Today we hiked the Wainui Falls Track in Abel Tasman National Park. It was raining cats and dogs all day, but we got our matching black raincoats and decided to venture into the rain. Lots of adventure in such a short hike. The trail starts out in a cow field, and we said hello to some of the angus cows that were actively talking to us as we walked past. About 200 yards in, we had to cross a mini 'river', where the nearby stream was overflowing and had semi washed out the trail. In order to do so, we took off our socks and shoes and waded through it. If our moms are reading this now, they've probably turned their noses up in disbelief!
Brother Pete Strolling across the bridge
Bridge Crossing
The hike was through the rainforest and was quite majestic. The rainfall was steady, and our surroundings were lush and a vibrant green. After about 25 mins we arrived at the waterfall. The falls are 20 meters tall. Given the rainfall the falls were ROARING! Any attempt we had at keeping semi-dry fell by the wayside when we ventured out for a few pictures and the spray from the falls completely saturated us.
Katy + I getting soaked by Wainui
Mini falls along the walk
The walk back in soggy shoes was more comfortable then one might suspect. Once again needed to cross the washed out road. Katy and I decided we'd keep our socks on this time, given they were already soaked and we hand in hand walked across. It was a good thing because Katy almost fell in. Peter happened to film the crossing and the video doesn't do the moment much justice, but we can't stop laughing now, even hours later as we watch the recap.
Katy + I Prepping for the crossing
After drying off, we sought refuge in the nearby watering hole, also known as The Mussel Inn. We had some delicious Mussel Inn Hot Dogfish Chilli Cider accompanied with some picked eggs. YUM. This little bar was quite popular, as tonight was 'Quiz' night, or what we would refer to as Trivia night. Let's just say that the amount of mullets in the room really made the people watching highly enjoyable!
Our Bartender at The Mussel Inn