abel tasman

---

our first trip out in the wilderness together!! we decided to do the abel tasman coastal track....kayak out for a day and a half and hike back to our starting point for a day and a half. so, we rented a kayak....it was about the size of the titanic!! no tipping this baby!! michelle and i both listened attentively to the safety talk....ummmm....right. finally it was time to get out on the water. the day was awesome, though the wind was picking up as we set out, blue sky and sun shining. we pulled away from the pack of other paddlers launching at the same time as us and we were off. after an hour paddle along the coastline studded with golden beaches and rugged coast the wind really picked up. white caps were forming on the waves and they were smashing the shore. we decided (michelle decided) we should pull into the next cove. we hung out there for another hour....not bad at all....munched on some superb trail mix and listened to the cicadas. we arrived at our first spot early in the afternoon. after some exploration we discovered FLUSHABLE TOILETS AND RUNNING WATER!! i couldn't believe it. with many hours of daylight still remaining we went on a little jaunt in the woods which took us to a few lookouts. you could see the north island from many of them. a clear day.

we ate dinner and were off to bed early. our next day paddle was longer and passed a seal colony we were hoping to hang around at for a bit. we woke early enough the next day to be the first on the water. it was smooth as glass and silent. we paddled out to the seal colony (part of the marine reserve) to have a look at the entertainment. we were hoping for them to play with us, but they weren't too interested. they gave us a few cute poses and were back to sunbathing.

we played around in the water a little before we had to relinquish our kayak and start tramping. the hike to our second site was quick....but good that way because neither of us had been tramping in a long while (i'm not sure that michelle ever had). we arrived and cooked dinner. let me explain something about food in the outdoors....IT'S WAY BETTER ALL THE TIME NO MATTER WHAT IT IS!! there's something about laboring in so many ways for a meal that makes it taste better. you have to first carry it there....not just the food either, you have to carry the stove and the pots and the fuel and the utensils. then you have to watch whatever you're cooking, none of this, i'll go watch tv while the water boils....no no no no....it's dangerous to leave a campstove on....you must be attentive. at any rate, whatever you cook, it's delicious.

after dinner the most amazing thing happened. this i don't have pictures of. i was walking out to the beach with my book to read a little before i retired to my tent. i spent a minute looking out onto the ocean. in that minute something shiny in the distance flips up out of the water. at this point i notice a few others pointing out to sea....so i looked more closely. i saw a blow of mist rise up out of the ocean then the same shiny thing flip out of the water. WHALES!! ORCA WHALES!! there were probably 8 of them and they played in our bay for 30 minutes or so. they came in incredibly close. i thought they might beach themselves and became a little worried, but discovered later that orca whales don't beach themselves and die. they flop on land to feed on seal pups and flop back into the water when they're full. sad, but cool too. it was the most amazing thing to watch....the highlight of our trip.

the next day, our final day, it rained....and rained. all day it rained and all day we walked. we hiked something like 22 k's....and were tired by the end. all in all abel tasman was a great start!!

take care.

---

Photos

blah blah
michelle so attentive during our safety talk before we set out.

ah the water
what a day

good food
food is so much better on the trail.

the end
a day in the pouring rain!! 22k's and we're out!!

Comments

[melissa]

i wish i were STILL there!!!! i miss you, bucket.