Day Four - Onwards to Mistletoe Bay

Kids under 12 eat for free! I kid you not, all four of our kids had free breakfast at the fancy restaurant at Peppers Portage. Having cooked our own breakfasts the past three morning this was quite a treat for everyone, and certainly prepped us for the day ahead with energy for the short, but steep, track ahead of us. We'll need it 'cause today's trek is less than 8 kilometers but will be a 417 meter uphill!

Juliet the Alpine Super-Hiker

Today Juliet has channeled the Alpine super-hiker look, sporting not only her wooden walking stick, but adding my hiking pole as well. It looked so cute going up the big hill out of Portage. And on she trudged up the big mountain, focused after her day of rest. Determination is her name. She knows where we are going and isn't going to be left behind.

It's even hotter today than the previous days and due to our gluttonous breakfast we aren't getting the earliest start. Oh well. It will make the swim at Mistletoe Bay even better this afternoon.

As soon as we start off we discover why the sign says to allow four hours for the walk to Mistletoe. We are going straight up the mountain! This is a little taste of the hiking that Liana and I did yesterday, up and along the ridge tops high above the water. Again the views are special. Looking behind us we can see Kenepuru Sound where just yesterday the kids were kayaking and in front of us to Picton where we will be sleeping tomorrow night. We have the whole of the Marleborough Sounds laid out before us like a giant's beautiful water park.

Daddy and Juliet go up the last hill of the day

The family have all settled into the rhythm of the hiking and approximately four hours later we take the turn off for Mistletoe Bay Eco Village and wind down the overgrown nature trail. Mistletoe Bay Eco Village is in the sheltered little cove that was named for it's once lush blossoming Mistletoe vines. The campground is relatively new and committed to sustainability and preservation of the environment and once they have gotten a handle on the introduced possum population they plan to regenerate the native New Zealand Mistletoe that was once so vibrant. I'm sure it will look stunning.

Hiking along the ridge top

Down the nature trail to Mistletoe Bay

The little bay that the campground is on is stunning. Once it was a major waka (canoe) building site for the local Maori tribes before being incorporated into the British settlers farming lands. Bought by the Vogel family in the 1940's they returned the land to it's native state and built a small homestead in the bay which is now a guest house. The modern buildings of the campground are all built recently with sustainability in mind and leave as small of a carbon footprint as possible. Nice. We have a six person cabin complete with our own hot water shower. Yesssss. And to add to the spoiled experience I've ordered in an ice box with fresh BBQing provisions for tonight which is waiting for us along with our luggage at the water taxi landing. Ah, have I mentioned I love glamping?


And how good did those steaks and watermelon taste after the hike and an afternoon of jumping off the dock?