Abel Tasman National Park

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Today was huge. Were relaxed now, sitting in our beach side log cabin with hot chocolate following a spa and couple of beers. We were on the road from Nelson around 7.45 north west bound for the Abel Tasman national park. I couldn't believe our luck with weather. The forecast; thunderstorms and 20-40mm of rain. The reality, blue skies and relative warmth for NZ standards. The drive from Nelson to Kaiteriteri took around an hour. Here we boarded a 9.30 boat bound for Abel Tasman medlands boat stop. We got a prime view seat on the top deck at the back of the boat. Freezing and windy, with an hour of great views of the coast. We were dropped off at Medlands beach near Bark Bay around 10.30. We had around 5 hours to hike about 12-14km along the Abel Tasman Coastal track down to Anchorage for pick up. We took a couple of stop offs at South Head, the Falls River Swing Bridge, lunch at Torrent Bay and Cleopatra's Pool via the High Track. The walk offered breathtaking coastal views of turquoise blue water, lush green forest, golden beaches and the calming sounds of sociable bird songs. The weather held up for the vast majority of the experience, making it all the more beautiful. Rain sprinkled for the last hour, but was no hindrance or inconvenience. We arrived on anchorage beach with half an hour to spare, to explore some caves and get hassled by an overzealous duck.

We chose an undercover seat for the boat trip back to Kaiteriteri, getting a seat next to a nice English guy Bert with whom we struck up a conversation. We were relieved the ship had us back at Kaiteriteri on schedule by 4.15, as our day was far from over. We had a 3.5-4 drive south and down the West Coast to Punaitiki. Initially it seemed a daunting task, especially with overcast skies and tired legs. After a while, the skies opened up, the sun returned, and we were treated to mountain views, rolling hills and countless streams and bridges.

We arrived at the Pancake rocks by around 7.45, just in time for sunset. After being initially skeptical at the mediocrity of the first couple lookouts we were soon treated to some spectacular views and appreciated the popularity of this place. The blowholes here were amazing. Huge ocean swell bashing across a rugged coast and sending all sorts of admirable splashes about. The pancake rocks themselves also sported some impressive formations. After completing the 45 minute circuit and heading onwards we arrived at our nights accommodation at the Beach Hideaway just as light faded from the sky.

Our log cabin was certainly my favorite accommodation to date and came with a separate spa cabin, contained with an outside view. What better way to round off an awesome but exhausting day. Sleep tonight around 11.30. Earlish start tomorrow for our trip to Franz Joseph glacier. Id like to get up and explore the area here in the daylight in the morning!Read more