Abel Tasman Great Walk (and Kayak)

When we planned our big trip to the South Island with both of our parents, we realized that it would be difficult to fit everything in that we wanted to do on such a relatively short trip (you can roll your eyes if you don't exactly feel sad for us that we only had two and a half weeks on the South Island in mid-January : )  So...when we saw an upcoming medical conference in Blenheim in early March, Jen decided to attend, and we tacked on a five day family trip to the one part of the South Island we really wanted to see - the northern part of the South Island, including Nelson, Abel Tasman National Park, and the Marlborough Sounds.

While Kendra had to stay home and work :( the rest of us flew from Wellington to Nelson, which in itself is a great experience.  As an American, we are so used to the lengthy security lines associated with domestic air travel, but in NZ, you show up to these small airports 20 minutes or so prior to departure, walk 50 yards at most to your gate and climb on board your plane.  Sweet As!  Forty short minutes later, we had crossed Cook Strait, landed in the tiny Nelson airport, grabbed our backpacks and were on our way to the rental car company.

The centerpiece of our plan was a four day kayak and backpack trip through Abel Tasman National Park, which  consists of rugged hills overlooking pristine coves of white sand beach and aqua blue water on the very northwestern part of the South Island.  We designed the trip to be able to experience Abel Tasman both from the water, and from the land.  So, the first two days we hired kayaks and paddled northwards on the sea from our starting point of Marahau.  And the last two days we turned in the kayaks and backpacked on foot further north along the famed Abel Tasman Great Walk to the town of Totaranui, some forty kilometer to the north of our starting point.  From there we would be picked up and water taxied back to the start point.

Our first two days were guided by a young woman, Jodi, from the kayak rental company.  Due to Lindsay's age, we were forced to have a guide for the time on the water, but we were ultimately really happy she was with us!  She helped us to stow our belongings, gave us some sea kayaking tips, helped us to take pictures and most importantly,  helped with the cooking and cleaning.  She also charted the course for hidden sea caves, inland tributaries, her favorite desolate beach coves, and to seal colonies on the rocks in the islands dotting the coastline, thereby saving us massive amounts of time if we were exploring on our own. She also befriended our girls which was awesome!

Jodi had us in the water right away, and we kayaked for a couple hours, finding some sea caves that we went in and out of...

...and we finally stopping at Appletree Bay for a snack.  Inland was a clear lagoon, protected by a strip of sand.  Here we are parked at the lagoon, which was filled with warm, swimmable water.

Next up we visited Adele Island, and Hello! we saw a seal colony just off the northern tip of the island.  Then we proceeded to our first night's camp spot, Observation Beach.  This was a really special campsite, accessible only from the water (there are no hiking trails leading to it.)  The site has perhaps six campsites total, a latrine, and a private beach of about 100 meters in length by about 30 meters deep, all surrounded by bush and forest. Here is a picture of us as we approach the campsite from the water.  hopefully this picture conveys how very isolated and awesome this campsite was!

We had the good fortune of camping with a friendly group of guys from Minnesota (!) and...Bruce (!!), the DOC hut warden who had entertained Kendra and Pete when they did the Tongariro Northern Circuit. He and his new fiancee were camping there as well, and everyone communalized their stuff and dinners and drinks.  A fun night of bocce, swimming and picture taking ensued, as we had a stunning sunset.

We woke to a beautiful sunrise...

...and after breakfast, packed up and got back on the water. We kayaked through the "Mad Mile" - the one really open patch of sea (it wasn't that bad actually) - and then explored Boundary Bay, Frenchman Bay and finally Sandfly Bay, where we rested for lunch.  It was stunning, a turquoise lagoon with a river filling it from inland, and the incoming tide of the sea on the other.

After lunch we explored the fresh water river flowing out of the hillside via kayak, seeing eels, hawks, and greenery.  On our way back down the stream we could really feel the tide starting to come in, so it was hard work. We went out into the ocean and to some reefs to see birds and seals.  Here is a typical photo from the water of all four of us, Jen and Lauryn in the foreground, with a small island just in the distance.

Views like these made the hard work of the kayaking much easier!  And just when we thought our arms and backs would give out, we rounded one last corner and saw another cove where our second night's campsite was, at Bark Bay.

We bid farewell to our kayaks and to our guide, and had a great night to ourselves.  Here we are at the campground.

Bark's Bay was a much larger campground, and also there was a hut at the site.  The great walk also runs through it, so this was fairly crowded, but only by Kiwi standards.  It really was a lovely beach campground, with a bay behind it that filled and emptied with the tide.  And, a 10 minute hike away was another secluded cove where we were completely on our own on a tiny sand beach replete with perfect climbing rocks.

Pete even woke at dawn to watch the sunrise, and the feeling he got was anything but crowded - it was just him and the sun and the sea.

Fortunately we had timed the tides perfectly (through sheer luck) and so the next morning, we put on the packs and cut across the dry lagoon (tide was out) and thus cut off about 30 minutes of walking time on our next hike.  We though how nice it was to be out of the kayaks - our shoulder, back and tricep muscles were starting to feel it - until we had backpacked 4 miles and started to realize how heavy the packs were and how nice it was to have them previously stowed and floating in the kayaks.  But, it was great to hike the Trail and see Abel Tasman from a different angle from above the bluffs.  Here was a typical view...

It was with relief that we settled into Awaroa Campground, this time via a very wet hiking "path" (tide was coming in and we got wet!!) Awaroa was a popular destination on the Great Walk, having a hut, a campground, and a lovely lagoon beach at high tide.  However, the dreaded sandflies found us again, and so we donned our head nets, and wore long pants and tops despite the fairly warm conditions.  Lauryn forgot to cover up her ankles however, and within an hour or so, had probably 25 bites!  Curse those sandflies!

The following morning we were up and packed for an early crossing of the lagoon at low tide, thus cutting off over an hours hike around the hills of the lagoon.

Nice!  Another lovely hike through rugged bluffs and along desolate beaches ensued...

 

Soon we could make out the beach of our final destination, Totaranui.  A profound sense of satisfaction came over us.  Here we are at the end of the track!

And here are two girls who are really happy to have gotten rid of their backpacks, though Lauryn has acquired something just as heavy!

We had done it....but what we didn't know was what an adventure the boat ride would be!  First we had to climb aboard the Water taxi...

...and then we found out that "the sea was angry that day, my friends!"  Anyway, it was one crazy speedboat ride back down the coast, in which we were popping up and down over one and half meter ocean swells.  We stopped once to see a ray swimming in the shallows, but otherwise, Dad kept a death grip on the front side of the boat and tried not to hurl, while the girls got absolutely soaked in the back of the boat.  Finally our boat was met by a tractor that backed into the ocean, and our boat driver jumped out of the boat, hitched our boat up, climbed into the tractor and pulled us all the way back to our car! It was very Kiwi.  

We came into this trip to Abel Tasman with fairly high expectations, but our outing easily topped them. We had heard that it was beautiful but overhyped and crowded. We couldn't disagree more.  The little beaches, the scenery, the challenge... all of that combined for an unforgettable experience, as the pictures can attest.  We loved Abel Tasman park!

We still had a couple days and one night left, however, so next up we drove to French Pass in the very far north in the Marlborough Sounds.  It was unbelievably remote, with very little in the way of civilization.  The land was very rugged - high forested hills mixed with pasture land dotted with sheep, all of it running thousands of feet steeply down to the sea.  The first picture gives an idea of the topography of the area, and the second, the inhabitants : )

We overnighted at a bed and breakfast that was 15 minutes drive from their nearest neighbor!  We had a great dinner and breakfast with the owners and loved the conversation and company. The B and B had their own private beach, some nesting penguins on the property, and lovely gardens.  At night we were so remote that we could make out more stars than we had seen since being in the interior of the South Island. Here is a picture looking down from our cabin on the main house and beach.  And, yes, that is their boat which you could hire if you wanted (but we had had enough of boating!)

What a spot!  In the morning, we drove out the extra ten minutes to French Pass, a tiny strait where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean.  The tides make for one of the most dangerous boating areas in the world, as their are times where one side of the strait is roughly 2 meters above the other.  Looking down on the water, it was frothing, and running in one direction like they were white water rapids.  This picture looking down toward the pass (from a lookout some hundred yards above) probably will not do it justice.  But if you ever get out there, you won't be disappointed.

Finally we left and made our way back toward Blenheim, stopping only the once at Elaine Bay, another scenic bay where we saw jellyfish from the pier and marveled at the crystal clear water.

An hour or so later, we had arrived into Blenheim, dropping Jen off for her conference, while the girls and Pete headed for the tiny three-gate airport and their flight back to Wellington. Whew! It was a whirlwind, we were exhausted, but... we were really glad we made this trip!