The drive to Abel Tasman National park was windy, to put it mildly.
I am very glad I do not car sick because it was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. We
arrived at our hostel around 4 in the afternoon. There was not much around us
except for the beaches and trails. The tides in Abel Tasman are amazing. At high tide there is probably on a few meters of beach, and at low tide there are
kilometers of beach.
The next morning a few us headed out on a kayaking adventure
up the coast line.
This took all morning and we traveled a total of about
9 kilometers.
After eating our lunch on the beach and exploring, we were
off on the 12 kilometer hike back to our hostel. Lucky for us the trail ended
at our Hostel. The first 30 minutes were straight uphill but worth it for when
you got to the top because the views were phenomenal. PIC
The rest of the way a slight decline the whole way back, so
I was glad that we were walking that way. Along the path there would be patches
of the limestone, which is very brittle because it was built up from the ocean
so quickly. So I carved my name and the year in the rock.
There were also beaches the whole way
back. These are undisturbed white sand beaches! No one lives along the beaches
in the National Park.
Once we made it back, I was tired to say the least. That
night we roasted marshmallows by the fire and I failed at trying to explain
what a smore is because I could not describe graham crackers, which do not exist in
New Zealand. The next day my legs were sore but it felt good in a crazy kind of way, and we made our way to Punakiki,
with a stop at pancake rocks. Thats right, pancakes, world's perfect food! I automatically loved them
before I even saw them. I love pancakes!
These rocks really do look like pancakes and there are
really cool blow holes that have been created over time.
That night I got to watch the sunset on the west coast of the South Island. Perfection.
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The next day just got better. In the morning four of us had the chance to go to a local's shop where he carves the iconic jade necklaces. He
helped us make our own! It is a lot harder than he makes it look. But I think
mine came out pretty good!
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