Abel Tasman

Friday, Dec 26th, Boxing day, we left our relaxing little apartment on Bests Island and drove to Marahau which is the starting point of Abel Tasman National Park. Dan has been talking about kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park since we arrived in New Zealand - and now it's going to happen. We were going on a guided 3 day camping/kayak trip along the coastline from beautiful Totaranui in the north down to the golden shores of Marahau. The northern section is less often visited by others since it takes longer to get to.


This area is very busy with sea kayakers. Due to the prevailing winds, it's easier to start from further north and kayak back to Marahau. Many people take a water-taxi to the northern point then kayak back. They use tractors (Fords, actually) to bring the water-taxis to and from the beach while people are still on them. It was pretty funny to see.

We had a very nice guide for the kayak trip who explained a lot of the history and geography of the area to us. She also knew all the areas to paddle with the seals or see hidden coves. There were 9 of us total on the trip which was a good number it seemed. It was a really fun experience. We kayaked all day and camped at Dept of Conservation campsites at night which had running water and flush toilets which made even camping pretty tolerable.

We saw heaps of birds on the trip, including these fuzzy gull chicks. Dan and I saw a little blue penguin swimming in the water near our kayak, but it dove underwater before anyone else had a chance to see it.

Here's Marly enjoying the kayaking. She came here with barely any kayaking experience and now is almost a pro after Abel Tasman and Marlborough Sounds. We actually kayaked through some pretty rough waves - I was definitely getting wet from all the waves splashing on me since I was in the front of the double. The water was warm and the sun was hot when we were out so it definitely was easier and more enjoyable than kayaking in Otago Harbor here in Dunedin.

These oyster catchers were everywhere. Many of the birds are protecting nests and can get feisty when you get near them, especially these oyster catchers.

This was a beautiful protected cove we were able to kayak in only during high tide.

After kayaking all day, it was so nice to get out of the boats and enjoy the warm white sand beaches.

Obviously, Marly was very excited to stop kayaking for the day. The campgrounds were just up beyond the beach -- after kayaking all day we slept very well.

Dan just hanging out while everyone else packs up the boats. Okay, maybe he helped a little too. The weather was just about perfect on the kayak trip. Sunny and warm, and the water really was that turquoise color.

I didn't get any pictures of them, but we were able to kayak right next to fur seals. There is a marine reserve in the area we were kayaking so lots of seals and baby seals checking us out and swimming in the water right next to us. It was an incredible trip. Dan and I are already planning on when we are coming back...hopefully later this summer.