After seeing the Queen Charlotte Sound and now Abel Tasman National Park, I really think I'm seeing the real countryside of New Zealand. I caught the bus from Nelson to the end of the line at Marahau, which is a small village and claims to be the gateway to the Abel Tasman NP; rightfully so being right at the start of the Abel Tasman track. The hostel is in a great setting and I would certainly recommend "The Barn" to anyone looking to stay in the area. An example of NZ's famous friendlyness came after I had done my shopping at the village store, a 15 minute walk from the hostel. After loading up three shopping bags (with the plan to self-cater for a few days in order to balance out the relative extravagance of the
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