golden bay

I'm just back from holiday - two wonderful weeks at the top of the South Island - swimming, kayaking, walking, reading, eating fresh local produce - sharing with friends. 

If you're ever visiting Golden Bay/Tasman Bay, I'd recommend

• Abel Tasman National Park especially Separation Point and Cleopatra's Pool. We did three separate day trips using water taxi/car/bus combinations.
• Farewell Spit - nothing but birds, seals, birds, dunes, birds, a lighthouse. And some trees.
• Wharariki Beach - stunningly beautiful and more seals 
• Breaker Bay
• Neudorf vineyard
• Te Waikoropupū Springs
• Toto's Café for pizza 
• The Fat Tui for the best burgers

Reading: Stuart: a life backwards by Alexander Masters. The story of Stuart Shorter and how he came to be homeless. Engrossing, sad, tragic.

In gratitude by (one of my favourite authors) Jenny Diski who died in April last year. She writes about being "rescued" from her complicated childhood by Doris Lessing and shares her thoughts about life and death and living with cancer.