Bark Bay

Another hot day and almost 30K to walk. We had planned a swim here but we felt a bit jaded by the time we reached the beach, so we just ate our picnic lunch in some shade and agreed that we would wait till Onetahuti beach before taking a dip.
Our floating cabin had proven to one of the more interesting over night stops that the girls had planned for us. Shared facilities, limited space and 24 other hot bodies milling around means that you get to know your companions quite intimately. You also start to recognise faces (and other parts of anatomy) of your new found friends and it is no surprise when they turn up again at a different part of the trail, or in a cafe or a bus, or even at the airport as you make your way home. Most are walking the trail at a similar pace to ourselves, but some are taking more time, some are doing more, some are doing less,, and quite a few are Kayaking. We were happy with Catriona's itinerary and had a leisurely breakfast before hitching a lift to the shore where we left our heavier bags to be collected by water taxi.
There were larger hills on the trail today, but the path was great and never busy. We passed a trickle of walkers every few miles but it only got busy around the entrance to Cleopatra's Pool. We avoided joining the throng heading there and continued along the main path as it seemed a bit pointless going to a larger swimming pool, no matter how pretty, when we were constantly passing streams rivers and inlets that would have been perfect for a quick dip.
Our base for the night was the luxurious Awaroa lodge - the one hotel in the park. Standards were high and expectations were exceeded. We decided against the pizzeria and headed for the main restaurant to eat in the conservatory. The food was 5* and the prices were UK low. It is going to be hard when we get back home and have to accept limited choice, poorer quality and higher prices by and large. It could cost us quite a lot as we search out the standards that we have have come to accept as the norm here in New Zealand.
A quieter day planned for tomorrow we are told.