A Second Day at Elaine Bay

Everyone seems to love Elaine Bay. In answer to your questions, yes we’re off grid here, our solar panels on the roof happily collecting power from the sun to charge the batteries. Art’s inverter charges our laptops and phones. We're mostly using propane, which powers the oven, range, and fridge.

There's a new guy fishing the pier this morning. He and his partner are staying at one of the rental baches here.

 

 

 

You asked how much it cost to stay here. Like many of the best places we've parked in NZ, the charge seems inversely proportionate to the view. Here at the DOC campsite it’s NZ $8 per person per night or about US $10.60 for both of us.

 Like happy fishers everywhere: big smiles for a blue cod

After a bowl of vegetables and scrambled eggs, we decided to walk this track, which starts over near the marina.

The pines here must have already been harvested once, as the ones lining our path for the first few miles are relatively immature. Their scent is heavenly, and I find myself saying to Art: it smells like Canada but we don't have to worry about bears.

Honestly, it was challenging to keep eyes on the trail with these vistas to our left.

Here's a map of the region, pink circle Elaine Bay. We walked the yellow dotted line south of there. W&R, the blue in the lower-right corner is the green-shelled mussel cruise you took. Tomorrow we're driving back to Okiwi Bay at about 9 o'clock to stay in a holiday park that has wifi, so I can work Monday morning.

 

 

These sounds are just magical.

Lord of the Flies?

You know I like to zoom the camera to see what can't be seen with the naked eye.

As promised, soon the evergreens fall away and native NZ bush emerges.

7.5 miles later (and, Art's fitbit reminds us, 49 stories), we are knackered! See the boat below? I wonder where it's heading...