Welcome to the Abel Tasman
One of the first beaches we hiked along.
The special thing about the Abel Tasman Coastal Track is that it literally follows the coastline, so you walk through incredible, postcard-worthy tropical beaches and equally incredible and postcard-worthy podocarp rainforests within minutes of one another. The amazing views just never stopped, and I was glad when lunchtime came, not because I was really tired, but because it was the first chance I had to sit down and really take in the scenery. Not to mention the fact that the trekking company we were hiking with packed us some seriously amazing lunches.
Lunch Break
After hiking about 10 miles, we arrived at Torrent Bay, where our lodge for the night was located. The Torrent Bay lodge was right on the beachfront, and was complete with even more amazing views, incredibly comfortable rooms and even more amazing food, all of which has to be brought to the lodge by boat, since there are no roads through the inner sections of the park.
Exploring the lodgefront after dinner.
On our second day, after a wonderful breakfast, we walked about 11 miles total. This day was truly special, because we got to cross an old swing bridge over a waterfall (which I admit got my heart racing a bit),
Falls River Swing Bridge
have a long lunch and a swim at another beautiful beach, and cross an estuary at high tide (the trail goes right through it, and it's the only way...as the signs say, there is "no high tide alternative"). The water only ended up coming up to my chest, but it was fun regardless.
Having a swim before crossing the estuary
The last few miles of our hike on the second day were actually rather difficult, with several hills to climb, but with outstanding views that made it all worth it.
Looking down into the bay where our night #2 lodge was
Another fun thing about our second day was that we really got to know some of the other people on the hike with us. There were the "Dunedin Dashers," a group of Kiwi women from Dunedin in the far south who were hilarious and walked with lightning speed (hence the "Dashers" part). There was an American couple from Portland with their 4 year old son, who was completely adorable and amazingly resilient (he hiked the entire time for 2 of the 3 days we were out). There was also an incredibly nice German couple who didn't speak very much English but managed to fascinate everyone all the same, a British couple on an extended holiday, and a man from Auckland who came down to kayak by himself "just because." All in all a very entertaining group.
And there was Archie, the 14 year old Jack Russell and resident watchdog at Meadowbank Homestead (where we stayed on night #2), who I found sunbathing next to my bed when I walked in my room.
Our lodge for the second night was Meadowbank Homestead. The property was originally owned by a farmer in the early days of New Zealand, and has a bit of a checkered past, since the lady of the house was murdered by her second husband after he had divorced her and given her two children. The descendants of the original owners wished to return the Homestead to its original glory, so when the owner of the trekking company married into that family, he turned it into a beautiful lodge that hundreds of hikers and kayakers a year now enjoy.
The view from Meadowbank at low tide.
After yet another wonderful meal and good night's sleep in a beachside lodge, we packed up for the third and final day of hiking. We only hiked about 4 miles on the last day, but it was still beautiful. We hiked through some original, or "virgin" forest, which has never been cut or disturbed since its discovery, and we crossed another estuary.
Crossing an estuary on the Track. A little less gracefully than I might've liked, but I made it.
After hiking across one last beach, we got to the end of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track. I guess you could say we "thru-hiked" it. Total, it was about 25 miles. With the amazing food, lodges and scenery, it was truly something special.
Hiking the last beach on the Abel Tasman Coastal Track
A boat, or more appropriately, "water taxi," picked us up at the end of the Track. The water taxi system is amazing here. They take your bags, packs, kayaks and/or gear to any beach on the Track, and will drop you off or pick you up at any point. True service. We rode the boat back along the coast for a great look at some of the beaches we had just hiked, and got to stop for lunch at a little beach you can't get to from the main Track.
Lunch Beach
After being lazy at the beautiful Lunch Beach and getting some sun, we packed it up back on the boat to the entrance of the Park, and were taken back to Nelson by the trekking company bus. I was tired, a little sunburned, but completely happy. We actually spent two nights in Nelson after we got back, just resting and exploring the little town and enjoying some of the local food (New Zealand meat pies are incredible). Overall, I have to say those three days were a few of the best days I've had in a long time.
Leaving our Abel Tasman Adventure
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