November 14, 2015
58: Tonga Quarry to Medlands Beach
We visited Abel Tasman National Park in Kaiteriteri yesterday. We went via water taxi around 10:30am. On our way to Tonga Quarry, the boat ride stopped by several attractions.
We stopped by a 135 mil years old Split Rock which was made out of soft granite. We stopped by Adele island, which is home to New Zealand native birds. It is a wildlife sanctuary with new Zealand fur seals, no pests, and no predators.
Our boat made pitstops on Anchorage and several other islands along the way. We stopped by Tonga Island and saw more seals and then we got dropped off Tonga Quarry.
We did a nice hike through Tonga Quarry and ended up at the Medlands beach. We learned that granite rocks quarried at Tonga Quarry in 1900-1910. Also, the Public Trust Building on Wellington and steps to the cathedral in Nelson are made from Tonga granite as well. It was a nice 2 hour walk.
We saw a waterfall, went on a swing bridge and saw tons of beach areas. We got picked up at Medlands Beach and headed back to shore. I was very tired and took a nap on the ship.
We got back to Kaiteriteri and headed for a brewery and food! In Mapua, we went to the Golden Brewery for beer. Keri had beer and I had a lemon and lime bitter (non-alcoholic) as we don't have those in Canada. We also grabbed fish and chips nearby at The Smokehouse. Everything was delicious!
We headed back home and sorted out some more packing stuff. We talked about technology like Chromecast and Android phones and then headed to sleep. We have a few things to do tomorrow like a market and a landmark to visit!