Abel Tasman National Park is New Zealand's smallest national park located at the north end of the South Island. It is named after the Dutch explorer, the first European to have set foot in New Zealand who anchored in nearby Golden Bay in 1642. This wilderness reserve has an area of 237 square kilometers (22,530 hectares) and is widely known as a sea kayaking paradise.
Since it can easily be accessed by air, water, and land, many outdoor enthusiasts are able to enjoy different activities throughout various seasons of the year according to their preferred mode of traveling. There are scenic cruises, sailing in catamarans for a relaxing luxury experience while water taxi services such as Marahau Water Taxis and Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi provide day and overnight trips with scenic boat tours including drop-offs for hikes and transit to the only lodge in the park - Awaroa Lodge. The accommodation is situated in a secluded spot within the native forest and is a comfortable alternative to camping.
Abel Tasman Kayaks offer kayak rental and day trips. There's a Freedom kayak tour where you can explore the 12 golden beaches in the area within a day that starts and finishes in Marahau or Kayak and Walk trip combining the pleasures of exploring the coastal track by land and sea.
There are campsites where one could enjoy stargazing at night and native wildlife throughout the day, enjoying the sounds of Tui and bellbird chants echoing in the wilderness, shags, petrels, fur seals relaxing on the rocks, little blue penguins hunting for dinner, with wild pigs and deers strolling within the reserve.
By air, there are heli tours and tandem skydiving that offer a picturesque birds eye view of the park.
There are four ways to access Abel Tasman National Park namely Marahau and Kaiteriteri in the south with *Golden Bay * and Totaranui in the north. They aresituated at either ends of the coastal track equipped with toilets and parking areas. Marahau provides access to the less visited one-way Inland Wilderness Track that will take you tramping for 3 days through a regenerating and serene forest.
There are many available tracks for a full day hike with some long ones that last for 3-5 days.
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Day 12
After a long journey on the Interisland Ferry and the Marlborough Country and settling in our campsite in Motueka the day prior, we were all up for a heavy breakfast. We all decided to spend the last day of the year walking and tramping along the pristine coast of Abel Tasman National Park. This was going to be a very long hike and we were partly worried how our then 4 year-old will manage the long walk.
Our family , 4 adults and 1 child chose to explore the wilderness by land along the most popular trail, Marahau Coastal Track also known as one of New Zealand's Great Walks.
My husband who has already done this hike in 2001 raved about it with his memories trapped in a photo album full of his printed photographs at a time when cameras were still running on film negatives and printed in specialty photo shops. Much to my disappointment, we weren't able to go there during our 2007 backpacking trip due to shortage of time. Hence, this was my first time to visit this side of the south island.
Here's a video that I have made that shows the coastal trail of Abel Tasman National Park from 0:00 to 1:37
We chose to independently explore the Apple Tree Bay Coast Track which according to the panel takes 1 and 1/2 hours one-way and another 1 and 1/2 hours return. Please ignore the walking time indicated in the below map. The track is not flat. Ascent and descent would require a much longer duration. For a regular hiker, that would be 3 hours of walking. It took us , however, a total of 4 hours. I was occupied filming and taking photos so I slowed them down a lot. My daughter spent most of it on my husband's shoulders but she never complained.
We enjoyed the peek-a-boo views of golden and white sand beaches against turquoise water through trees. The meandering path lined granite and marble formations will lead you through exotic plants, clear streams and waterways. As we walked, we instinctively greeted fellow hikers that we came across with bright smiles and cheerful hellos.
We were all famished with sore legs and limbs when we completed the trail but we were pleased to have spent the hazy morning in nature. We were all in bright spirits as we planned our New Year's Eve dinner in our family bat mobile on the way back to Motueka.
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Motueka is a vibrant town and one of the largest closest to Abel Tasman National Park which makes it a perfect base when visiting this region.
Back at the Fernwood Holiday Park campsite, we excitedly talked about special things we saw during the trek over our very late mid afternoon picnic lunch while we mulled over what to prepare for the New Year's eve. Other campers filled the kitchen preparing for tonight's feast and we all predicted that there would be a shortage of picnic tables that evening.
Un apéritif dînatoire, translated as "aperitif dinner" is the simplest and most practical solution. Aperitif dinner is a light meal made up of spreads, tapas and creative bite sized portions served with wine and cocktails that is faster to prepare than a traditional meal. Our selected poison for that evening were pink moscato and several New Zealand beers.
We started the aperitif dinner early and equally finished our family's simple feast even before the young groups of backpackers started their evening parties.
Oblivious to the festive fireworks, the long coastal hike in the wilderness led us welcoming the New Year sleeping peacefully in our campsite cabins.
Do you like long walks in the wilderness?
Day 13- Day 14 Journey to Punakaiki up next. To be continued..
References
How to Visit New Zealand's National Park -Travel & Leisure / 100% Pure New Zealand Abel Tasman National Park / Wikipedia