02.03.2017 - Hiking and Boat Tour in Abel Tasman National Park

After I found out that it is only an hour's drive from Nelson to Abel Tasman National Park, I decided to stay in Nelson. This was also because there were no accommodation options available in and around the park. The next one was only 15 minutes away from Nelson.

So why leave my villa?

The decision of which tour to take was more difficult than expected. There are 4 providers that offer different tours. They all have in common that they all stop at different points in the park and can drop you off at one place and pick you up at another.

Sounds simple, except for calculating the prices...

So off I went to the friendly ladies and gentlemen at the i-Site Nelson. I love i-Sites; they have helped me so many times before.

So I went into the i-site shop, to Jenny at the counter, she was free, and told her my wishes!

After a short optimization of my route, I stuck with the "most popular" offer. The combo package also included a transfer from Nelson (I was picked up at my villa at 7 am) and was cheaper overall than if I had booked the individual routes. So I had a transfer and a 2.5-hour boat tour along the coast to the end of the park and back.

There was a lot to see on the boat tour. Seals, beautiful weekend cottages, peculiar rocks, and lots of beaches.

On the return trip, I, like many others, was dropped off at Medlands Beach and we were allowed to walk the approximately 12 km back to Anchourage Bay. We would then be picked up in 4.5 hours.

WE? Yes, I somehow had the dreamy idea that I would walk the 12 km along the coast alone.

Mistake! It turned out to be more like a hiking highway.

I was never alone for very long. Someone always came towards me, or I overtook slower hikers.

The path is really beautiful. It goes through forests along the coast. Up and down, from one beach to another, hidden views of lonely beaches or the sea, and over a suspension bridge over a bay. Wonderful, if it wasn't for the rain!

The path was sometimes very slippery, so my shoes and clothes were a mess.

The last part of the path from Torrent Bay could be shortened if the tides cooperate. If not, you have to take a detour of about 1.5 hours.

I had no luck! But in my misfortune, I had luck again because the path around the bay passed Cleopatras Pool. This is a natural pool waterfall on two levels, fed by an "ice-cold" mountain stream.

There were actually tough guys who had to prove to their girls that they could jump into the ice-cold water. The girls were, of course, ready with the camera.

I, not quite as tough, only managed to put my feet in the water for 30 seconds. That was enough for me too!

After about 50 minutes, I reached the destination and only had to wait for the water taxi. Like so many others.

It was another beautiful day. Even though it was very wet!