Abel Tasman National Park

Trip Start Sep 02, 2007
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Trip End May 13, 2009


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Flag of New Zealand  , South Island,
Friday, May 16, 2008

Abel Tasman National Park is one of the most beautiful National parks in New Zealand. There are very famous walks around here and we elected to walk up the coastal route for 2 days and then get a water taxi back. We wanted to Kayak but it is very pricy so although I was keen the others wernt (you need 2 people minimum). We walked hard for the 2 days and although it was nice it was not amazing. Once again walks in the UK can be equally enjoyable. The bays were nice when you could see them through the trees but unfortunatly the path is so well trod it lacks the chalenge of a hike - it is simply day walking.

The path then splits into a low tide and a high tide path. Lee took the high tide but the three others (me included) took the low tide route looking for some better scenary. It started fine and then wer took our shoes and socks off. to progress. Then we started rolling our trousers up. Before the end we were wading through water up to opur wastes!! Not good when you are wearing jeans and you know as soon as the sun disapears the tempreatures plumit to about 0oC! We booked our nights accomodation it a hut from the tourist Information office in the previous town and we got there just as it was getting dark. Amzingly my jeans had pretty much dried from the friction of walking so that was so lucky! We met 4 brits in the hut and a German girl and we all played cards and spent time on the beach in the moonlight - it was a very cool evening and the 4 of us in the Spaceship are all getting on really well. Sunset
Sunset
 There are moments when tentions boil over but this is good and healthy.

We awoke on day 2 of the walk, had noodles for breakfast and then realised we only had 5 hours to complete a 6 hour walk to catch our water taxi at 2.45pm! So we ran! We all put so much effort in but after 4 hours we realised we had done so much we were now ahead of schedule! Dont know how that happened! It was another shoes off, shoes on day. I walked along the beach shoeless for a long time but the shells which coat the beach really dig in after a while. It gets to the point where you can barely walk so I had to take my shoes off for any water crossing (which there was many) and put them on for all the shells, (which there were millions of!) We got to the end of the beach and then I remembered I had my flip flops in my bag! Oops!

The walk was tiring but we were rewarded with a sit on a nice beach for the final hour while waiting for the water taxi., I played chess on the beach with Edd and then it arived. It was a speed boat so we got in with a load of old people and we bommed along the coast, stopping to watch some fur seals en route and were back at the entrance after an hour. The most amazing part of the boat trip is when they drive to the coast, land the boat on the trailer of a tractor which is submerged in the water and then we get toed to the car on the back of a boat on the back of a tractor - very clever!

Now we drive back to Nelson for Friday night on the town.
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