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Abel Tasman
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4-21-2007 Abel Tasman National Park
Jose: We decided to make a pit stop at the local grocery store to pick up some much needed supplies and then we were off to Abel Tasman National Park, at the time I thought it was just a beach. After arriving we asked around for tours and hikes since Andrea was in an athletic mood, but we were told that most of the hikes we could have done were not available now because it was too late...mind you it was only 10am. So we decided that instead of paying over a hundred dollars to get a water taxi to show us the coast we figured it be best to just drive it and move on. Well that plan worked for about ¼ mile and then we figured out that there were no roads in this place. We ended up next to an alpaca farm that we took pictures of on a dirt road...we also crossed a bridge that was made of wood only for only one car and it had a danger sign posted next to it, but don't worry it was marked OK for campervans. Then the road got a little nasty and it was more like off-roading and it was heading away from the beach so we figured that before we get the campervan stuck we should turn around. Then we proceeded to find the cheapest water taxi (Glorified fishing boat) to take us up the coast...so in the end we ended up paying way to much for a simple boat ride but the guide was quite entertaining and we got to visit an island filled with wild seals. The tour guide told us all about the natives that lived there originally and all their legends. It was really neat...they believed that mother earth and father sky had children out of their union and that one of them the god of the land separated his father and mother from each other thus creating light. This made his brothers, the sea and the wind very angry and thus to show their anger the wind blows down the trees...like in a hurricane... and the sea creates floods and tsunami's of sort to knock down the trees. Really interesting stuff really, they also believed that the reason that two of the beaches are gold/red (which we have pictures of) is because that is were mother earth bled when the two were separated.
So after our boat ride with way to many pictures we got in our campervan and headed south. It started getting late so we decided to stop in the next town over to get gas and food before continuing on and we found a small Indian restaurant that was not only open to our amazement but also packed, so we decided to add to their congestion and have dinner. It was amazing, it filled me to the top and the spicyness of the dishes was enough to feel but not enough to burn which was perfect. So with a full belly we decided to continue on. We made it about 3/4 of the way to Franz Joesph Glacier...our next stop...and decided to call it a night. We pulled off a small side street and then went a kilometer or two before just pulling off the road for bed. It was quite secluded so I was not worried, and apparently enveryone does it, and so we went to bed. Goodnight!!!
Love Andrea and Jose More thumbnails ...
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