We began our Abel Tasman National Park trek today, starting with a small misstep—meeting at the wrong spot—but it quickly turned into part of the adventure. After a short walk and a bus ride, we reached Kaiteriteri, where the boat pulled straight up onto the sand for boarding.
We cruised the coastline for nearly two hours, slipping into bay after bay to drop hikers along the trail. At our stop, we met our guide Phil and the rest of the group—and almost immediately, a Kererū landed in a tree right beside us. I finally got both a photo and a video. It felt like a blessing.
The beaches glowed gold, colored by iron from nearby wetlands. Phil taught us about the forests too—how Rātā slowly wraps around Rimu, and how epiphytes turn every tree into a layered ecosystem. We learned cicadas live underground for years before emerging briefly to sing, mate, and disappear.
From the boat, we spotted a baby seal on the rocks and watched oystercatchers steal oysters and sprint away from seagulls. The tides here are dramatic—up to sixteen feet—so we crossed a tidal flat on foot to reach our lodge.
That evening, Wilsons Abel Tasman served dinner on the veranda. We watched the tide roll back in as the full moon rose over the bay—ending a beautiful first day on the trail.Read more
February 1 in New Zealand ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C