Sea Calls Me Home
After a few days of relaxing in wine country dad and I were ready to get back into the wild. Of all the places we would be visiting in New Zealand, I was most eager to check out Abel Tasman National Park. Perhaps it was the allure of staying seaside in Marahau where I had booked us an Airbnb just steps from the beach, or the fact that I’m always most comfortable when close to the sea.
The afternoon that we arrived in Marahau the skies were saccharin blue and the temperature was hovering in the mid 70s. I had booked us a water taxi into the park so that we could walk some of the Abel Tasman Coast Track.
The taxi’s office was located inland from Tasman Bay, but to my surprise we were asked to board the boat right then and there. The boat was hitched to a tractor. Since there is no pier the taxi company uses tractors to carry the boats out into the bay. Dad really got a kick out of this.
Skimming across the turquoise waters we got our first look at the park; lush evergreen forest and cove after cove of beautiful pristine beaches. The water sparkled like diamonds. Our skipper pointed out the occasional little blue penguin, aka Korora, swimming in the water.
Anchorage beach was bustling with tourists. Well, not exactly bustling, but by New Zealand standard there was a fair share of folks sunbathing and swimming. All together there wast most likely less than two dozen people on that vast stretch of beach.
Dad and I spotted a small black boar creep out of the woods, but a boisterous tourist quickly scared it off. There were also quite a few fat brown turkey-like birds pecking around. These woodhen, or Weka, were fearless and had obviously been fed quite a bit by park visitors.
The twelve kilometer walk back to Marahau took us around four hours. At first we found ourselves climbing up to the top of a sun drenched ridge from where we had a grand view of Torrent Bay.
Most of the remaining journey had us darting in and out of damp valleys. Scattered sunlight broke through the massive ferns that towered above us. And from time to time we would catch a fleeting glimpse of the breathtaking blue waters through the dense foliage.
Conveniently located right at the entrance to the park, Marahau is a quaint little town with only a couple of restaurants. That night I decided to cook again. I had scooped some organic ground lamb earlier in the day whilst passing through Nelson. The lamb burgers I grilled that eve were one of the best things we ate all trip. Surprisingly, I didn’t see a lamb burger on a menu anywhere during our travels.
The following day we awoke before dawn. I had booked us a full day kayak trip with Abel Tasman Kayaks. We would be exploring the Tonga Island Marine Reserve. Abel Tasman Kayaks are the only company who are allowed to take tours to this remote part of the park.
Dad and I shared a kayak. Thankfully, our group was quite small. There were only two other kayaks, one containing an older couple from Philly, and a British woman and our Kiwi guide in the other.
Our day started with a water taxi ride from Marahau to Awaroa. It was there that we jumped into our kayaks to begin our journey back towards Marahau.
The skies clouded as the day wore on, but the seas were wonderfully calm and as a result we didn’t bake in the sun. Our time at sea was peaceful and easygoing. We saw plenty of New Zealand Fur Seals that day. One of them playfully splashed up towards our kayak at one point.
I love kayaking. Aside from snorkeling it’s my favorite outdoorsy activity. Makes me wonder why I don’t do it more often. Dad and I have gone on a few kayaking trips in recent years. Whilst in Peru we spent some time kayaking on the Amazon River searching for pink dolphins and fishing for piranha.
Leisurely we worked our way down the coastline. We barely saw another soul throughout the entire day. For lunch our guide took us to his favorite place in the park, a serene cove surrounded by sheer cliffs. I hadn’t realized the tour included lunch and so I had made us delicious sandwiches with some local prosciutto from Peter the Swiss Butcher and Cranky Goat Old Tomme cheese. The French press coffee that our guide whipped up went quite nicely with the homemade brownies he had also brought along for us.
Another brilliant day in New Zealand. The tours we experienced, like this one in particular, were nothing short of revelatory. In the past I haven’t always been keen to take tours, but there are some things you just can’t experience without a guide. I’m quite happy that I booked us so many tours on this journey through New Zealand. They were certainly some of our best days of our entire vacation.
