Today we’re going to Abel Tasman National Park which is in the middle of the northern coast. Abel Tasman National Park only has a couple of roads through the center of it. It is know for its spectacular golden beaches which can only be reached by boat. The beaches are golden in color because they are high in iron which leeches out of the rock and turns to rust.
We were picked up at the campground at 8:20 and driven to Kaiteriteri where we boarded a catamaran. We sat on the top deck for most of the ride until it got too cold. We motored along the coast and our first “stop” (you can’t get off the boat here so we just motored around) was Split Apple Rock which looks like . . . wait for it . . . a split apple.
Then we continued up the coast stopping a various bays to let people off. Along the way we stopped at Adele Island to see the seals sunbathing.
We went all the way to the last bay in the park, Totaranui, where we turned around and headed back the way we came. On the way we stopped at the Tonga Arches, natural rock arches which you can kayak through in high tide or stand on a sandy beach in low tide.
We were dropped at Medlands Beach at 11:30 and started our hike. This is our boat dropping us off.
We expected to be walking along the beach but actually walked uphill to a dense forested path. Initially we were going up and down but eventually it was mostly flat. We were talking to people along the way. It was very beautiful.
We stopped for our box lunches (provided by the boat) overlooking an amazing bay.
We ate with people we met on the trail who were from southern California. After lunch we came to a sign saying we had two more hours of hiking to get to the bay where we were to be picked up. It was exactly two hours before our pick up time. We weren’t sure what would happen if we weren’t there on time and we sure didn’t want to find out, so we started hustling. We bypassed a short walk to Cleopatra’s Pool and made it to the designated stop in Anchorage Bay about a half hour before the boat was scheduled to arrive. Phew! All told it took us 3 ¾ hr to walk 8 miles. Here are some of our best pictures from the boat ride and the walk.
The boat was on time and it seemed that everyone was there. It was a short ride back to Kaiteriteri where we caught the bus that took us back to the campground. On the bus we passed many fields of kiwis and hopps. The kiwis were behind wind breaks to protect their delicate leaves. We’ve seen a lot of hedges that were groomed into wind breaks. The hopps vines were coaxed to grow up a line and grow very fast this time of year. In the past tobacco was a popular crop, but locals stopped growing it because of the harmful effects of tobacco. In fact New Zealand is trying to outlaw all smoking by 2025.
That evening Rick cooked ginger pork on our outside grill. We were very tired after our walk and slept well.