Day 21 – Nelson, New Zealand – 9:28 pm

Tomorrow ends my 4 days in Nelson, New Zealand.  I planned on leaving this morning but I decided to stay an additional day.  Truth be told, I could remain here for another couple days but I must start making my way south to Queenstown.

I arrived last Saturday after taking the ferry from Wellington to Picton.  I then boarded a bus for the 3 hour ride to Nelson.  Along the way my driver explained the different towns we traveled through along with numerous facts and figures about each respective area.  It was informative to learn about the areas passing by my bus window.  We pulled into Nelson and I walked to my hostel, The Prince Albert Backpackers, approximately twenty minutes away.  This is by far my favorite hostel.  I am not surprised that backpackers expecting to stay 1 night remain in town months later.  The wifi internet is free and very reliable.  There is an attached bar that serves free waffles and cereal for breakfast every morning.  A central courtyard with picnic tables joins all the rooms together providing a welcoming atmosphere.  I immediately bonded with a couple different backpackers: a Canadian, a German and 2 Americans, along with individuals from Belgium, France, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

Yesterday, myself along with 4 others decided to travel north to Abel Tasman National Park.  Three of us wanted to attempt a 13-14 mile trek while the remaining two wanted a shorter 7-8 mile route.  The only concern was the 4 pm bus that departed Abel Tasman and returned to Nelson.  If we missed that bus we would be forced to hitchhike back to Nelson.  With such a large group we decided our chances of getting a ride were slim.  As a result, we rented a car from a local agency.  This allowed us to take our time during the day, and the defrayed cost, split between 5 people, was less expensive than the bus.

We departed Nelson around 8:45 am and arrived in Marahau an hour later.  After parking the car, we boarded our water taxi to Bark Bay to begin the 14 mile trek back to our car.  As we motored north, our driver described the history of Abel Tasman National Park.  Prior to its declaration in 1942, the land around Abel Tasman was used for farming.  However, the farming industry quickly faded after the first round of trees were removed and the nutrients disappeared from the soil.  Now encompassing 82 square miles, Abel Tasman National Park is home to a 32-mile track that is popular among tourists looking for a simple day hike to the much longer multi-day trek.  As our taxi pulled into Bark Bay, the tide was to shallow to pull up to the beach.  We emptied our pockets, removed our boots and jumped into knee high water and walked to the beach.  It was a good thing we decided to rent a vehicle as it was 12 pm by the time we started trekking.  Without a doubt we would have missed the 4 pm bus.

We encountered our first ascent of the day just over a mile into the trek.  It was not as steep or long as Dead Man’s Staircase I encountered last week on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.  However, with the increased temperatures it was not long until I began to sweat and my respirations increased.  Onward we climbed for the next half mile.  After the elevation leveled out, we crossed a 51 yard suspension bridge over Fall’s River.  I did not realize how unsupportive the bridge was until I took my first steps onto the two foot wide walkway.  I quickly put my camera down and held onto the support wires and continued across.  From there we descended back to sea level and soon walked onto the beautiful, sandy beach abutting Torrent Bay.  We stopped for a quick bite to eat and took this opportunity to photograph the scene that appeared before us.  After a short respite we traversed the beach and continued south.

Our next rest period occurred at Anchorage Bay, around the 7 mile mark.  We removed our packs, unlaced our boots and cracked open luke warm beers to celebrate the halfway point.  Our twenty minute break, that could have easily turned into an hour, ended and we returned to the trail to tackle the last half.  The track encompasses such a wide variety of settings.  At times it snakes along sandy beaches.  At other times it meanders through jungles so lush with vegetation you cannot see through the shrubbery that lines the trail.  Other times the ground and surrounding trees look so dry you’d think you were in the desert.  It is truly a very unique environment.  As mile 14 approached, we emerged from the lush forest and walked across a wooden boardwalk with the Abel Tasman welcome center in sight.  Off to my right were lush mountains that reminded me of my four days in Hawaii.  To my left stretched sandy beaches and the ocean that peacefully lapped against its’ shores.

We walked a grueling mile back to our rental car and placed our packs in the trunk.  I offered to drive back to Nelson and was handed the keys.  I sat in the driver’s seat on the right side of the vehicle and made my way out of the parking lot.  I quickly got used to driving on the left side of the road.  The reversed steering wheel controls took a bit more time to master.  Every time I attempted to use my blinker I ended up turning on the windshield wipers.  Better the windshield wipers turn on than I veer into oncoming traffic when taking a left- or right-hand turn.

 

*Be sure to check out the Abel Tasman pictures in the New Zealand Portfolio section on the Perpetual Footsteps homepage.