Our plan was to walk just a portion of the Jacob’s Bay track, taking the it to the Dillon Bell Point anchorage and back again. Unsure of the sturdiness of the little pier, we landed our dinghy on the stone beach then located the trail.
In many ways this hike was reminiscent of other shoreline trails we’ve taken in the sounds, with thick native bush, abundant tree ferns, stoney coves with blue-green water, and beautiful mountain views across peaceful sounds. But each walk has had something that makes it unique.
On this trail, it was a profusion of black beech trees. Coming across these trees on a previous walk, we thought there must have been a fire in the area because the trunks looked black and burned. We soon learned that’s how these trees are supposed to look, and it’s especially striking with their bright yellow-green leaves. Our other new discovery in the sounds has been a tree called the rata, with spiky red flower balls much like the pohutukawa. This wasn’t their blooming season, but some of them along this trail were blooming anyway, making little orange-red pops of color in the greenery.
In all the hike took about an hour and was well worth doing. Below, a gallery of photos from our Jacobs Bay Hike. (Click to enlarge/scroll.) –Cyndi
We had three anchorages to choose from in the Dillon Bell area. Below is our impression of each.
Dillon Bell Point Anchorage
This little keyhole anchorage was so small we weren’t sure we could even get into it, but it looked intriguing enough to give it a try. Very carefully, we approached and succeeded in getting all the way in. What a gorgeous place! We were surrounded by walls of native forest so close they seemed to tower above us. There wasn’t much room, but by tying a line ashore we could have anchored there. The place was pretty enough that it would normally have been worth the effort, but the afternoon was starting to get chilly even in the sun. In the shade of this anchorage, the temperature had dropped 10 degrees, which didn’t inspire us to want to get out the dinghy and tie up to shore. Even if we did, it was too cold to sit out for a sundowner. A little reluctantly, we headed on.
Carefully heading into the keyhole bay behind Dillon Point. (Popoure Reach, Pelorus sound, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand)Now all the way in, the scenery was stunning in the little bay behind Dillon Point. (Popoure Reach, Pelorus sound, Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand)
Unnamed Anchorage South of Jacobs Bay
While not quite as stunning as the previous little anchorage, this was very pretty. But like the other anchorage this, too, was shady and cold. The nesting shags in a shoreline tree gave it a unique appeal, but the huge tree log sticking up right in the middle of the bay was a deal breaker. We decided to head to the next bay around the corner: Jacobs Bay. (You can click to enlarge/scroll through photos in the cascade below.)
Jacobs Bay
Jacobs Bay, while not as striking as the first two spots, had a couple of advantages. First, it was still getting some sun so was quite a bit warmer than the previous two bays. Second was its Combined Club mooring, currently unoccupied, which we went ahead and picked up. Onshore was a small campground and the entry to the Jacobs Bay/Fairy Bay Track, a hike we planned to take the following morning. In all, Jacobs Bay was the best choice for us today. -Cyndi
(Photos in the gallery below taken the following morning. Click to enlarge and scroll.)
(The map above is interactive; you can zoom in and out and click on the markers to see what’s what.)
The windy period had passed and it was time to take advantage of the nice conditions and do more cruising. Our destination was the Dillon Bell Point area, a nature reserve with three possible anchorages.
First, though, we’d have to face the dreaded blind corner between the Havelock Marina and the Mahau Sound. We blew our horn as we approached, hoping that any boat coming the other way would hear it and hang back. No one was there; we came through unscathed.
Now began our trip back up the Mahau Sound, which looked quite beautiful after not seeing any sounds for a few days.
East end of Mahau Sound. (Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand)West end of Mahau Sound, taken a few days earlier as we motored towards Havelock. (Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand)
From the Mahau Sound, we turned up the waterway known as the Popoure Reach. Last time we were here the mountaintops were covered by low-lying clouds and fog. Today it was sunny and clear, and we could clearly see the mountains around us. The sun was glimmering off the still water, a beautiful day for a motor-boat ride. (You can click to enlarge/scroll through gallery below.)
Our probable destination was an anchorage called Jacob’s Bay, but we’d check the anchorages just south of it to see what they were like.
Meanwhile, on our map you may notice a branch off the Popoure Reach called Nydia Bay. With one of the best-protected bays in the sounds and another bay with access to the Nydia track, this was always on our list of places to visit. But with the season getting on and the cruising ground of Abel Tasman National Park still ahead, we decided to wrap up the Pelorus Sound before the next windy period. If we ever get back this way, we’ll be sure to visit the Nydia Bay area. For now we were heading to Dillon Bell.–Cyndi
The surrounding mountains and passing clouds made for dramatic evening light in Havelock, with lots of shadows and pops of color. The morning’s low clouds would dissipate as the sun rose higher. All made for beautiful scenery. –Cyndi
The Mussel Pot is the iconic place to get green-shell mussels in the Marlborough Sounds.
This is the iconic restaurant in the area for mussels and the place we stopped for lunch when driving through here a few weeks ago. It’s a nice place, and the food was good, but the sheer number and size of the mussels on our shared platter was overwhelming. (See our previous post). We just never felt like going back after that.
Slip Inn
We discovered best way to enjoy the Slip Inn: get the pizza. Their other food is pretty good, but the portions are skimpy. Meanwhile, the pizza is fantastic and filling. For those who love pizza, there’s no reason to get anything else. Meanwhile, this has a great location right on the water with a view of the marina. And a cat. All restaurants should have a cat. (Note: The painting was done by the incredible local artist, Rebekah Codlin.) You can click to enlarge/scroll through gallery above.
Havelock Hotel Restaurant
Inside the restaurant, also known as the local pub, at the Havelock Hotel.
We also discovered the best way to enjoy this restaurant: skip the pizza and order the fish and chips or the pulled pork sandwich. Actually the pizza was pretty good, but the fish and chips were great. The pulled pork sandwich was upsetting. Why? Because Rich and I used to occasionally make the trip into Hollywood to go a BBQ dive just for their special sandwich. That sandwich is one of the things we miss about Los Angeles, and now here’s a sandwich that tastes so much like it! The upsetting thing was we discovered this during our last meal in town. Had we known, we would have gotten one of those every day! It’s so annoying to discover a special food just as you’re about to leave a place. Here’s a link to our previous post about the pub.
Captain’s Daughter
We only came here for breakfast, but it this old English Tudor-style building it looks like it would have a lovely atmosphere for dinner. As for the breakfast, the eggs Benedict with smoked salmon was so good that after splitting an order, we decided to get a second round. Their coffee was great, too. Overall it was a nice treat for a breakfast out. If we get back to Havelock we’ll try it for dinner. (You can click to enlarge/scroll through gallery above.)
Inlet Bakery & Cafe
Good coffee and very nice fresh baked bread.
This is the place in town for a casual breakfast. We only had coffee here, but the coffee was very good. (The ciabatta loaf we bought here was very good, too.)
I’ll make a mention here that we really enjoyed our time in Havelock. That “feels-great-to-be-here” feeling lasted through our stay. It’s just a likeable place overall. Below a photo of the beautiful black ducks that would visit us during the day. –Cyndi
We don’t know what these black ducks are called, but they seemed unique to this area. (Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand)
