Abel Tasman Kayak Adventure

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Although a lie in is much needed, I am picked up at 7.10am by a minibus, so with a small backpack of different items from the last few days in toe, I head to Marahu where my kayaking starts from. At the base I meet some lovely people who are also doing kayaking trips – a Dutch mother and daughter, and an English couple (Jo and James), we then jump in another minibus and are driven 20minutes to the coast. Here the Dutch leave us, but we gain an American couple and a Swiss couple and our adventure and first glimpse of the Abel Tasman starts with a 25 minutes power boat through the national park waters to Oneathuti. At Oneathuti we are joined by our last person, David, who is Spanish, who has a large back pack, tent and sleeping bag with him……this doesn’t go down to well with our guide, who has to then order a water taxi to come and collect his items, as surprisingly, they don’t fit in the kayak!

The kayaks are all doubles - no prizes for guessing who I have to go with……. Yes that’s right, the spanard, who provides the groups asmuemnt for the whole day. I am so glad I am not Matt, our guide, because I would have been so frustrated with him by now, but luckily I am not, so I also find him highly amusing. His English isn’t great, so we all completely understand that his topics of conversation may be a bit different, but it’s the way he acts, and the way he just goes off wherever he fancies in the kayak (he has the pedals to steer to I have no control) - going off one way to get a better photo, or trying to squeeze the kayak between the rocks……but hey, at least he is a good kayaker, so we actually go quite fast. And as the others are great company I have a really enjoyable day.

As for Abel Tasman itself, well it’s just stunning – turquoise waters, golden beaches (unusual for New Zealand) and forested hillsides beyond. Firstly we head out is our kayaks to Tonga island – where we see at least 20 teenage seals. They come fairly close to the kayaks, as they are inquisitive, but a couple actually swim along by the kayaks, diving in and out of the water, almost like a fish, such a natural and happy sight. We then kayak along the coast, marvelling at the beauty of the coastline, enjoying the tranquillity of the area. We kayak up to a beautiful beach we were unload and have a picnic, lapping up the sunshine, only issue is the constant attack from the sand flies, which are a pain, but at least they only itch a bit unlike the mosquitoes. After lunch as few of us go for a swim, and end up wading out for ages, as the water stays shallow for so long, but it was worth it!

After lunch we head out again on the kayaks, paddling out and around to Adele Island. Here we saw a large amount of cormorant birds, and fewer seals, but they were more inquisitive, coming right up to the kayak and pawing on of the paddles! We then kayak further along the coastline to Bark Bay, where we finish for the day. I am the only one of our group to be staying overnight as I am on a slightly different trip. The others either walk out or get a water taxi back to the beginning of our trip. I wait on the beach until 4pm when the little boat picks me and a group of 12 other people up, to take us to the houseboat – where I am staying this evening.

The boat is great, I am staying in a bunk room which is below the water – if you peer out of the port hole at eye level, you are just above the water line! As you can imagine the space is rather tight – must remember not to sit up in the morning with only 30cm between the top of my bunk and the ceiling, it’s quite dark but its fab. However, some of the other people in the room don’t think the same. It turns out that the 12 people I got on the small boat over with are all on a 24day organised tour of New Zealand, although they all seem really nice, they have seen a slightly different side of the country than me, and spend a while moaning with each other that they have to walk for 2 hours tomorrow out of the park, and may just pay for a water taxi instead.

Back to the trip however, on our tour of the boat by the staff member, we were told that you can jump off the roof of the boat into the water below. So after sorting my stuff I seize the opportunity to do the jump in the last of the sunshine. As I climb up onto the second storey and then the roof, approaching the edge I realise how high 5m actually is! One of the other guests kindly provides me a countdown and I take the plunge woooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! It’s great fun, and as my camera didn’t go off properly, I take the opportunity to do it a second time.

The group are mostly sitting inside playing cards, and I head on to the front deck and find an English couple – Ben and Miranda, who now live in Wellington, and Ben’s dad – John, who is visiting. Spend a lovely hour or so chatting away to them, until it gets too cold and we all rendezvous on the top deck of the boat 5minutes later, with a few more layers on!

We are joined by another sole traveller – Rochelle, from Ireland and enjoy a lovely evening chatting away on the top deck. We have a big bbq for dinner which the group appear for, and then disappear downstairs again, and afterward the gas outdoor heater is wheeled out, so the 5 of us had an amazing evening, chatting away, under the amazing stars, being kept toasty warm!

And before retiring to our cabins, we learnt the Southern Star formation:







And how to tell South from it:


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Take a line horizontally out along the long axis of the Southern Cross, then locate the two stars below the Southern Cross, which point to it – take a line perpendicular from the bottom star, and where it intersects the horizontal line is South!

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