pianos, and gathered all my birthday money, and bought this lovely Humphrey.

I bought it from a young Mum who had used it for exactly what I am doing. Since having a couple kids, she had not had as much time to play, and they are shifting houses and won't have room for it. I got it tuned today and the piano tuner told me it was likely about 100 years old. A previous tuner wrote on the inside "tuned to concert pitch, 1941", but today I was told it will never get to concert pitch again. I assured the tuner that I wouldn't get to concert level and so Humphrey and I are a good match.

Abel Tasman Coastal Track

Last weekend we flew to Nelson and met up with A and M - good friends from our time in Montreal who have come to NZ for a few weeks. Steve and I flew with SoundsAir - a little charter company that only flies between Wellington and the Nelson-Marlborough region. I had never flown in a little plane before, and loved sitting in the seats just behind the pilot, watching all the dials and controls and scenery below.

The Marlborough Sounds sit at the top of the South Island and we passed over them about halfway through the 35 minute flight.
Once we met up, we grabbed some lunch at the Nelson market, got some groceries for the next few days, and took a shuttle to the Abel Tasman National Park. It is one of the most popular parks in NZ and the Coastal Track is a 3-5 day hike through the park. Each day we hiked for 2-5 hours and each night we set up our tents alongside golden sandy beaches and listened to the waves.
The trail is relatively gentle with the occasional climb over a ridge, and has a wonderful variety of lush forests, long sandy beaches, and vast estuaries.

We swam in the clear ocean waters, collected shells and explored sea life on shoreline rocks.

On our second-last day, just as we were at the peak of feeling our sore muscles and craving food other than pasta and trailmix, we saw signs for "Awaroa Cafe and Lodge". We couldn't resist the temptation of a cold drink and fresh bread, so we took the path to the cafe and found a little oasis of civilisation in the middle of the park.

Our last night was spent at Mutton Cove - a beautiful bay with a long beach, and clear waters. We explored the beach and nearby rocks, and steamed fresh mussels for dessert.

We shuttled back to Nelson on the 17th and enjoyed a meal surrounded by St. Patty's Day festivities. That evening, Steve and I flew back to Wellington and our friends continued on to explore the rest of the South Island.