WOW - on Tuesday we decided to do a hike in Abel Tasman National Park and it was spectacular. It was sunny, blue skies, a light breeze, and warm - perfect conditions for a hike in the lush forest and for sitting on one of the many beaches that dot the coastline of Abel Tasman.
We started our journey with a 9:15am pick up in Kaiteriteri, on the water taxi (quite the efficient outfit for sure - Wilsons -‘. We got dropped off after passing by; split rock, a fur seal colony, and seeing a pod of dolphins - what a way to start our day and our hike!
The water taxi pulled up to Awaroa and we hoped off onto the beach (at least we did not have to take our boots off to get off the boat - as we did have to when we got on back in Kaiteriteri). The beach is power and stunning and virtually empty, except for the few people who got off the water taxi with us and the guests from the Awaroa Lodge. Yes, there is a remote, off grid, lodge in the Park and Ted tried (unsuccessfully) to get me to agree to stay here. All I will say is the price was a bit much so we opted for the 8km, 4 hour hike from point to point - which honestly, was much better.
We found the start to the hike and off we went in search of Medlands Beach (our pick up point). I cannot explain how gorgeous the flora and fauna is in Abel Tasman. It is so lush and extreme. We also had most of the hike to ourselves. We would pass the odd person or couple, but for the most part, we were all by ourselves, which was great.
The hike was a little bit of work at time (Ted may say - it was damn hard) as we were either going straight up or straight down. Hiking poles definitely recommended for sure, as the track is gravel/dirt and it had been raining several days prior to our hike, so muddy or slippery in parts and hiking poles help greatly.
We were there to hike, but Ted was also there to look for birds and he was NOT disappointed. We say the Weka several times (pics included) and several other birds, but he was on the hunt (pardon the expression) for the Blue Duck and Kaka - both rare and NZ is trying to rehabilitate their numbers. Never saw the Blue Duck, but just before we made it to Medlands Beach for our pick up we saw it … A massive bird flew right over my head and though I did not see it, its wing span was huge and I thought it was an owl. I turned around to face Ted and said ‘OMG did you see that’. He spun around, camera in hand and looked up in the trees - yes, by god, he saw a Kaka … OMG, Ted was so happy and thrilled … He would have loved a picture, but seeing it and knowing that I also saw it, was all he needed. The day could have ended there for Ted …
We hoped back on the water taxi and headed back to Kaiteriteri and since it was only after 4pm, we decided to have some beach time. The beach here is amazing; like icing sugar, no stones or shells, crystal clear water, and refreshing. We chilled for a while and then headed back to Nelson.
It was a super successful hike in Able Tasman, we saw some birds, including a rare one, and we experienced nature in its truest form here … I would definitely recommend to anyone to include Able Tasman as part of any NZ tour.
Happy Thursday (Wednesday in Ottawa)
Robert and Ted
