Our main goal on this trip was to relax, really attempting to embrace the kiwi lifestyle. We left the computers at home, and decided to play things mostly by ear. The only things we planned in advance were our initial bus trip departing Christchurch, our accommodation, and our dolphin swim. The rest was up in the air; we had ideas of what we wanted to do in each location, but we just waited until we arrived to go any further.
This theory proved a little challenging when getting ready to depart for Abel Tasman National Park. The park is a 1.5 hour bus ride away from Nelson, and is only accessible by boat or on foot. We had anticipated sea kayaking to all of the private beaches, but without a reservation and it being high season, we were pretty much out of luck when we tried booking the night before. Determined nonetheless, we decided to get off the bus at the base of the coastal track, just to try our luck at renting a kayak. The first shop we walked into had just had a cancellation and were incredibly surprised and reminded us of how amazing it was that we managed to get the spot. We spent an hour going through safety training, since we were going to be freedom-kayaking (without a guide). We crammed our packs into the small compartments of the kayaks, grabbed a map, and set off to kayak the open water up to Anchorage Bay.
The water was calm, and we were able to stop at any of the private beaches along the way. The sun was shining and warm, and it was a beautiful day; these beaches have been ranked among the world's top 5 beaches by the UK Guardian. We unpacked a picnic (you have to bring all of your own food into the park (there's no shops!) and take all your own rubbish out with you) and relaxed halfway into the trip on one of the sandy beaches! Paradise! The water was an incredible teal color with the contrasting yellow sand and clear blue sky...
The trip got progressively harder, as the last part of the paddle is known as the Mad Mile. There's basically nowhere to stop off and it's open water that's not sheltered. Therefore, conditions can change rapidly with the weather. We braved it, and the most we experienced was a bit of wind. Luckily, the kayak never tipped over, and we made it to Anchorage Bay in the afternoon safe and sound, and slightly sore!
Anchorage Bay
In Anchorage Bay we were staying at Aquapackers, a houseboat hostel. It is the only one of its kind in the park; other accomodation is by camping or staying in huts in the park. The houseboat was equipped with 20+ beds, and we were sleeping in the smallest sleeping quarters down in the hull of the boat. Not the most glamourous, but a total experience! We enjoyed a BBQ dinner on the boat, got to know a few kiwis, and watched the sunset over the mountains in the sheltered bay. A long and glorious day!
Aquapackers and our sleeping quarters!
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