Abel Tasman

    

Leaving the North Island

Baby mussels everywhere!

Going for a Steve Earle from "Copperhead Road" video meets DFW

Our MVP: Quickbeam

Abel Tasman is New Zealand's most popular walk, and it is easy to see why. The four day, 55km trail travels north around the coastline through Abel Tasman National Park, crossing through forests, hills, estuaries, rocky cliffs, and the main attraction, perhaps the most pristine beaches in NZ. The bays in the park are well protected from the violent currents of the larger seas, making Abel Tasman ideal for swimming, floating, relaxing, and kayaking (beached kayakers tormented us with their bottles, or in the Norwegians' case, BOXES of wine). Several water taxi companies also offer service to the major Abel Tasman beaches. Because the park is not accessible by car, many people take the taxi into a beach, spend the day there or even walk to another pickup site, and then return home later that afternoon. Abel Tasman is protected by the surrounding mountains, which means that sunshine and blue skies rule almost year-round (it was sunny and clear, 75-low 90s for us). But for all I had read about Abel Tasman's popularity, the crush of humanity was not so great. We passed plenty of folks walking the opposite direction, but with few exceptions, we were happily on our own.

Relative to Cape Reinga, the tramping was easygoing. Abel Tasman is classified by the Department of Conservation as a Great Walk, one of nine, which means that because it is one of the most celebrated walks in NZ the DOC takes care to keep the trail well-marked and easy to follow. Estuaries could only be passed a few hours before or after low tide, which required some planning ahead, and a few bridges made my knees wobble, but it was all quite accessible. Each day featured about four to eight hours of actual tramping, not including time spent lunching on the beach. Much of the walk is through dense forest, climbing up, and winding down hills, and the trail is punctuated by stunning views of the coastline. The water is shockingly clear and sparkles green. The DOC services huts along the way, though we stayed in smaller campsites, each one on its own isolated beach! We quickly learned the importance of getting an early start, which allowed more time at the end of the day for refreshing swims (baths?) in the ocean and relaxation before the sun went down and the bugs came out for a snack.

Our bodies did wear down as the walk progressed, and unfortunately each day also featured more climbing than the last. Our final race up Gibbs Hill (no time for a rest, we had a water taxi home to catch!) left me in sad shape, but we made it, and we rewarded ourselves with a much needed shower and an Olympian breakfast the next morning.

We have spent the days since getting our strength back here in Nelson, a small but lively city right on the water in the north of the South Island. We are in wine country, and we've spent two days tasting in Nelson and Marlborough. I particularly loved our visit to the fabulous Spy Valley in Marlborough. We've allowed about a week between each major walk to recover, and it is tempting to treat ourselves now to all the comforts we were deprived of out there, but that is of course the easiest way to spend all of our money, so we are trying to use caution. In two days we will begin the Heaphy Track, which travels west through the country and then turns south down the west coast. It will be much more challenging than Abel Tasman, which intimidates me, but the bulk of the climbing is on the first day when we'll have the most strength.

A short word on "emotions." We are both very happy! Any stresses so far have been minor. I have often stopped to appreciate how lucky I am to be here, living one of my greatest dreams. I miss many people and places already, even if it has only been a few weeks. But with so much left to see, I do feel like the whole world is here in front of us. We just renewed our car registration for the full year, so I'll see you later :)

P.S. You can find X-File's blog here: http://christinarosenthal.blogspot.com/