The view out into the Tasman Sea from Bark Bay on the Abel Tasman Track. I spent Christmas Eve in the Bark Bay Hut. As evening fell, I joined some new friends around a campfire in the camping area. I tried to contribute by chopping some firewood - nearby there were some old stumps and an axe. The axe was sharp enough, but the stumps were still there only because they were unchoppable, basically nothing but dense burrs and knots. So we gathered up the splinters I'd managed to chip off, got some other dead wood in addition, including a couple of big limbs, and nine or ten of us spent the night talking and sharing chocolate and tea around the fire. The company was convivial, funny, diverse, and altogether a pleasure to be with and among. We only once mentioned the date, briefly, and then the conversation moved on to other topics. We spent hours there around the fire. Best. Christmas. Ever.

The view out into the Tasman Sea from Bark Bay on the Abel Tasman Track. I spent Christmas Eve in the Bark Bay Hut. As evening fell, I joined some new friends around a campfire in the camping area. I tried to contribute by chopping some firewood - nearby there were some old stumps and an axe. The axe was sharp enough, but the stumps were still there only because they were unchoppable, basically nothing but dense burrs and knots. So we gathered up the splinters I'd managed to chip off, got some other dead wood in addition, including a couple of big limbs, and nine or ten of us spent the night talking and sharing chocolate and tea around the fire. The company was convivial, funny, diverse, and altogether a pleasure to be with and among. We only once mentioned the date, briefly, and then the conversation moved on to other topics. We spent hours there around the fire. Best. Christmas. Ever.