Abel Tasman National Park

As a multi-day hike is simply part of the New Zealand adventure, and because the Abel Tasman National Park is one of the most beautiful national parks in the world, we thought we would do a 3-day hike.

Day 1: With our backpacks, we set off bright and early at 8:30 am. The first day involved a 23 km walk. Fortunately, the terrain was flat and the views were beautiful, so the 23 km were manageable. When we arrived at the campsite for the first night, we were rewarded with half-eaten by sandflies (they look like fruit flies, but they are much more annoying because they bite). We quickly set up the tent, had some food, and then it was time for bed. However, there was no restful sleep due to the lack of a sleeping mat and the strong wind that night. The wind was so strong that it reignited the fire in a fire pit, and since no one was awake at 3 am and we didn't want to risk the entire Abel Tasman going up in flames, we (or rather, I, Aline) put out the fire at 3 am.

Day 2: Still feeling the effects from Day 1, we continued after breakfast. Day 2 had 'only' 13 km to walk, but with our legs aching from the previous day, it was more than enough, especially as the route was much hillier. Luckily, there was a small cafe with pizza in a bay, which was very convenient. The pizza wasn't the best (especially not for $20), but after nearly 11 km of hiking, it still tasted very, very good. After arriving at our second campsite, we set up the tent, ate dinner, and didn't do much else.

Day 3: Since we had to cross a section at the beginning of the third day that was only passable during low tide, and low tide happened to be at 4:35 am, we had to wake up at 4:00 am! It was pitch dark, and despite the water (freezing cold) reaching just below our knees, it was not pleasant. It was also quite amusing to try and find the continuation of the trail on the other side. We continued to walk to a beach and watched the sunrise and had breakfast there. Then we had to walk another 3 km to the beach where we would be picked up by a water taxi in the afternoon. These final 2 km were challenging (mostly uphill and downhill), so we spent the time until our water taxi arrived sleeping and lounging around. At 3:15 pm, we returned to civilization. Our first stop was McDonald's!

P.S: On the water taxi ride back, we also saw cute baby seals