Fortunately it was a very good night. I did hear a mouse chewing in the wee hours of the morning though. We are no longer catching them in the traps and they seem to have moved into the walls.

It was yet another different and radiant morning. Beautiful beams of light filtered through the clouds.

After breakfast, I went for a walk. I saw Ella the eel and heard a pig grunt in the forest near by. I went back to the beach that is set up for camping. It was high tide this time, so I couldn't go very far. I continued a bit farther along the path, into the bush. At some point I stopped and just hugged the tree next to me for a while. I then turned around and headed back to the house.

At low tide, I was able to walk all around this corner into the next bay

The hugging tree

When I got back, it was time to pack up and leave. I got my things together and took the laundry down from the line while Marty fueled up the boat. We then cleaned out the pantry and fridge a bit. We didn't have to take everything since Marty was planning on being back up here on Monday. He made a quick lunch of eggs over-easy (and not sunny-side up. He had heard about this from the movies but had no idea what it was. He was decidedly unimpressed with being served runny eggs!).

We hopped on the boat and headed out around 1 pm. In spite of the grey clouds, the water was still beautiful, with vibrant greens and blues. The wind picked up a bit and it felt very much like the day I had arrived. Marty heated the kettle on the small stove and we had some tea as we worked our way back down the sound. One could easily get lost here. It's so hard to tell what is just a bay versus what is a large through-waterway from a distance.

My last view of Nydia Bay

A Little Pied Cormorant tries to grab a fish from the water.

Passing the small island at the mouth of Nydia Bay

A deeper channel runs through the sound. Poles indicate where it is. The green pole (front) indicates that you should keep it on your right/starboard, whereas the red pole (in distance) indicates you should keep it on your left/port.

Where we were in the sounds

A closer view

The clouds began to let up a bit as we approached Havelock. We docked in the narrow little slip... I don't know how he did it! We unloaded his stuff and carried it to his car. He left me with boat instructions and a bunch of food. We then drove up the road into town. While I bought a bus ticket for tomorrow, he got us some ice cream.

Entering Havelock marina

I told him to get me something "traditional" New Zealand. This is the Hokey Pokey flavor... little bits of caramel.

We consumed our lovely treat at a small table on the main street of the tiny town. Marty then needed to get going since he still had an hour drive back to Nelson. He too is making big changes and choices in his life. He has rented out his home in Nelson and is going to live permanently in Nydia Bay. He plans to turn it into a serious business as a retreat/vacation stay.

We parted ways and I went back into the tourist office to buy a ferry ticket to Wellington for the next day. I then walked back down to the boat, grabbed my laptop, and headed back up to use the wireless internet. It was a very limited.

I returned to the boat and planned to settle down with the computer and get some good blogging done. But instead, I lay down on the inside bench and was lulled into just "being"... the call of the seagulls, a gentle breeze through the doors, the white shimmering reflection of water on the ceiling. It was all so relaxing.

I had a snack of cheese, an apple and a couple gingerbread cookies (ok, several cookies). My phone was low on power even though I had had it off for a week. Fortunately the boat was equipped with power, water, and even a bathroom (no more weta encounters!). Marty had offered to turn on the gas for the stove, but I didn't really need it. Tonight was going to just be simple and quiet.

The light changed; the sun set, and the chilly evening temperatures started to settle in. I closed up the doors and prepared for the night. The yellow lamps came on along the pier and the last of the daylight eventually faded. I slipped into one of the bottom bunks into a sleeping bag. The smell of diesel was prominent, as Marty had said it might be. It took me a while but eventually I drifted off.

Night falls on the marina.