Blogs from Marahau, Abel Tasman National Park, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 2

New Zealand – Wellington and Able Tasmin – The end of the North Island and it was straight onto the South Island and what a place to start. After finishing a very demanding trek at Mt Doom the next morning we were all on our way to Wellington where we would stop for just one night before catching the ferry to the South Island to a place called Picton, however we would not be stopping in Picton other than picking up a new bus for the beginning of the South Island tour. The first stop on this tour is Albe Tasman which is known for its spectacular coast line, beach’s, treks and its scenery so I was eagerly anticipating good things to come. As mentioned above sadly I only had a few hours to look round ... read more

We drove along the northern coast of the south island to get to Abel Tasman National Park. We had some time to kill when we got there, so we decided to go...SKYDIVING! Well, it wasn't a totally spur-of-the-moment decision, we had planned on doing it somewhere in New Zealand. This seemed like the perfect place, with mountains, Carribean-blue coasts, and a overal great views of both the south and even the north islands. It was an awesome experience. The views from the plane were great, and we went up to 16,500 feet. Briana jumped out first- "ladies first", Brian said. The guides were great at making you look at all the cool things and Briana's even let her "steer" the parachute for part of the way. We have photos and a DVD we'll share when we ... read more

Kayaking Abel Tasman Park today.....started out in Marahau with Abel Tasman Marahau Sea Kayak Company........my instructor, Hanna, was brilliant.......a pretty thorough briefing on safety, etc., turned out to be essential! The seas where from the south which meant they are not calm! Every picture you see on a brochure or magaizine is bullshit! lol......anyway, went from Marahau to Observation Beach....didn't seem far...........again, bullshit..... came ashore on a beautiful beach called Stillwell Bay......success and great sandy beach........launched, again success.........came ashore for the second time on Observation Beach........holy shit......huge waves and rolled it......quickly took me under and swamped the kayak......dragged it to shore and started "sea water removal".......giggle time........what a hoot........after that experience wondering how the hell to get off this isla... read more

The track was really extraordinary. It was quite chilly for most of the time and threatened rain, but through some brilliant maneuvering we made it through dry. The first night we stayed in the Anchorage hut and checked out some nice watering holes called Cleopatra pools, where we also happened upon a rather naked couple. Whoops. The Bark Bay hut was next and was the nicest with hardwood floors and spacious rooms, but was super crowded with people. We slept in our room with mostly Germans. The next day was our first high tide crossing, which we made easily. On to the Awaroa hut where there was hardly anyone! Hurray! Our final day we made the final easy trek to Totorauni where we caught a water taxi back. It was marvelous. We saw seals and penguins ... read more

Heute morgen lautete die Devise Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund. Da das Wetter gut war, wollten wir uns den Sonnenaufgang über dem Meer ansehen. Deshalb wurden wir von Bernd um 7 Uhr morgens sanft geweckt. Es war arsch kalt. Die gefühlte Temperatur war minus 10 Grad, Gefroren hat's auf jeden Fall, was wir an der gefrorenen Wäsche feststellen konnten. Der Sonnenaufgang war wunderschön und entschädigte für das frühe aufstehen bei Minusgraden. Nach einem ausgiebigen Frühstück machten wir uns für den Track startklar. Per Wassertaxi ging's vorbei am bekannten Half Apple Felsen und an einer Robbenkolonie. Nach ca. 1 stündiger Fahrt ließen wir uns an der Barky Bay absetzen. Nun hieß es „Schwing die HUUUFTE“ und ab in den Dschungel!!!! Die Wanderung führte uns an einsamen, romantischen Buchten vorbei, wo Bernd (genannt Babbele) sentimental wurde :-). Auch ... read more