Abel Tasman at Last!

 Water Taxi

We’ve arrived at the “ultimate destination” Abel Tasman National Park on the west coast of the South Island of NZ. I say ultimate because on every hike we’ve pushed ourselves saying, “We have to be in shape for Abel Tasman.” Ironically the coastal trail is rated as “easy trekking” though by NZ standards. We didn’t know that until arriving at our Ocean View Chalets, a perfect place to set out. Our lodgings were recommended by a friend who stayed here twice in the nineties. Our 1 BR chalet is compact and very comfortable, including daily cleaning service.  The tiny hamlet of Marahau, Maori for windy garden, is very low key with three cafes and a small shop. Two water taxi companies are right down from our chalet and it’s their business to ferry people to different points on the trail and to pick them up. How hard can it be?

Enroute to Anchorage Bay

We opt to taxi to Anchorage Bay on our first day, planning to walk back. The beaches here, as in Australia, are awe inspiring, pristine golden or white sand and best of all, relatively few people on them, even at this relatively busy time in the National Park. Kiwis head here after Christmas. The departure time is a civilized 10:30 a.m., allowing us time to sleep in, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, stroll to the office and enjoy flat whites before boarding the boat. A tractor hauls our taxi onto the beach, backs us into the water, and we are off! Our first stop is “split apple”, a big ball of granite sitting in the water just offshore, but outside the boundary of the National Park. Photos of this icon adorn all sorts of media used to extol the virtues of New Zealand, even the labels for NZ apples – clever Kiwis!

Split Apple

We zip off to Stillwell Bay which according to our guide is filled with Kiwi water skiers on Christmas Day. The “baches” or cottages here are privately owned and predate the establishment of the National Park. Currently there are a few people idling at the beach; they may have walked here from Marahau.  On to Anchorage Bay, a beautiful beach where we dry our feet before heading off. We have to take off boots and socks and roll up our pants to wade into shore from the taxi. We meet a Japanese woman who is waiting to catch a taxi back. She has been in NZ six weeks staying with a friend in Auckland. Unfortunately she twisted her back while sleeping in the hut and is in so much pain, she must give up her trek. She is probably about twenty years younger than us and says she’ll have to start listening to her body from now on. Hmm.

Te Pukatea
(Wishing You Were Here!)

We hike over to Te Pukatea Beach to enjoy our lunch before hiking for about 45 minutes around Pitt Head, gaining views of beaches and the turquoise waters of the Tasman Sea.  I’m amused by a little quail bobbing along the path seeming to lead us on our way. After the Royal Wedding and the preoccupation with “fascinators”, I now understand the inspiration for these confections. Quails have little fascinators on their heads that seem to bob in rhythm with their jerky steps. Why don’t these birds fly more often? They run like crazy to get away from humans rather than take to the air like most birds. Are they closer to the NZ flightless birds with ineffectual rudimentary wings that became superfluous due to the lack of natural predators?  Unlike their North American cousins, the NZ quail are very small; flying wouldn’t require huge effort. I guess I’ll have to review Duncan’s  Life of Birds DVD when I get home.

Burned Feet!

Then it’s a four hour trek back to our Ocean View Chalet. The first part of the trail is uphill, hot  and dusty over sun baked earth. It looks like there has been no rain in some time.  The wind is up, and it’s interesting to see lots of flies flying low down on the trail. They aren’t bothering us; they’re too busy just trying to stay in the air. The terrain in this section reminds me of the Mediterranean region of Europe, hot, dry, and attractive in its own way; no cicadas though.  We then enter the podocarp forest endemic to this part of the world, New Zealand’s link to Gondwanaland when all the land masses in the southern hemisphere were joined. Huge ferns shelter us from that relentless NZ sun. We have to say it’s a very long slog back to our lodgings, and during the last hour muscles in my back and legs are aching mightily.  The trail isn’t difficult, just very long. Five hours hiking is a bit much nowadays even if the track is rated as easy. We did make a brief stop at Stillwell Bay where I soak my feet in the sea for about five minutes. This turns out to be a big mistake because I hadn’t put sunscreen on my legs or feet this morning not knowing we’d have to wade to shore.  Later in the evening I note that my and legs are covered in angry red blotches. I guess I’ve got what is commonly known as sun poisoning.  That SPF 30 sunscreen really works; this is the first time I’ve gotten burned because I slather it on religiously. The sunburn doesn’t hurt or itch, just looks awful. I’ll have to be more careful in future if I don’t want to look like I’ve been beaten up.

Monteith's Summer Ale

The last hour and one half of the hike the carrot at the end of the stick is cold beer. We bought a six pack of Monteith’s Summer Ale brewed with a “touch of NZ honey and best enjoyed with a slice of orange”. On our balcony back “home” we enjoy half the six pack foregoing the orange but noting the honey. One discovery of this trip is how good icy cold beer tastes at the end of a long tramp. Cheers.