Abel Tasman National Park

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When we left Franz Josef we had a rough plan of camping for a night in a little town called Murchison and then heading to Abel Tasman National Park the next day. We reached Murchison a little after lunch time and decided to push on for a while longer to give ourselves a shorter drive the next day and more time in Abel Tasman. We ended up stopping about 2 hrs later in a town called Motueka. The campsite was pleasant and we enjoyed using the hot spa especially after driving for as long as we did.

Motueka is virtually at the southern end of Abel Tasman National Park but we had decided to go up to the Northern end of the park where there is a big campground. From the looks of it though, Motueka is more the tourist hub for the park with the majority of the activities being based out of there.

The next morning we set off with some glorious weather. The drive to the Totaranui campground is perhaps about 100km from Motueka but the roads are particularly windy and hilly so in the end it took almost 2 hours to get there. The drive into the campground is magnificent. You head down a tree lined road that virtually opens up onto the beach. The campground itself is run by the DOC (Department of Conservation) and is quite large, holding up to 800 campers. We were expecting it to be quite busy but were pleasantly surprised to find it pretty empty. We drove around and picked a nice camping spot where we could hear the waves lapping the shore in the background. We set up camp and then took a walk around to explore our home for the next 3 nights. Our first stop was obviously the beach, and what a beach it is. It is a bay about 1km wide with golden sand and amazing aqua-marine blue water. The whole beach was virtually deserted with perhaps only 8 people on it. Next we reviewed the state of the amenities. This did not take to long as there weren’t very many. There is no kitchen but there are fire pits where you can build a fire to cook on. The toilets were clean and the showers were cold water showers. These were but minor difficulties that we seasoned travellers would surely have no hassle in overcoming. We then reviewed what activities and walks there were to do and quickly discovered that there were no kayak companies or anything operating from the North end of the park. This was slightly disappointing as we were looking forward to doing a bit of kayaking around the bays and coves in the park and our Rough Guide book had said there was a company that ran tours from here. There are however a number of walks that we would be able to do so we took solace in that and looked forward to exploring the park on foot. With that being enough adventure for the day (it was nearly noon by now) we decided to hit the beach. Once we had situated ourselves comfortably on the beach (we do seem to spend a lot of time just sitting on beaches) with books in hand I noticed that there was a little sand fly on my foot, how cute, local wildlife. This sand fly then proceeded to do magic by multiplying itself exponentially until there was a swarm of blood sucking, razor toothed, winged beasts of death surrounding us. I, as a loving, caring, devoted husband, decided the best course of action was for me to run down the beach and into the sea, thus drawing them away from my beloved, leaving her free to read in peace. I call this the “pied piper of sand flies” manoeuvre. Sandra calls this the “Billy runs away and leaves me to get eaten” manoeuvre but we will pay no attention to that for now. I sprinted down the beach for all I was worth, legs pumping like pistons, arms just a blur, sweating in the near 25 degree heat of the sun. Finally I reached the waters edge and went straight in. Things got a bit fuzzy after that, I swear I heard ice cracking below my feet as I plunged into the freezing water (how brave and self sacrificing am I doing this) only to see that not a single sand fly has fallen for my cunning plan. They were still all around Sandra, oh well, I enjoyed my swim anyway. The rest of the afternoon was spent soaking up the sunshine, slapping off sand flies and cooling down in the clearest water I have ever seen in my life.

Next up was dinner time, yummy. As we had an inkling that cooking amenities may be scarce we had cleverly precooked 2 nights worth of supper at the previous campsite, all that remained was for us to heat it up. The DOC supply wood every second day and this wasn’t one of the days so we had very little wood at our disposal. Sandra went off in search of sticks and twigs whilst I hunted around for some kindling to get the fire started. Obviously, as I am writing this, we didn’t starve to death and were successfully able to build a fire and reheat our pasta and mince. It tasted great. I think food tastes extra special when you have built a wood fire to make it (or reheat it). The next challenge was the shower. Sandra had decided to shower before supper whilst the sun was still up and it was reasonably warm, smart cookie. I had been expecting slightly tepid water, what I got was nothing short of ice water. I have to say though that eventually you become numb to it and enjoy a refreshing shower.

The following morning we awoke to some more glorious weather. After a delicious breakfast we headed off on a walk to Separation Point. The walk is about 3hrs each way and takes you to a light beacon and seal colony further up the coast. It really was an amazing walk through some pretty spectacular scenery. One moment you would be walking through a thick forest and then all of a sudden you would stumble onto a pristine beach. The path would go along the beach and we would be flanked by deep green tree and fern covered hills on one side and crystal clear, turquoise and emerald green water on the other. The walk proceeds like that through the forests and the coves and bays dotted along the coast. When we arrived at Separation Point we sat on the rocks watching the seals swimming around and sunning themselves. The nearest seal was only about 10m away.

The next day we walked south to Awaroa Beach. The scenery was just as beautiful as the day before. We weren’t able to get all the way to the final beach as there was an estuary just before it that could only be crossed at low tide and we were there at high tide. We headed back to the campsite and stopped along the way at the numerous beaches we came across and enjoyed our surroundings. We were blessed with another glorious day with not a cloud in the sky.

Our 3 days in Abel Tasman have been fantastic. We have been blessed with wonderful sights, amazing weather and a relaxing time. We now make our way over to the North Island to continue our adventures.

Sorry there aren't more photo's, the website is giving us issues again. We will load the rest when we can.

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Comments

[Heather]

Great posting!
Hey Billy! I'm really enjoying reading about your travels and the amazing experiences you're having! My boyfriend and I are soon moving to NZ, so your blog has been really helpful! We have a new blog and are always looking for photos, reviews, etc. I would love to post anything you have to share with fellow travelers! Happy, safe travels to you! Heather dirty-hippies.blogspot.com

[marion thomson]

It all looks and sounds great!!!! And good weather too....!

[Aphrodite]

Wow this place looks and sounds so amazing :)