After getting settled in the bay, it was time to get Little Lady (our inflatable) in the water for a trip up the river which flowed in to the bay just around the corner from where we were anchored.
The river is tidal in its lower reaches and fresh as you head up stream. It is a bit unusual in that the lower reaches experience 6 tides a day. Either way, this is not a place for Beer Can (our aluminum dink) as shallow stretches and the tide will leave you up the proverbial creek (and even with a paddle, you won’t get out until the tide decides to let you).
Across the way was a DOC hut (Department of Conservation) and as we were leaving, there were a couple of people on the dock waving and yelling – we thought they were trying to raise the boat that had just left the dock.
Motoring up the river was just a marvelous experience. The initial stretches were surrounded by mangroves and then bush as we transitioned to the fresh water stream. The river flows thru a canyon area and the scenery is just magnificent.
There were sections where we had to exit the dink and pull her over shallow stretches.
When we ultimately ran out of water, there was a walking path that followed the stream and we continued on foot. It was hard to imagine that you could find a more remote place.
Some spots provided their own uniques challenges.
Very pretty indeed.
As we were enjoying the view and the solitude, two breathless people came tramping down the path from the other direction. It was none other then Margaret (who was at Circa during the time our boat was under construction and part of an earlier post about her farm) with a friend. It was the two of them who had been calling from the mountain and the DOC hut.
Now what are the odds of that?
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