Abel Tasman Coastal Track

So for those wondering, (Judy you asked) the South Island of NZ is a whole different animal from the North. The North is more about the coastlines, beaches, and cities. The South is much more sparsely populated, rural, mountainous, and well, the place everybody wants to spend their time. We spent about 20 days on the North Island so that we can spend as much time as possible on the larger South Island.

After the ferry ride we drove to Nelson to prepare for the four day Abel Tasman track. We spent the night at a free campsite and did a day hike to the top of a steep river gorge. We got a bit excited by the views at one point and decided it would be a great idea to scramble over knife point rocks up to a higher summit. “If we get up there we have views of valleys on either side and be able to see all around!” This glorious and fairly arduous quest resulted in views of some trees and more sharp wavy rocks. Back down we went along another trail and peered down the deepest vertical hole in New Zealand where no signs or ropes are available to stop the trusting American tourists from walking a little too far down the trail. Apparently they believe in good ol' fashioned natural selection here.

The next day we set out for our first real backpacking adventure though it is really a warm up for what is to come. The Abel Tasman track is a moderate hike along the coastline of the Tasman sea. The area is named after the first European guy to discover New Zealand by anchoring off these shores before being attacked by angry Maori tribes and saying “I'm getting the F*!$ out of here!” He never set foot on land.

But anyway, the track is a Great Walk, meaning that it is one of 10 or so such tracks around the country that are the best of the best. We looked over green, “are we in the carribean?” water and white, sandy beaches. At the end of each day, you could find us lounging on these beaches in the bright sun. I'm pretty sure this hike cannot be classified as roughing it. To add to our comfort, we camped in 20-30 person huts that are common in this country. They supply drinking water, mattress pads, a kitchen area, and plentiful views. Because pretty much everyone in the huts have the same agenda, we stayed with mostly the same people for the trip. As you can guess, this can be both good and bad. Unfortunately for us, we are already stuck with Dan, who snores like a freight train, for every hut trip in the next 2 months. I apparently have the ability to sleep through it but Jonathan hits Dan with any object in reach about 4 times a night. This usually results in some snuffling, snorting, rearranging, and more snoring. The first time I woke up to it, I was stifling laughter because it was so unimaginably loud.

Because the Abel Tasman is relatively tame compared to some hikes, we usually took it easy with our morning time. We were some of the last to leave the huts, often asleep when gun-ho families and trekkers made their departure. But we made up for our laziness by being the first group to the next hut every time.

On the last day, the good weather finally turned and we were pounded by rain. The water taxi ride we were supposed to catch out was cancelled and we were thrown on a bus. Two hours later, after the bus in front of us went off the road, and our bus driver guided us, slip sliding up muddy roads, to safety. Two rest days and we embarked on our next hike.