Blogs from Marahau, Abel Tasman National Park, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 5

Ferry Crossing Our travellers had been advised to get the early morning ferry across to Picton to take in the sights of the Marlborough Sound. The change in scenery for the South Island is immediate, looking a lot less populated with the walks amoung the Sound visible from the ferry. Unfortunately the weather is a bit poor and the ferry rather unsettlingly lists to starboard with the heavy goods lorries. Still looks impressive, though. The roads here are completely different. Kind of like driving through the narrower, steeper and twistier parts of Cornwall, for miles and miles. A stop-off at Havelock for some very fresh mussels - so fresh they still have their 'beards' on and, well, don't look at shellfish too closely when you're eating them. Go well with the wine, though. This place also ... read more

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 getting to know our NEIGHbours over a few beers! The Abel Tasman is the smallest Nat Park in all of NZ but its one of the great walks of the country. The walk takes about 4-5 days and you need all the proper camping/trekking gear so we just went for a half day walk along the stunning ... read more

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 raining pretty heavily! We then booked our 3 day kayaking trip with a company specialising in Freedom Rentals, so we'd be able to explore the coastline in our own time rather than on a group tour. From there we drove to Motueka to find somewhere to stay the night and to pick ... read more

In March, we headed off on a 2-week holiday of NZ’s 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: Blenheim Wineland. Hic. (N) We left Kaikoura the following morning, stopping at Ohau Stream to take a short walk to a small waterfall, and from the roadside we saw seal pups at colony on the rocks below. The premier wine-producing region of NZ is Marlborough, and Blenheim is its heart. A couple of hours later, we arrived there. Sauvignon Blanc (or “Sav” in local lingo) is the area’s speciality, and there are around 110 wineries to try it (and others) in. We stayed in the nearby ... read more

Saturday 21st February - Went to the street market in Nelson - full of stalls with local crafts, art and produce - very classy. Met an antique dealer who warned us about the sand flies suggested we try a mixture of Dettol and baby oil!! We’ll see how successful that is. Back to the site for lunch and a stroll by the river before getting changed to go and eat at The Boat Shed in Nelson - highly recommended by Llara and co. Wonderful place reminiscent of Shell Bay Restaurant in Studland. What a meal - took us three hours with Entrée, Main course of Salmon for Lyn and Swordfish for Tony, followed by a hot blue cheese in a port and grape sauce all washed down with a bottle of Nelson chardonnay and a couple ... read more