Abel Tasman Track

Last week we spent a couple of days on the Abel Tasman Track. Here are some thoughts on the experience.

Day One:

Today we hiked around 20 kilometers on the Abel Tasman Track, starting in Marahau, which was only an hour's drive from Nelson. This hike was MUCH more enjoyable than the first day at Lake Waikaremoana. That day left us feeling demoralized after an hour so, whereas this one was great. We stopped at the Anchorage Hut/Bay to eat our lunch and take a little break around noon. There were a ton of people there, including a lot of children. Either the summer holidays have begun, or these were school trips. We figured a number of people will walk out there for the day and either head back mid-afternoon, or take a water taxi back to the car park.

After lunch, we set out for the Bark Bay hut, which would be our accommodation for the night. This time, Alan's Charlie Brown vortex abated, and we hit an estuary crossing at just the right time. It was low tide, so we could just walk right across. If we had had to go around, it would have added at least an hour to our trip, if not more. It was kind of surreal to be walking through the muck and mire of an estuary. There were a lot of shells and other sea remnants. Many people took off their shoes and either switched to sandals, or walked barefoot. We were able to make the crossing wearing our boots, although the water was almost too deep a couple of places.

The rest of the walk took us along some beautiful coastline, including views of bays below. There was a good variety of trees and plant life, along with many different birds singing. 

We arrived at the Bark Bay hut around 4:00, and we went ahead and claimed our mats. We were able to get mattresses right next to each other, which is fairly remarkable in a hut that's full for the night. 

After dinner, we sat around reading and watched the tide roll into the estuary there by the hut/campground. We were sitting inside once it cooled off outside, and another young couple came over the fireplace area where we were sitting and asked if it was time to make a fire. The guy had chopped firewood and had stuff all ready. He went to work while we began chatting. It ends up that the two of them, husband and wife maybe, quit their jobs, sold their house and decided to travel for awhile. Yes, there are other people who do such a crazy thing. 

Day Two:

It was another beautiful day outside, and we had a few tough climbs as the day started, so we were in the groove fairly quickly. We arrived at the Awaroa Hut around noon and ate our lunch. Unfortunately, the estuary we needed to cross wasn't going to be ready for another hour or so, and we needed to leave right away to make it to the next bay in time for our water taxi pickup. Thankfully, there was a ranger at the hut who was able to tell us that we could catch the water taxi at a little lodge just a 30 minute walk back the way we came.  We just missed an earlier shuttle, so we walked back to the lodge where the woman at the reception desk was able to call the Sea Shuttle folks to let them know we would not be there for the 2:30 pickup. We made our way to pickup spot and enjoyed some time on the beach before our pickup.

The sea shuttle ride was really pleasant. It continued to be a nice day, so we were able to see great stuff all around us, including mountains off in the distance. We made a few stops at bays we had passed while hiking, and were eventually dropped off at Apple Hill Bay, an hours' walk from the car.