http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Oceania , New Zealand , South Island , Abel Tasman National Park en-us Mon, 07 Dec 09 08:54:10 +0000 Mon, 07 Dec 09 08:54:10 +0000 Here are some photos http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Marahau/blog-451293.html Oct 2629 Labour Weekend continues... MondayThursdayAfter saying goodbye to the Woods and Sydney who had to return to Timaru and to school we headed to Nelson. Wow were we lucky with the weather. It was sunny all morning became overcast late morning and basically rained the rest of the day and night. We drove through Nelson which looks like a lovely sailing community and to the Worl http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Kaiteriteri/blog-450752.html We left Murchison quite early and headed to Motueka to stock up on provisions for the next few days making sure we raided a deli of at least five different cheeses before we left We had been told of a really sweet place to stay right on the edge of Abel Tasman NP so after stopping off at a gorgeous bay for some lunch we made our way round the windy roads to the Barn and spent the afternoon getti http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Marahau/blog-445634.html Where did we leave off I believe it was at the farm where we parked for the night. So the next morning we enjoyed some hot showers packed up Lucy in the Sky and started driving out Kenburu Sounds. I recently had gotten a job out at a resort and had told my boss that I would drop in for a visit. When I said this I did know that this place was out of the way and was ready for it or so I thought. http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-445584.html We thought we would organise a trip into the Abel Tasman National Park from Nelson so caught a bus there but after discovering a lot of the trips charge 30 each to pick up from the city we thought we'd be better off going to Motueka where there is no extra charge.We did stay in Nelson for three nights at Tasman Bay Backpackers which provided free chocolate pudding and ice cream every evening. Unf http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-444256.html Day 86 Wednesday 150709 NJJDrove to Kaiteriteri. Booked Abel Tasman boat trip for couple hours later. Took a short walk in the sunshine. Went to a cafe for hot chocolate yum. Boarded the boat at 12.30pm. Saw 'Split Apple Rock' some fur seals a bottlenose dolphin playing in the surf from the boat and went to the Marine Reserve. Weather started great turned grey then great again later. Lat http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-422613.html From Picton I headed west through Nelson to the little town of Motueka which is pretty close to the Abel Tasman National Park. Sadly this is one place where time caught up with me and instead of having 3 days there to complete the Abel Tasman track one of New Zealand's Great Walks I just had the one. This left me with 2 options. The cheap way was to just get a bus to Marahau walk up the http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-421318.html Hello everyoneWell I am going to have to miss out two blogs here because I've done something really stupid. I've left all the photos of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and my time down in Christchurch with Cat Adam on a CD at Cat Adams house. I had to clear my memory card to use in my new camera my other one broke when I was doing the crossing so I saved everything onto a CD and then left it http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Marahau/blog-411241.html Yesterday I spent the day in Golden Bay. It was pretty sweet. There is this beach with windswept sand dunes and rocks on the beach with caves that went through them. I also went to the Farewell spit but that was pretty uneventful.Today I woke up at 8 and got to Abel Tasman at about 1015. I waited until about 1115 for the aqua taxi that was supposed to come at 1045 before giving up on that http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-403028.html Alas another midsemester break has passed and after 10 months of being in NZ I still thoroughly revel in life on the road and all the scenery and random escapades that are thrown my way as a result both remarkable and otherwise. The roadtrip I just got back from was no exception perhaps with the adventure level even cranked up a couple notches. Well thatrsquos probably because my mate Kat http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Marahau/blog-396899.html In March we headed off on a 2week holiday of NZrsquos South Island. We used a 'hop on hop off' bus service called Stray Backpacker Bus NZ to get around and our big highlights were swimming with dolphins catching our own fish for dinner and climbing a glacier.Stop 2 BlenheimWineland. Hic.N We left Kaikoura the following morning stopping at Ohau Stream to take a short walk to a small wate http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Marahau/blog-395792.html I was again lucky enough to have 10 days off so we set out to visit the northwestern part of the South Island one of the last places we had yet to visitbecause it is quite a long drive from Timaru about 9 hours. We reached the farthest section first and stayed in a lovely hostel named ldquoThe Innletrdquo which is past Collingwood a tiny town in western Golden Bay. It is quite a cute http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-395592.html From Kaikoura we drove to Nelson we arrived late and left early as it was a practical way to break the long drive to the Abel Tasman National Park. The next day we had the most uneventful day of the trip so far we drove along the coast to Marahau a tiny town at the start of the National Park. As we arrived we saw lots of kayakers setting off up the coast and we were glad it wasn't us as it was http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Marahau/blog-393824.html Et nous voil donc rendus Paynes Ford Golden Bay prs de Takaka tout au nord de l'le sud.Nous retrouvons nos amis Irlandais Neal et Naomie que nous avions rencontrs en Inde et puis en Thailande. Tours du monde en paralllePaynes Ford c'est surtout l'histoire d'un Niko qui se rpte pendant 6 mois qu'il faut qu'il demande son vieux pote George l'adresse mail de Guillaume qui vit prob http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-391952.html Nous avons travers quasiment toute l'le Sud. De Castle Hill nous sommes alls saluer les pastoutfait 4000 m du Mt Cook malheureusement sous la pluie le tout parsem de rivires lacs et collines. Puis nous nous sommes dplacs prs de Queenstown et ses airs de reine des montagnes faon Avoriaz. Nous sommes alls grattouiller le fin fond des 200 km du Fiordland jusqu' Milford Sound. Nou http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-391134.html February 28th Saturday. Here lsquoem singing Happy BirthdayBetter think about the wish I madeThis year gone by ainrsquot been a piece of cake.Every days a revolutionPull it together and it comes undoneJust another candle and a trip around the sun. sung by Jimmy BuffettHow truehellip I was going to do the Beatles ldquothey say itrsquos your birthdayrdquo but this seemed more appropriate http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Marahau/blog-389119.html THERE ARE 2 VIDEOS IN THIS BLOG ENJOYAfter Nelson we decided to head up towards Abel Tasman National Park... We went to Montueka and spent a cool weekend there... met a couple of really nice people and a couple not so really nice at the hostel where we just parked the van and slept in it... We prepared our stuff and decided to head into the park for a 5 day treck.Oooooo it was cool... 2 days o http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-385948.html Our last stop on the North Island was Wellington New Zealand's Capital City. To be honest Wellington is on the tour just a stopover before we catch the ferry to the South Island so it was really a quick tour of the area. What l can tell you is that it had the feeling of Cape Town with its harbours and fantastic homes perched on the hills that surround the Capital. We even got time to drive up to http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Marahau/blog-383813.html It has been nearly five months now since I left the south island and for the past few weeks I have been getting excited about getting to see the south island again especially as its now summer and so therefore should be so much warmer and sunnier. It was pretty foul the whole way up the west coast when I did it last time so Irsquom hoping the good weather I have been having will continue. I lef http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/blog-383551.html 24209 Abel Tasman The Amazing George Alarm went off at 555am. Way too early to get up. Really didn't want to get up especially in dark but slid down ladder anyway picked up clothes set out night before and skulked off to bathroom to get ready. Washed changed made porridge breakfast need to good stuff now to warm me up and went to finish getting ready while porridge cooled down Gol http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Abel-Tasman-National-Park/Kaiteriteri/blog-382667.html